The Organizing Committee of the Fourth International Sergei Slonimsky Composition Competition announces the completion of the first qualifying round. 164 applications from more than 20 countries were submitted. By the decision of the international jury, three participants were admitted to the final of the competition:
Alberto ARROYO (Spain)
Estado interior I – Metainstrument Etude No.1 (2015)
Joshua HEY (USA)
I am in here (2019)
Shin MIZUTANI (Japan)
Harpocratēs (2019)
These compositions will be performed by the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble (MCME) on the final day of St. Petersburg International New Music Festival that will be held from July 3 to 9, 2020 online (in connection with the worldwide events), with free access for the public.
The Sergei Slonimsky International Composers Competition was first held in 2012. Over the past years, young composers from USA, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Russia, Thailand, Greece and UK were its finalists. Among ensemble performed the winners’ compositions were St. Petersburg Sound Ways (2012), Ensemble Proton Bern from Switzerland (2015), Moscow group the Gallery of Actual Music Ensemble (2018).
Sergei Slonimsky was a composer, pianist, musicologist, People’s Artist of Russia, laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, academician of the Russian Academy of Education, laureate of prizes of the Government of St. Petersburg, professor of St. Petersburg State Conservatory, holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (IV degree). Unfortunately, Sergei Mikhailovich left us at the age of 88 at the onset of this year.
The Sergei Slonimsky Competition project aims to promote and to support world young talented authors. The winners’ scores will be published by Edition reMusik.org.