Klein Competition Coming to SFCM

California Music Center and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music are embarking upon a new collaboration, which will bring the Irving M. Klein International String Competition to the Conservatory's Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall beginning June, 2016. The Klein Competition, now in its 31st year, was previously presented at San Francisco State University.

Mitchell Sardou Klein, artistic director of the competition since its inception in 1986, expressed his excitement about the partnership. "We are so pleased to be bringing the remarkable young musicians who perform at the Irving M. Klein International Competition to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which has become a focal point for great music making on the West Coast. We expect that this collaboration will be immensely fruitful for both organizations, but also will enable a wider audience to experience the extraordinary artistry of these performers."

Equally excited is SFCM President David H. Stull. "We are honored to partner with the California Music Center by welcoming the Irving M. Klein International Competition to SFCM. I look forward to developing a relationship with the California Music Center, which offers a high level of performance by dynamic and engaged young musicians."

This new collaboration is a natural fit between two organizations that share historic connections and common goals. SFCM has been well represented at the Klein Competition; former prize-winners include alumni Hai-Ye Ni '92, Robin Sharp '90 and Pre-College alumna Amy Schwartz Moretti, while its eminent jury has included Moretti and SFCM Chair of Strings Jodi Levitz. The partnership provides the kind of transformative experience that both organizations seek to offer young musicians preparing for lives as successful artists. In addition, as Moretti points out, it "brings the competition to SFCM, which has become part of the center of culture and the arts" in San Francisco.

The Irving M. Klein International String Competition is open to musicians between ages 15 and 23. Its awards, valued at nearly $30,000, carry a prestige that has helped many top soloists gain prominence in the competitive world of classical music. These have included Jennifer Koh, Mark Kosower, Vadim Gluzman, Jennifer Frautschi, Alban Gerhardt, Frank Huang and Francois Salque. The competition is named for the late cellist and master teacher who devoted himself untiringly to the development of young artists.

The Klein Competition occurs in three stages. The CD applicant round, which closes on February 1, 2016, regularly draws over 100 entries from around the world. All submissions are reviewed by at least two jurors, and a group convenes in person to narrow the field to 8-10 semifinalists who will be invited to compete in San Francisco in June. In the semifinal round, each performer will play an unaccompanied work of Bach, movements from notable concertos and a newly commissioned composition by Giancarlo Aquilanti. In the final round, the artists must perform additional portions of their selected concerto and one major sonata movement.