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5th INTERNATIONAL RHAPSODY
Online Youth Piano Competition
APRIL 16, 2023
ABOUT
International Rhapsody Youth Piano Competition was founded in 2018 by Global Musical Bridges. The goal of the competition is to establish cultural connections between pianists, teachers, and fans of piano from all over the world. It has aimed to select and support the most talented and gifted pianists ages 8 to 21 with the hope of launching their careers. The competition was founded and took place every year in Los Angeles, CA, USA before 2020. Due to the corona virus pandemic, the competition has since been hosted remotely.
The competition honors one of the greatest Russian/American composer and pianist of the 20th century, Sergey Rachmaninoff, who spent the last years of his life in Los Angeles. The competition has been held at the Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral in Los Angeles, where Mr. Rachmaninoff was not only a parishioner, but also where his funeral took place on March 28, 1943.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our goal is to create a fair and competitive environment while also keeping the integrity of the competition transparent. One of the ways this is done is by rotating judges every three years and selecting at least two concert pianists, and one independent judge (conductor, composer, or musical critic). All judges are forbidden from entering any of their own students into the competition.
CATEGORIES
CATEGORY "A" - 8 to 11 years old
CATEGORY "B" - 12 to 15 years old
CATEGORY "C" - 16 to 19 years old
CATEGORY "D" - 20 to 25 years old
GENERAL RULES
Contestants must submit a good quality video recording, that must be uploaded to YouTube. We will not open or accept any emailed recordings. The recording of your chosen music compositions, must be recorded as one recording that is associated with a single YouTube link. All music compositions must be performed from memory in order submited in your online application. No simplified versions of traditional repertoire are allowed. No free improvisation or pop music is acceptable. The program should be played by memory with no repeats.
IMPORTANT
All applications must be submitted by APRIL 1st, 2023.
All contestant`s recordings will be posted on our website and will be available to the public.
No repertoire changes are allowed after the application is submitted or at any point during the competition.
Composers representing former Soviet Union republics are allowed (i.e. Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, etc.)
For compositions written after 1960 participants must provide the Judges with the original music score (no photocopies).
Application Fee is $55 per contestant. Application fee is non-refundable.
DISCLAIMER
Global Musical Bridges reserves the right to terminate the competition, in whole or in part, and/or adjust, amend or suspend the competition, and/or the rules in any way, at any time, for any reason without prior notice.
All the decisions of the judges are FINAL.
AWARDS
ALL CATEGORIES I, II, III PLACES - TROPHY and CERTIFICATE
ALL CATEGORIES - IV PLACES - HONORABLE MENTION CERTIFICATE and TROPHY
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
COMPETITION SCHEDULE
* APPLICATION DEADLINE: APRIL 1st, 2023
* ONLINE VOTING PERIOD: APRIL 2nd - 15th, 2023
* RESULTS POSTED: APRIL 16th, 2023
REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS
CATEGORY "A"
Contestants should prepare two compositions of contrasting styles, one of which has to be written by Russian* composer, another one can represent contrasting composition of Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary Era. Time limit is 15 minutes.
CATEGORY "B"
Contestants should prepare two compositions of contrasting styles, one of which has to be written by Soviet Union Era* composer. The other two can represent two contrasting compositions of Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary Era. Time limit is 20 minutes.
CATEGORY "C"
Contestants should prepare three compositions of contrasting styles, one of which has to be written by Sergey Rachmaninoff. The other two can represent two contrasting compositions of Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary Era. Time limit is 25 minutes.
CATEGORY "D"
Contestants should prepare three / four compositions of contrasting styles, one of which has to be written by Sergey Rachmaninoff. The other ones have to include compositions by: Ferenz Lizst. Etude by Frederic Chopin or Nikolai Kapustin. The other two can represent two contrasting compositions of Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary Era. Time limit is 30 minutes.
