2nd Shanghai Isaac Stern Attracts Record Number Of Applicants

Shanghai, China, February 7, 2018-Organizers for the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) today announced the final application numbers for the 2018 Competition. A total of 174 applicants were submitted - an increase of more than 22% from the inaugural competition in 2016 (142 applicants).

More than 90% of the applicants for the 2018 SISIVC have won prizes in national and international competitions - including from prestigious competitions such as the International Tchaikovsky Competition, Queen Elisabeth Competition, International Henryk Wieniawski Competition, Sibelius Competition, Menuhin Competition, and more.

Most are graduates or are currently attending premier music schools and institutions including: The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music, Cleveland Institute, Hochschule fur Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin, Moscow Tchaikovsky Institute, and others.

Applicants have studied with some of the top violin performers and pedagogues including: Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Ivry Gitlis, Midori, Leonidas Kavakos, Gil Shaham, Nam-Yun Kim, Koichiro Harada, and Pierre Amoyal.

Already a competition with a global reputation, 2018 SISIVC applicants hail from 33 countries and regions, an increase of 27% from 2016 (26 countries and regions). The greatest area of growth, by a significant margin, was in non-Chinese applicants (65% growth vs. 2016). Applicant countries/regions this year include: Australia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Canada, China, Czech, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Libya, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (China), Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.

To provide outstanding young performers with a chance to emerge, SISIVC organizers broadened the enrollment age of the 2018 SISIVC from 18-32 years in 2016 to 16-32 years in 2018. Consequently, 65% of applicants this year are under 25 years, and of those, nearly 68% are under the age of 20 - an increase of 64% in young applicants vs. 2016.

The announcement of pre-selection results will take place in April 2018. Up to 36 applicants from the pool will be chosen to travel to Shanghai for the first round of the 2018 SISIVC, which opens on 10 August. The Quarter-Final Round takes place on 11-14 August; the Semi-Final Round on 18-24 August; the Final Round on 30 August-1 September; Winners announced at an awards ceremony on 1 September.

Founded in 2015, Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) is Shanghai's first world-class violin competition. The Competition takes its name from Isaac Stern to commemorate the musical spirit of Maestro Stern by which a young generation of musicians can be inspired and motivated.

Along with a grand prize of $100,000 USD - the highest monetary award of any international music competition, a jury of renowned artists and a unique performance process, the Competition leverages the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra platform with extensive resources around the world - including close cooperation with famous orchestras, such as China Philharmonic Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The Competition also provides promising contestants with great opportunities including arranging concert tours, album recording and introductions to world-class music agencies, enabling prosperous careers and encouraging winners to embrace their artistic dreams.

For more information on #SISIVC2018, please visit: www.shcompetition.com. Please follow SISIVC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WeChat, Weibo and YouTube.

To post a comment, you must register and login.