The Geneva International Music Competition () is one of the world's leading international music competitions, founded in 1939. In 1957, it was one of the founding members of the
World Federation of International Music Competition (WFIMC), whose headquarters are in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
.
Today, the Geneva Competition alternates between several main disciplines: piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, cello, viola, string quartet, voice and percussion. Every second year, it offers a Composition Prize. Upcoming competitions are cello & oboe (2021), piano & composition (2022), flute & string quartet (2023) and voice & composition (2024).
Its prizewinners include world-famous artists such as
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich (; Eastern Catalan: �ɾʒəˈɾik born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time.
Early life and education
Argerich was born in Buenos A ...
,
Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli,
Victoria de los Ángeles,
Alan Gilbert, Nelson Goerner,
Friedrich Gulda,
Heinz Holliger,
Nobuko Imai
, is a Japanese classical violist with an extensive career as soloist and chamber musician. Since 1988 she has played a 1690 Andrea Guarneri instrument.
Biography
Imai began her musical training at the age of six. She began studying at Tokyo' ...
,
Melos Quartet The Melos Quartet was a much-recorded, Stuttgart-based string quartet active from 1965 until 2005, when its first violin died. It also went by the name Melos Quartett Stuttgart, partly to distinguish itself from the equally prominent chamber group t ...
,
Emmanuel Pahud
Emmanuel Pahud (born 27 January 1970) is a Franco-Swiss flautist.
He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flutistPatrick LamEmmanuel Pahud – The showcase behi ...
,
Maurizio Pollini
Maurizio Pollini (born 5 January 1942) is an Italian pianist. He is known for performances of compositions by Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, among others. He has also championed and performed works by contemporary composers such as Pierre Boulez ...
,
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt and London, and as a long-servin ...
,
José van Dam,
Christian Zacharias and
Tabea Zimmermann
Tabea Zimmermann (born 8 October 1966) is a German violist.
Born in Lahr, she began learning to play the viola at the age of three, and commenced piano studies at age five. At the age of 13, she studied viola with Ulrich Koch at the Conservato ...
.
In addition to its official prizes, the Geneva International Music Competition offers a career development programme, which provides precious support and advice to help boost laureates’ careers. This programme includes two years of concert management, as well as CD recordings, international tours, a festival and professional workshops.
1st prize winners
*1939 Clarinet
Robert Gugolz
*1939 Piano
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (; 5 January 1920 – 12 June 1995) was an Italian classical pianist. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. According to ''The New York Times'', he was perhaps the most reclusive, ...
*1939 Voice
Maria Stader
Maria Stader (November 5, 1911 – April 27, 1999) was a Hungarian-born Swiss lyric soprano, known particularly for her Mozart interpretations.
Biography
Stader was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, on November 5, 1911, as Maria Molnár. During ...
,
*1942 Piano
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt and London, and as a long-servin ...
*1947 Clarinet
Henri Druart
*1950 Clarinet
Paul-Jacques Lambert
*1953 Piano
Jacques Klein
*1954 Voice
Pamela Bowden
Pamela Anne Bowden (17 April 19258 April 2003 (age 78)) was an English contralto.
Bowden was born in Rochdale and was educated at Heywood Grammar School and the Royal Manchester College of Music. During World War II she was a Wren. In 1954 ...
*1957 Clarinet
Petko Radev
*1957 Piano
Dominique Merlet
Dominique Marie-Joseph Merlet (born 18 February 1938) is a French contemporary pianist, organist and music educator.
Biography
Born in Bordeaux, Dominique Merlet was a student of Roger-Ducasse, Louis Hiltbrand, and Nadia Boulanger. He won thr ...
(ex aequo)
*1957 Piano
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich (; Eastern Catalan: �ɾʒəˈɾik born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time.
Early life and education
Argerich was born in Buenos A ...
(ex aequo)
*1959 Oboe
Heinz Holliger
*1960 Clarinet
Peter Rieckhoff
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
*1962 Organ
Joachim Grubich
Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryphal ...
*1971 Cello
Myung-wha Chung
Myung-wha Chung (born 19 March 1944) is a Korean cellist.
Biography
Myung-wha Chung was born in 1944 in Seoul, Japanese Korea (today South Korea), to a musical family. Her younger sister is the violinist Kyung-wha Chung, and her younger bro ...
