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Naumburg International Piano Competition

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The Naumburg International Piano Competition is the name given to all the piano competitions sponsored by the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation. It is a competition for young pianists, of ages 17 to 32, organized in New York City, United States since 1926. It is one of the oldest music competitions in the world, and it has helped launch the career of some of the 20th century's greatest pianists, such as Jorge Bolet, William Kapell, Abbey Simon, Theodore Lettvin, Constance Keene, Adele Marcus, Kun-Woo Paik, Andre-Michel Schub and Stephen Hough, among many others.

Because of its rich and long history, it is considered one of the most prestigious contests of its kind in the world. It has been described by the New York Times as "in its quiet way, the most prestigious of them all."

The piano competition is dedicated to the ideals set out by Walter Naumburg, as are the other Foundation-sponsored competitions and awards in solo and chamber music performance, composer recordings, conducting and commissions. Naumburg believed that such competitions were not only for the benefit of new stars, but would encourage talented young artists to become prime movers in the development of the highest standards of musical excellence throughout the world. The solo competition disciplines rotate from year to year, encompassing piano, violin, cello and voice. The piano competition is currently held every five years.

The winner usually receives a cash prize, a string of performances, management, a recording contract, and New York City debuts in the city's most important classical music venues. In recent years, the Foundation office has undertaken to manage new winners for two seasons or until a commercial manager emerges to take them on.

Winners

Complete list of winners

  • 1926 First Prize: Sonia Kalka, Margaret Hamilton.
  • 1927 First Prize: Dorothy Kendrick, William Sauber.
  • 1928 First Prize: Adele Marcus.
  • 1930 First Prize: Ruth Culbertson.
  • 1932 First Prize: Dalies Frantz, Huddie Johnson.
  • 1933 First Prize: Catherine Carver.
  • 1935 First Prize: Judith Sidorsky.
  • 1937 First Prize: Jorge Bolet, Ida Krehm.
  • 1939 First Prize: Zadel Skolovsky.
  • 1940 First Prize: Abbey Simon, Thomas Richner.
  • 1941 First Prize: William Kapell.
  • 1942 First Prize: Annette Elkanova.
  • 1943 First Prize: Constance Keene, Ruth Geiger
  • 1944 First Prize: Jeanne Therrien.
  • 1946 First Prize: Leonid Hambro, Jeanne Rosenblum.
  • 1947 First Prize: Abba Bogin, Jane Carlson.
  • 1948 First Prize: Theodore Lettvin.
  • 1950 First Prize: Margarte Barthel.
  • 1951 First Prize: June Kovach.
  • 1954 First Prize: William Doppmann, Jean Wentworth.
  • 1956 First Prize: George Katz.
  • 1958 First Prize: Joseph Schwartz.
  • 1959 First Prize: Howard Aibel, Ralph Votapek.
  • 1971 First Prize: Kun-Woo Paik, Zola Shaulis.
  • 1974 First Prize: Andre-Michel Schub.
  • 1975 First Prize: Dickran Atamian.
  • 1979 First Prize: Peter Orth.
  • 1983 First Prize: Stephen Hough.
  • 1987 First Prize: Anton Nel.
  • 1992 First Prize: Awadagin Pratt.
  • 1997 First Prize: Steven Osborne. Anthony Molinaro.
  • 2002 First Prize: Gilles Vonsattel.
  • 2010 First Prize: Soyeon Lee.

    • References

    Naumburg International Piano Competition Wikipedia
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