For the 2024 edition of the George Enescu International Competition, running from August 31 to September 27, 2024 in Bucharest, Romania, organizers have announced the preselection results for the three instrumental divisions: Violin, Cello and Piano.
Out of the 555 musicians who applied for these sections, the competition’s distinguished jury has selected 149 young performers from more than 20 countries to take part in the competition’s live rounds in Bucharest. In addition, a complete schedule of concerts, recitals, and other events set to take place during the competition has been announced by ARTEXIM, the competition’s organizer and an institution under Romania’s Ministry of Culture.
Organizers received a record 555 applications from 57 countries for this year’s competition: 213 entries in the Cello Division, 195 entries in the Violin Division and 147 entries in the Piano Division. Open to entrants up to age 35, the competition drew applications from musicians as young as 13. An impressive 9% of applications came from the United States, signaling the competition’s growing profile among superior young musicians in the U.S. and worldwide.
A complete list of competitors selected for the first stage of the instrumental sections is available on the official George Enescu Competition website.
“We are thrilled with the high level of talent and dedication demonstrated by all musicians who entered this year’s George Enescu International Competition,” said Cristian Măcelaru, Artistic Director of the George Enescu International Competition. “The preselection process was challenging due to the large number of exceptional musicians who applied. The 149 violinists, pianists, and cellists selected by the specialized juries represent the elites of their generation, and we eagerly await their performances in Bucharest. These young artists bring fresh energy to the competition, contributing to the spirit and tradition that the Enescu Competition has upheld since 1958.”
“This process would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the preselection jury, who faced a challenging task given the high level of musicians who showed interest in participating in the competition,” said Cristina Uruc, ARTEXIM Manager and organizer of the George Enescu International Competition. “Additionally, I would like to thank the organizing team for their tireless and dedicated work, ensuring the flawless execution of this stage. We look forward to welcoming these talented young musicians in September and celebrating musical excellence together.”
For the first stage of the Cello competition, starting September 1, 2024 at the National University of Music in Bucharest, 49 competitors aged between 15 and 31 were selected from among 213 applicants. The selected cellists come from South Korea, China, the United States, Romania, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, France, Canada, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Spain, Japan, Sweden, Slovenia, and Hong Kong.
The Violin competition begins September 7, 2024 at the National University of Music in Bucharest. Fifty competitors, aged between 14 and 31, were selected from a total of 192 applicants. They come from South Korea, China, the United States, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, France, South Africa, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Sweden, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
For the Piano Division, competition begins September 13, 2024 in Bucharest. Out of 148 pianists who applied, 50 competitors aged between 15 and 35 passed the online preselection. They come from South Korea, China, the United States, Romania, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Albania, Poland, Japan, Georgia, Slovenia, and Hong Kong.
The competition’s Composition Division remains open to applicants through June 30, 2024.
In addition, six conductors under age 35 have been selected from more than 45 applicants for active participation in the competition’s inaugural conducting masterclass, led by Cristian Măcelaru. Among them are two women – Eu-Lee Nam (South Korea, 34 years old) and Ana Spasovska (North Macedonia, 25 years old) – along with Kyrian Friedenberg (United States, 25 years old), Omar El Jamali (Morocco, 32 years old), Harris Han (United States, 24 years old) and Alex Amsel (United States, 33 years old). These young talents will work with Măcelaru and the Romanian Youth Orchestra for a week in Bucharest, from September 23 to 27, 2024. Three of them will be selected to conduct portions of the competition’s Closing Concert. Following the model of the George Enescu International Competition, and inspired by the life of George Enescu himself, the masterclass in conducting, instrumental performance, and in-depth music study represents a platform where young musicians, instrumentalists and conductors are guided in developing successful careers in classical music by practicing and improving their interpretive and communication skills.
Applications for masterclasses in conducting (passive participation), instrumental interpretation (piano, violin or cello) and advanced music study (active and passive participation) will remain open through June 30, 2024.
Widely regarded as Romania’s foremost cultural event, the George Enescu International Competition is held in alternating years with the George Enescu International Festival. Together, they represent a global celebration of the great early 20th century Romanian composer and one of the world’s largest meetings of international orchestras. In addition to cash prizes, musicians have registered for the Enescu Competition to compete for an opportunity to perform at the next George Enescu International Festival, which will take place in the summer of 2025.
In a new feature this year, musicians who pass the pre-selection stage and advance to the live rounds in Bucharest will be offered complimentary well-being sessions geared to the demands of high-level musicianship, comprising guidance on career development and healthy lifestyle choices, as well as community support and physical and mental health resources. The competition has also forged partnerships to benefit social causes including the Special Olympics, the Motivation Romania Foundation and Climb Again, all organizations dedicated to helping people with disabilities live their fullest lives with adaptive equipment and access to athletic activities.
Alongside this year’s competition rounds, ARTEXIM will host a series of concerts and recitals, all held at Bucharest’s Roman Athenaeum. The final round of competition for each instrumental division will include a concert featuring a prestigious orchestra and conductor, beginning with the Cello Division finals on Tuesday, September 10 2024 at 6:00pm. Romania’s National Radio Orchestra, led by Jonathan Bloxham, will perform. The Violin Division finals will follow on Monday, September 16, 2024 at 6:00pm, with a performance by the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Alan Buribayev. Finals for the Piano Division will be held Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 6:00pm, again featuring the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Christian Reif.
Several other concerts will be held throughout the competition, beginning Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 6:00pm with the Opening Concert of the George Enescu International Competition 2024 and Awards Ceremony for the Composition Division. Romania’s National Radio Orchestra, conducted by Delyana Lazarova, will perform a program pairing George Enescu’s Romanian Poem with works by fellow Romanian composer Paul Constantinescu and by South Korean composer Shin Kim, a winner in the previous Enescu Competition held in 2022. The featured soloists will be Maria Marica, violin; Benjamin Kruithof, cello; and Alexandra Segal, piano – all of them winners in past Enescu Competitions.
