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Jul 22, 2015
John Woolrich: ‘Contemporary music is no different from Brahms’
The British composer John Woolrich discusses the challenges contemporary music faces and the vital role of amateur musicians My interview...
Jul 10, 2015
No prize given at Fournier Award
The jury of the Pierre Fournier Award hands out no main prize but two Incentive Grants in the prestigious cello contest at Wigmore Hall...
Jun 13, 2015
Barry Douglas on the pressures and benefits of competitions
As the Tchaikovsky Competition kicks off, we revisit a 2014 interview with the great Irish pianist Barry Douglas, who won the contest in...
May 31, 2015
Baffling results in Brussels
Jury places audience favourite in fifth place at Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Belgium Music competitions get a lot of bad press...
May 12, 2015
Gergiev looks to Asia for string talent
Valery Gergiev was optimistic about the rise of Asian musicians but sounded a note of caution about the pressure on young competition...
Mar 12, 2015
Violin competitions: participant’s view
Violinist Benjamin Baker has just been selected for the final rounds of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition. Such contests are...
Dec 4, 2014
The future of music competitions
Competitions are a vital part of the classical music world, whether you like it or not. They offer many benefits to players and to the...
Jul 28, 2014
Are music competitions really so bad?
Julian Lloyd-Webber has come out in The Times against competitions, and accused them of being corrupt. That’s quite a broad brush with...
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