Musician Competition To Help Talent Reach Global Stage

Shanghai will host the final of the inaugural SHCM International Musician Competition, a new contest aiming to discover talented musicians with versatile abilities, and help them reach the global stage.

Jointly organized by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCM), Fujian's Hui'an County government, and the Savonlinna Music Academy of Finland, it will be the world's first international music competition titled "Musician Competition."

It consists of three rounds: the preliminary round for piano solo performances, the semifinal for collaborative piano with instrumental and vocal music, and the final round for conducting.

This structure ensures a comprehensive evaluation of the contestants' overall capabilities as a holistic musician. Following the preliminary round facing global candidates, 20 semifinalists were selected from countries, including China, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Greece, Bolivia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan.

The semifinals will be held at Quanzhou Grand Theater, Fujian Province, from October 30 to November 3. The contestants will choose from classical string sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms, or Richard Strauss, or piano trios by Beethoven and Schubert, performing with an ensemble provided by the organizing committee.

The advancing competitors will proceed to the art song segment, where they will interpret not only German-Austrian classics by composers such as Schubert and Schumann but also Chinese art songs.

The final round is scheduled to be held at the He Luting Concert Hall of the SHCM on November 10. The final four contestants must each select a Mozart piano concerto. While performing on the piano, they will simultaneously conduct the SHCM Symphony Orchestra.

The judges will begin their evaluation during the contestants' rehearsal sessions with the orchestra, documenting their conducting and collaborative skills. The final assessment will combine these observations with their performance in the formal competition.

The results will be announced the following day, and the winners' concert will be held on November 13 in Quanzhou.

The winners will be recommended to participate in the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival, as well as the Shangyin Opera House's performance season, a strong start to their professional careers.

Against the backdrop of more than 750 global piano competitions alone, which produce over 2,000 top-three winners annually, what makes this new music competition unique?

"We are a 'musician competition' rather than a 'piano competition'. What we are selecting is not only technically skilled winners but also versatile musicians equipped with multidimensional abilities in solo performance, collaboration, and direction," explained Liao Changyong, a baritone and president of the SHCM.

"The sustainable development path for young artists is more critical than competition rankings," he added.