The International Competition of Young Composers named after Sviatoslav Richter and Alfred Schnittke, which is taking place for the eighth time, testifies to the steady interest of modern performing musicians in the actual art of composition. This quality distinguished domestic musicians of all generations – for half a century of creative activity, maestro Yuri Bashmet himself has performed more than a hundred world premieres!
Moreover, over the past seven years, the Sochi competition has opened up new composer names to Russia and the world; their successes, premieres, and relevance in today’s difficult picture of academic musical art are perhaps the clearest proof of its relevance. Among the laureates of the first prizes of the past years, one can name the winner of the symphony competition “Score” in 2020. (the largest composer competition in Russia in recent years) Andrey Besogonov; world-renowned concert pianist and composer Nikita Mndoyants; composer and performer-improviser, head of the Department of Creative Projects of the A.N. Scriabin House–Museum Denis Khorov; winner of the Moscow International STAM Festival (2018), and today teacher of the Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music Alexey Popkov; Turkmen composer Merdan Bashimov, who impressed the jury and the audience in 2019 with the vivid national character of his music…
The chairman of the jury of the VIII International Competition of Young Composers of the Sochi Festival is one of the leading composers of Russia, People’s Artist of Russia, head of the Composition Department of the Moscow Conservatory. The jury includes the Artistic Director of the International Winter Arts Festival, Professor, People’s Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet; Head of the Department of Composition of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Associate Professor at the Moscow Conservatory and visiting Professor at the Katarina Gurska School of Music in Madrid, Chairman of the MGK Club of Young Composers Kuzma Bodrov; the winner of the Golden Mask Award, the teacher of the Moscow Conservatory Alexey Syumak; as well as the Belarusian composer Valery Voronov, now living in Germany and leading the master classes of the Blackmore International Music Academy in Berlin and Hamburg.
This year, the international jury has been significantly expanded: in addition to the Belgian composer, teacher and art manager Patrick de Klerck, as well as the Italian-Swiss composer Oscar Bianchi, who participated in the jury of previous competitions, the judges of the new compositions will be a Japanese composer and teacher, a visiting professor at the University of Wellington (New Zealand) and the Grieg Academy in Bergen (Norway) Atsuhiko Gondai and a young composer from South Korea, winner of the International Composer Competition named after Claudio Abbado 2020 Donghoon Shin. Their own compositions will be presented at the opening gala concert of the festival.
February 16, 19.00
February 17, 19.00
February 18, 19.00
February 19, 19.00
February 19, 12.00
February 20, 19.00
February 21, 19.00
February 21, 17.00
February 22, 19.00
February 22, 17.00
February 23, 19.00
February 23, 14.00
February 23, 18.00
February 24, 19.00
February 24, 17.00
February 25, 17.00
February 25, 19.00
February 26, 17.00
February 26, 19.00
February 27, 19.00