For more information contact us:
Email: global.m.bridges@gmail.com
JUDGES
Dmitry Rachmanov
Head of jury panel
Pianist
Los Angeles, USA
Diana Volman
Pianist
Los Angeles, USA
Warren Peterson
Pianist
Los Angeles, USA
Nancy Dinsdale Rovenstine
Pianist
Dallas, USA
Nick Gianopoulos
Composer
Los Angeles, USA
Pianist Dmitry Rachmanov has garnered much acclaim for his passionate performances, refined musicianship and brilliant pianism. Hailed as an "indisputable musician" by the Brussels' Le Soir and "suave and gifted pianist' by the New York Times, Rachmanov has been heard at venues such as New York's Carnegie Hall, Washington DC's Kennedy Center, London's Barbican and South Bank Centres, and Beijing Concert Hall, and his tours brought him to Canada, Mexico, Europe, Russia, Turkey and the Far East. He has recorded for Naxos, Navona, Omniclassic, Master Musicians and Vista Vera labels, and collaborated as a soloist with Manhattan Philharmonia, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Orlando Symphony, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Ukraine National Symphony, National Orchestra of Porto, Portugal, among others. A strong proponent of the Russian repertoire, he gave the US premiere of Boris Pasternak's Piano Sonata, broadcast nationwide by the NPR, and his recital The Art of the 19th Century Russian Character Piece was noted by the New York Times for considerable color and focus he brought to each work. A founding member of the Scriabin Society of America, Rachmanov has been giving recital tours featuring the music of Scriabin in commemoration of the composer's memorial centennial (1915-2015), including appearances in Moscow, Paris, Budapest, Beijing & Shanghai and numerous venues in the US. His recital at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall was called indeed a 'poem of ecstasy' in every sense: giant in conception, quantity, quality, execution, thoughtfulness, and sensitivity by the New York Concert Review. He has recently embarked on a project of creating a video anthology of Scriabin's major piano works.
An active member of the American Liszt Society, Dmitry Rachmanov has served as the Artistic Director of the American Liszt Society Festival Liszt and Russia hosted by California State University Northridge.
Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov is Professor of Piano at CSU Northridge, where he serves as Chair of Keyboard Studies.
Rachmanov is a graduate of The Juilliard School (BM & MM) and he holds DMA from Manhattan School of Music. His teachers include Nadia Reisenberg, Arkady Aronov, and he coached with Yvonne Lefebure, Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Menahem Pressler, Vitaly Margulis and John Browning. A prizewinner of international competitions, he was awarded a fellowship from the American Pianists Association and received the George Schick Award for Outstanding Musicianship at Manhattan School of Music. In 2008 Dr. Rachmanov was named the Jerome Richfield Memorial Scholar of the Year at California State University, Northridge. In 2015 he became an honoree of the Outstanding Faculty Award presented by the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars for his dedicated service to the International Community at CSUN, and he was a recipient of the Outstanding CAPMT (California Music Teachers National Association) Member, State Recognition Award.
Warren Peterson taught himself to play piano and rudimentary music theory at the age of 5. He auditioned for Juilliard Pre-College Division when he was 9 and studied there as a scholarship student for the next 7 years under Richard Fabre. Other teachers at this time included Lewis Kaplan, Bruce Adolphe, and Sylvia Rabinof. Warren was featured in an ABC special on gifted youth, playing for Leonard Bernstein, and also performed on WQXR and smaller radio outlets. During this time, Mr. Peterson won 1st Prize in the AMSA International Piano Competition, took 2nd prize overall (1st in piano) in the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, and was finalist in the Juilliard concerto competition multiple times.
Although accepted at the Juilliard College Division to study under Earl Wild, Warren became immersed and infatuated with all things technology and taught himself in all disciplines related to software engineering, management, operations, etc. Warren then worked in a corporate setting for numerous years while concurrently performing in solo and collaborative concerts that included notable musicians, including members of the L.A. Philharmonic.
Warren is inventor and founder of Virtuosica, a live streaming musician marketplace, which is making a splash in the entertainment/tech industry and is now conducting performances on this platform. Warren has been married to his wife, Teri, for 22 years and resides in Marina del Rey, California.
