XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition Announced

One of the most anticipated music events in the world, the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition will take place from June 17 - 29, 2019 in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia with support from the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, with additional support from the Carmel Cultural Endowment for the Arts.

The venues of the Competition will be the Great and Chamber Halls of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow. The award ceremony and the gala concert of the laureates are to be held at Zaryadye Concert Hall. In Saint Petersburg, the Competition will be held at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Mussorgsky Hall at the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre (Mariinsky II), the Concert Hall of Valery Gergiev in Repino, the Grand and Chamber Halls of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia, and in the Academic Glinka Capella. The final gala concert of the laureates will be held at the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre (Mariinsky II).

The categories of the Competition include Piano, Violin, Cello, and Voice. Upon the decision of the Organizing Committee, two new categories, Winds and Brass Instruments, will be added to the Competition program in 2019. These specialties will have two dedicated juries assigned to each category. The introduction of these new specialties is intended to be a significant step towards the revival of the world school of wind and brass performance and the discovery of new young talent.

In 2019 each category will have its own jury Chair:

-Piano - Denis Matsuev, world-famous Russian pianist and gold medalist of the XI Tchaikovsky Competition

-Violin - Martin Engstroem, Founder & Executive Director of the Verbier Festival

-Cello - Sir Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall

-Voice - Sarah Billinghurst Solomon, retired Assistant General Manager for Artistic Affairs at the Metropolitan Opera

-Woodwind Instruments - Denis Bouriakov, principal flute of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Associate of the Royal Academy of Music

-Brass Instruments - Ian Bousfield, former principal trombone of London Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic, Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London

Olga Golodets, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, and Valery Gergiev, General Director and Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, will serve as co-Chairs of the Organizing Committee of the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition.

It was decided to submit preliminary auditions of the Competition's candidates via video link in application form. All the participants can submit their documents and video links online through the official website of the Competition, www.tchaikovskycompetition.com, no later than March 15, 2019.

Select jury members who will judge contestants throughout all three rounds of the Competition program will preview and submit votes on video links of each contestant in submitted applications prior to the Competition. For this purpose, a special online platform has been developed where each member of the jury will have an allocated personal account which will enable them to view and evaluate video applications within their specialty.

As in 2015, the full Tchaikovsky Competition will be available live and on demand via a dedicated digital platform produced by medici.tv, the world's leading classical music channel. Over 200 hours of live streaming, plus extensive editorial coverage with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and archives will also be presented for free. Four years ago, the medici.tv webcast established a record in the industry, gaining over 10 million views with users following the Competition from 187 countries and from 13,000 cities. A massive impact on social media was another unprecedented success with a reach of over 6 million users. Watch the entire Tchaikovsky Competition on: tch16.medici.tv

The XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition sets the highest standards among the world music competitions. Leading concert halls, orchestras, and festivals from around the world are eager to offer their stages to its laureates and talented participants. Along with many other post-Competition performances, Maestro Valery Gergiev will introduce Competition prizewinners at a recital at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on October 27, 2019. Further recitals featuring Competition prizewinners are scheduled for the 74th International Duszniki Chopin Piano Festival (August 9, 2019), the world's oldest piano festival, and at the MPHIL 360º Festival in Munich (January 31 - February 2, 2020). Also in October 2019, Japan Arts will feature Competition winners in a large-scale tour of Japan, followed by a high-profile visit to South Korea arranged by Credia International, with the following schedule:

October 8, 2019: Tokyo, with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra 12 October: Osaka, with Japan Century Orchestra Other cities in Japan to be announced.

October 15, 2019: Seoul at Seoul Arts Center

One Grand Prix among all Categories: USD $100,000 in addition to a 1st Prize cash award from his or her respective category. Further prizes are as follows:

1st Prizes USD $30,000 and Gold Medals awarded in piano, violin, cello, male voice, female voice, winds, and brass

2nd Prizes USD $20,000 and Silver Medals awarded in piano, violin, cello, male voice, female voice, winds, and brass

3rd Prizes USD $10,000 and Bronze Medals awarded in piano, violin, cello, male voice, female voice, winds, and brass

4th Prizes USD $5,000 and Diplomas awarded in piano, violin, cello, male voice, female voice, winds, and brass

5th Prizes USD $4,000 and Diplomas awarded in piano, violin, cello, winds, and brass

6th Prizes USD $3,000 and Diplomas awarded in piano, violin, cello, winds, and brass

7th Prizes USD $2,500 and Diplomas awarded in winds and brass

8th Prizes USD $2,000 and Diplomas awarded in winds and brass

In addition to the Competition prizes, there will be one special prize: a vocal prize in memory of Dmitri Hvorostovsky with a cash prize of USD $15,000 and a performance in Krasnoyarsk, the hometown of the famous singer. The Prize is made possible by the patronage of vocal jury Chair Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Metropolitan Opera Chairman of the Board Ann Ziff.