The Third Paganini Moscow International Violin Competition /UCWE/ Moscow, Russia - The Violin Art Foundation is pleased to announce the holding of the Third Paganini Moscow International Violin Competition, supported by the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, the Government of Moscow and Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. The Competition’s international jury will be headed by Sergei Stadler, a well-known Russian violinist.

It is intended by the Competition organizer, the Violin Art Foundation, that it be a public annual event dedicated to Niccol? Paganini’s birthday, which is October 27th.

The organizers of the Competition see its mission in the support of talented young musicians, as well as in the encouragement of gifted violinists and the worldwide promotion of the violin art.

Any musician older than 16 is eligible to participate. The Competition consists of Eliminatory, Semifinal and Final auditions. The winners will be awarded with diplomas and the following prizes:

• First Prize: a statuette of Paganini holding the golden violin, plus $25,000;


• Second Prize: $12,000;


• Third Prize: $8,000.

The prize statuette of Paganini holding the golden violin is made under the Foundation’s specific order; the Valeurs Actuelle magazine has called it “The Violin Oscar.”

The final concert of the Competition’s laureates and judges will take place in Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory’s Bolshoy (‘Grand’) Hall on December 1, 2005.

History of the Competition

The First Competition was held in November-December of 2003. It became “a remarkable event in the culture life of Russia but not only Russia, having brought up the best national violin ‘forces’ to the capital” (the Itogi magazine and the Culture TV channel). According to the phrase of John Brunning, an anchorman of the Newsnight program at the Classic FM British Radio Station: “It is already for many years that Russia has been granting the world with the best violinists, aiming to continue the tradition of bringing up the talents of tomorrow as well.” The Competition’s results overcame the most optimistic expectations: “The Moscow Violin Competition demonstrated again that Russia’s music education is one of the world’s best” (a CNN’s spot on the First Competition’s results).

The Second Competition was successfully held at the end of 2004. Its grand prix holder got the right to play an Antonio Stradivari’s violin during one year. Incidentally, it is that particular instrument which “causes the greatest interest among the adepts both in Europe, Japan and the United States” (the Valeurs Actuelle magazine).

At different times, such prominent foreign musicians as, a world-famous French violinist Ivry Gitlis; a German violinist Mihaela Martin, Professor of Musikhochschule in K?ln; a Austrian violinist Julian Rachlin is on the faculty at the Vienna Conservatory and a laureate of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize; a British violinist Itzhak Rashkovsky, Professor of the Royal College of Music in London; as well as such famous Russian artists as a violinist, a conductor, Eduard Grach, Moscow State Philharmonic’s soloist, Moscow State Conservatory’s Professor and People’s Artist of the USSR; a cellist, Alexander Rudin, People’s Artist of Russia; Alexander Sokolov, earlier the Provost of Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, now the Minister of Culture and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation; a violinist, Maxim Fedotov, Moscow State Philharmonic’s soloist, People’s Artist of Russia and a laureate of the Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa (1982), — have been members of the Competition jury headed by Sergei Stadler, a violinist, a conductor and People’s Artist of Russia.

The Competition has a charity nature and is sponsored by the Violin Art Foundation exclusively.

The Press Conference, dedicated to the Competition, will take place on October 27, 2005.

The Competition’s Partners are: · The Sotheby’s Auction House; · Russia’s State Collection of Unique Music Instruments; · The Legal Intelligence Group Law Firm; · The Culture All-Russian State TV and Radio Broadcasting Company

Further details are set out at www.violin-fund.ru. Any questions may be asked by phone: +7 (095) 102 102 8.