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Competitions can be fantastic for the careers of young
musicians. Winning a competition, any competition, is a boost of
confidence--a confirmation that you are headed in the right
direction, a statement about your artistic vision.
But you can also easily lose a competition-which can be a
fantastic downer and a reality check for an artist. It could even
possibly signal a career change… But you can keep your faith after
a loss. After all, a competition is a short moment in time and
space, and the music competition world is difficult. You have a
limited time to perform and to succeed in front of a jury--each
member of which has his or her own views on piano and music making.
The timeline is short, and the consequences can be endless.
Winning a competition does not guarantee you a sustainable,
lifelong career. What it can do, though, is open a window to the
world. You can certainly have an international career without
winning a major competition… But winning can help a lot.
The Cliburn, for instance, opens the U.S. musical market-and
also Europe and Asia through our contract with IMG Artists. This is
a Cliburn USP (unique selling proposition); we are proud of it and
are always working to increase and enhance that worldwide reach for
our winners.
Competitions are a great moment to evaluate where you are, talk
with colleagues, and meet (after the rounds) the members of the
jury. And, as we've discussed in this blog, it's a glance at an
international career, with the pressure, rewards, and
challenges.
Come and see the Cliburn and imagine the pressure on these young
artists… In the midst of the all of the stress, their ultimate goal
is to make beautiful music-music that will make you dream, cry,
think, or love.
You will never listen to a candidate perform in the same way
now… Enjoy!
We have arrived in Moscow now after a fantastic time in
Hannover. Thank you to our phenomenal hosts at the Hochschule für
Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover! We've heard 24 candidates so
far, and we will listen to 18 more in Moscow and 30 in Milan. And
many more in the United States…
-- Jacques
Travel tips: You remember Hong Kong? Just letting you
know that I went shopping in Moscow today… again… (Apparently
luggage loss knows no borders!)
Quote of the day: "Success is not final,
failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
-- Winston Churchill
Blanca Uribe and Richard Dyer in
Hannover
Members of the jury in front of the Hochschule
in Hannover
Richard Dyer and John Giordano in front of the
opera house in Hannover
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