Nancy D. Rovenstine feels and loves music down to her core. At age 3, Nancy was naturally drawn to the piano, continually climbing onto her parent’s grand piano bench to begin poking out tunes on
their piano. She began lessons at age 5, and continued through college, studying
with excellent teachers, including Audun Ravnan, a Norwegian expert in Edward Grieg.
In college, Nancy was a sought-after accompanist for vocal and instrumental studios, as well as vocal ensembles.
After college, Nancy traveled with an international performing group, Up With People, performing on keyboard, and vocal soloing. After marrying and starting a family, she established a small private piano and voice studio, teaching for ten years. She also help found a musical theater organization, for young people ages 2nd grade through 10th grade, producing Broadway-scale musicals annually. Nancy worked as Music Director for 11 years, and as conductor for 7 years. The productions received high accolades. Nancy has also performed several times for OK Mozart International Music Festival, and was pianist for the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra for 12 years, which included performing as a soloist with the orchestra. Recently, Nancy has been a keyboardist for Watermark Community Church in Dallas.
Born in Moldova, Diana Volman holds a master’s degree in piano performance from the Moldova State Conservatory of Music. She is the winner of the sixth international Tchurlyonis Competition and was awarded first prize in the Rachmaninoff All-State Competition.
She finished conservatory with the highest honors, and was offered a place on the faculty upon graduation. During her tenure, she was highly regarded as an interpreter of contemporary Moldavian and Ukrainian composers, and was frequently asked to debut their pieces and serve as editor of their published music. Her teachers include such eminent pianists as Vitaly Margulis, Dimitri Bashkirov, and Yevgeny Shenderovich.
In 1990, Diana immigrated to Los Angeles where she has taken on an active role in the cultural life of the Russian community. As Music Director of the Unity and Diversity Arts Foundation, she has spearheaded myriad events comprising many internationally distinguished artists. A sought-after accompanist, she has given highly acclaimed performances in such venues as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Thousand Oaks Civic Auditorium, and the San Gabriel Auditorium, collaborating with such eminent artists as Daniel Smith, Mariana Popzlateva, and Timur Abdikeev, among numerous others. She has organized many fundraisers within the Jewish community which bring the sacred art of cantorial music into modern life. In March 2013, she was invited to Jerusalem to record a solo CD of her repertoire, which is set to be released at the end of this year. She enjoys a career as a respected piano teacher whose students has gone on to attend prestigious music conservatories and is frequently asked to judge national competitions for young performers.
George, known colloquially as Nick, began his musical study at age eighteen upon entering college. Enraptured by his first course, an Introduction to the World of Music, George immersed himself in the studies of classical music; the theory, the repertoire, the performance and the history. He immediately began taking group piano lessons and within a semester
advanced to private lessons with Dr. Robert M. Auler. Throughout his tutelage he also undertook the art of pedagogy, developing a private piano studio of twelve students as well as working as a church pianist and organist. After four years of intense study, George gave a senior recital that included performances of works by Mozart, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Chopin as well as faculty performances of original compositions.
A native of Syracuse, New York and now a resident of Los Angeles, Gianopoulos’ music has been performed throughout Europe and America, including performances in China, Israel, Spain, England and Greece and regular performances in Southern California. George has been commissioned by The Glendale Philharmonic, The Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles, Tala Rasa, The Symbiosis Ensemble, The Helix Collective and the Malkin-Trybeck Duo, among others. He has been awarded by the American Viola Society, One Ounce Opera, Boston Metro Opera, Aurora Borealis Duo and was the Composer-in- Residence for the Los Angeles based Symbiosis Ensemble and the Alumni-in-Residence (AIR) for the State University of New York at Oswego, where he worked with students and faculty. His music has been performed by members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, along with musicians Dr. Robert Auler, Kathleen Roland-Silverstein, Lynn Vartan, Maksim Velichkin, Michele Fiala (IDRS 2018), Rong-Huey Liu, and Kate Kayaian. Mr.
Gianopoulos is the currently the Composer-in-Residence for the Los Angeles based concert series Music @ MiMoDa.
