Free Access to Initial Rounds of George Enescu Instrumental Competition

The 19th edition of the George Enescu International Competition will kick off on August 31, 2024, in Bucharest, offering music lovers free access to the preliminary and semifinal rounds of the competitions.

This year, the Enescu Competition saw a historic record of applications—555 young musicians from 27 countries applied for the three competition categories: violin, cello, and piano. Out of these, only 149 were selected to participate in the first round.

Each section of the competition will consist of two preliminary rounds, a semifinal, and a final. The organizers will provide free access to the preliminary and semifinal rounds, with no prior reservation required.

The first two rounds for each section will take place at the National University of Music Bucharest (Știrbei Vodă Street No. 33), while the semifinals and finals are scheduled at the Romanian Athenaeum.

The competition kicks off with the Cello Section, featuring 49 participants from countries such as South Korea, China, USA, Romania, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, France, Canada, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Spain, Japan, Sweden, Slovenia, and Hong Kong.

The first round of the competition will take place from September 1-3, the second round from September 5-6, with the semifinal on September 8, and the final on September 10.

Participants’ performances will be evaluated by an international jury comprising distinguished musicians: David Geringas (Jury President), Leonid Gorokhov, Meehae Ryo, Valentin Răduțiu, Marin Cazacu, Enrico Dindo, and Arto Noras, joined by international managers Charlotte Lee and Raimund Trenkler for the semifinal and final.

The George Enescu International Competition will continue with the Violin Section, starting on September 7. This section will see 50 participants from 18 countries: South Korea, China, USA, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, France, South Africa, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Sweden, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

The first round of the violin competition will run from September 7-9, with the second round on September 11-12, the semifinal on September 14, and the final scheduled for September 16.

The Violin Section jury consists of renowned artists Dmitry Sitkovetsky (Jury President), Mihaela Martin, Liviu Prunaru, Silvia Marcovici, Shlomo Mintz, Boris Garlitsky, and David Halen, with international managers Doug Sheldon and Didier de Cottignies joining for the final.

On September 13, 2024, the piano jury will convene in Bucharest for the first round of the piano competition. The 50 selected participants range in age from 15 to 35 and come from South Korea, China, USA, Romania, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Albania, Poland, Japan, Georgia, Slovenia, and Hong Kong.

The first round of the piano competition will be held from September 13-15, with the second round on September 17-18, the semifinal on September 20, and the final scheduled for September 22, 2024.

The jury for this section includes internationally acclaimed pianists: Lilya Zilberstein (Jury President), Dana Borșan, Andrei Pisarev, Vovka Ashkenazy, Luiza Borac, Alexander Shtarkman, and Sina Kloke, joined by manager Martin Campbell-White and pianist Simon Trpčeski for the semifinal and final.

The George Enescu International Competition is an event held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and funded by the Romanian Government through the Ministry of Culture.

The lists of competitors who have been selected to enter the first stage of the instrumental sections are available on the official website of the Enescu Competition.