*1972 Clarinet
Thomas Friedli
Thomas Friedli (June 30, 1946 – April 14, 2008) was an internationally renowned Swiss clarinetist. He died in 2008 in Madeira.
Biography
Thomas Friedli studied in Bern, Lausanne and Paris (with Jacques Lancelot) before winning 1st Prize and ' ...
*1972 Viola
Atar Arad
Atar Arad (Hebrew: עתר ארד; born 8 March 1945) is an Israeli American violist, professor of music, essayist and composer. Biography
Arad and his brother, architect Ron Arad, were born in Tel Aviv, Israel. Arad began his training on the vio ...
*1972 Voice
Konstantin Ploujnikov
*1973 Double Bass
Ivan Kotov
Ivan Ivanovich Kotov (russian: Иван Иванович Котов, ''Ivan Ivanovich Kotov''; born 24 March 1950 - died 21 November 1985 ) was a Russian double bassist.
Life
Ivan Kotov was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, to the mathematician ...
*1973 Flute
Kohno Toshiko
Kohno may refer to:
* 5113 Kohno, a main-belt asteroid, named after Japanese luthier Masaru Kohno (1926 - 1998), a famous builder who specialized in making classical guitars.
* Kohno Michisei
Kohno Michisei (sometimes transliterated as Kono Mich ...
*1973 Quartet
Quatuor Kreuzberger
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations ...
*1973 Trombone
Anatole Skobelev
Anatole may refer to:
People
* Anatole (given name), a French masculine given name
* Anatole (dancer) (19th century), French ballet dancer
* Alex Anatole (born 1948), Russian-American Taoist priest
* Anatole France (born 1844), a French poet, ...
*1974 Harp
Olga Ortenberg
*1974 Voice
Gary Kendall
*1975 Guitar
Dusan Bogdanovic Dusan may refer to:
* Dušan, a Slavic given name
* Dusan, a son of Ra's al Ghul
* Stefan Dušan (1308–1355), emperor of Serbia
See also
*Doosan Group
Doosan Group () is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. In 2009, the cor ...
*1976 Piano
Tatiana Chebanova
*1976 Voice
Katherine Ciesinski
Katherine Ciesinski (born October 13, 1950) is an American mezzo-soprano, stage director, and voice professor.
Ciesinski was born to Delaware Sports Hall of Famer Roman Ciesinski and Katherine Hansen Ciesinski. She is the sister of opera singer ...
*1977 Oboe
Jean-Christophe Gayot
*1977 Viola
AnaBela Chaves
Annabella, Anabella, or Anabela is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Annabella of Scotland (c. 1433–1509), daughter of King James I
*Annabella (actress) (1907–1996), stage name of French actress Suzanne Georgette C ...
*1977 Voice
Kristine Ciesinski
Kristine Ciesinski (July 5, 1952, Newark, Delaware – June 9, 2018, Grand Teton National Park) was an American operatic soprano who had an active international career from the late 1970s through the 2000s. She was a resident artist for many years ...
*1978 Voice
Margareta Haverinen
*1979 Voice
Jean Christian
*1980 Bassoon
Gilbert Audin Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
*1980 Vocal Quartet
New York Vocal Ensemble
*1982 Percussion
Peter Sadlo
*1982 Piano
Evgeny Krouchevsky Yevgeni, Yevgeny, Yevgenii or Yevgeniy (russian: Евгений), also transliterated as Evgeni, Evgeny, Evgenii or Evgeniy, is the Russian form of the masculine given name Eugene. People with the name include:
:''Note: Occasionally, a person may b ...
*1982 Viola
Tabea Zimmermann
Tabea Zimmermann (born 8 October 1966) is a German violist.
Born in Lahr, she began learning to play the viola at the age of three, and commenced piano studies at age five. At the age of 13, she studied viola with Ulrich Koch at the Conservato ...
*1983 Bass
Nico Abondolo
Naftiran Intertrade Company limited (NICO) is a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC buys the vast majority of Iran's gasoline imports. NICO is a key p ...
*1983 Voice
Juliana Gondek
*1984 Conducting
Grzegorz Nowak
*1985 Organ
Jonathan Biggers
*1985 Voice
Chihiro Bamba
*1986 Cello
Leonid Gorokhov
*1987 Trumpet
Ole Edvard Antonsen
*1987 Viola
Hong-Mei Xiao
*1987 Voice
Maria Diaconu
*1988 Guitar
Viktor Vidović
*1988 Oboe
Alex Klein
Alex Klein (born 1964, Porto Alegre) is an oboist who began his musical studies in his native Brazil at the age of nine, and made his solo orchestral debut the following year. At the age of eleven he was invited to join the Camerata Antigua, one ...
