String and vocal instruments
This year's Geneva International Music Competition will focus on string quartets and singing. From November 18 to December 5, 94 young singers and quartet players will defend their places at this 71st edition.
The 38 participants selected for the singing competition will measure themselves against each other throughout the rounds, which will be distinguished by both their demands and their diversity. Candidates who reach the semi-finals will be offered a free choice of program based on an artistic or thematic project, giving them the opportunity to express the singularity of their artistic personality. While all genres may be represented, the jury will assess the originality of the proposal as well as its artistic coherence. The 4 candidates selected for the final, on December 2 at Victoria Hall, will distinguish themselves in a performance with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Constantin Trinks.
At the same time, this year 14 quartets will be taking on this notoriously difficult genre. The 6 quartets selected for the semi-final, to be held on November 23 at the Conservatoire, will take part in a compulsory piece by Shoichi Yabuta, winner of the 2015 Composition Prize. Billow. And on November 27 at Victoria Hall, the 3 finalist quartets will perform a Beethoven quartet and a Bartók quartet.
Concerts and collaborations
The Competition will be offering a number of other concerts alongside the competition. Starting with the Opening Concert, Friday November 18 at the Conservatoire, with Polina Pasztircsák and the Galatea Quartet. The Vernissage Concert, on Saturday November 19 at the Salons, will celebrate the release of the triple live CD recorded during the 2015 Laureates Festival, in the presence of Chloe Ji-Yeong Mun, Pallavi Mahidhara and Honggi Kim, the last three piano laureates.
At the end of the competition, Johannes Martin Kraenzle, member of the singing jury, will give a masterclass to participants and students from professional schools in the Lake Geneva region. Collaboration with the University of Geneva, via the "Music and Voice of the 20th Century" course, the round table on "The Interpretation of Contemporary Vocal Music" and its Student Prize, as well as the creation of a Young Audience Prize are also part of the competition's proposals to enrich the experience and enhance the listening experience of as many people as possible.
More info: www.concoursgeneve.ch