*1988 Trombone
*1990 Clarinet
Fabio Di-Casola
*1990 Piano
Nelson Goerner
*1990 Violin
Zheng-Rong Wang
*1991 Cello
Wenn-Sinn Yang
*1991 Tuba
Jens Bjørn-Larsen
*1992 Flute
Emmanuel Pahud
Emmanuel Pahud (born 27 January 1970) is a Franco-Swiss flautist.
He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flutistPatrick LamEmmanuel Pahud – The showcase behi ...
*1993 Organ:
Alessio Corti
*1993 Violin
Manara Francesco
*1993 Voice:
Jane Irwin
*1994 Conducting:
Alan Gilbert
*1995 Bassoon: Laurent Lefèvre
*1995 Cello:
Claudio Bohorquez
Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu.
Origin and history
Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most important m ...
*1995 Guitar:
Georgi Vassiliev Georgi may refer to:
* Georgi (given name)
* Georgi (surname)
See also
* Georgy (disambiguation)
*Georgii (disambiguation) Georgii may refer to:
;Given name
*Georgii Zantaraia (born 1987), Ukrainian judoka of Georgian origin
*Georgii Karpechenko ...
*1996 Trumpet: André Henry
*1997 Clarinet:
Martin Fröst
Martin Fröst (born 14 December 1970) is a Swedish clarinetist and conductor. He is principal conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. He is also a developer of multimedia projects with music, choreography and light design, in which he appea ...
*1998 Double Bass: Janusz Widzyk
*1998 Oboe:
Alexei Ogrintchouk
*2000 Cello:
Rafael Rosenfeld
*2000 Voice:
Annette Dasch (ex aequo)
*2000 Voice:
Werner Erik Nelson (ex aequo)
*2001 Flute:
Silvia Careddu
*2001 Piano:
Roland Krüger
*2001 Quartet: Quatuor Terpsycordes
*2002 Percussion:
Aiyun Huang
*2002 Piano:
Sergey Koudriakov
*2005 Viola:
Ryszard Groblewski
*2008 Cello:
István Várdai
*2009 Voice:
Polina Pasztircsák
*2010 Piano:
Mami Hagiwara
Mami may refer to:
People
*Cheb Mami, Algerian raï singer
*Mami (given name), a Japanese feminine given name
* Mami (goddess), a goddess in the Babylonian epic ''Atra-Hasis''
*Mami Wata, a pantheon of ancient water spirits or deities Entertainmen ...
*2011 Composition:
Artur Akshelyan
*2011 Quartet:
Artemis Quartet
The Artemis Quartet is a German string quartet, founded in 1989 in Lübeck, and now based in Berlin. The quartet is named for the Greek goddess of hunting and the wilderness.
History
The first members of the Artemis Quartet, Wilken Ranck, Isa ...
(ex aequo)
*2011 Quartet:
Hermès Quartet (ex aequo)
*2012 Piano:
Lorenzo Soulès
*2013 Composition:
Kwang Ho Cho
Kwang, also spelled Gwang, is a Korean given name and name element. The meaning differs based on the hanja used.
Hanja and meaning
There are 13 hanja with this reading, and three variant forms, on the South Korean government's official list o ...
*2014 Piano:
Ji-Yeong Mun
*2015 Composition:
Shoichi Yabuta
*2016 Quartet:
Vision String Quartet
*2017 Composition:
Jaehyuck Choi
*2018 Clarinet:
Kevin Spagnolo
*2018 Piano: Théo Fouchenneret (ex aequo)
*2018 Piano:
Dmitry Shishkin (ex aequo)
*2019 Composition: Daniel Arango-Prada (ex aequo)
*2019 Composition: Hinako Takagi (ex aequo)
*2019 Percussion: Hyeji Bak,
Search all prizewinners from 1939
Previous Disciplines
1995 and before, the competition also included a prize for Bassoon.
See also
*
:Winners of the Geneva International Music Competition
References
External links
Main websiteHistory and List of Most Notable WinnersE-Shop Prizewinners CDsWorld Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geneva
Music competitions in Switzerland
Swiss music
Events in Geneva
1939 establishments in Switzerland
Recurring events established in 1939