The Long Island Conservatory of Music and the Long Island Science, Music and Arts Foundation is holding its 9th Annual International Music Competition this week, with the winners performing in a free concert on Saturday afternoon at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.
That Aug. 25 Winner’s Concert and an awards ceremony at 4 p.m. will be preceded by two days of competition on Thursday and Friday at the Long Island Conservatory at 1125 Willils Ave. in Albertson. A dinner party will be held following the concert.
The event, which is co-sponsored by Nassau County, features talented young musicians from around the world competing in piano, violin/viola, and cello, and wind/brass.
“We really are impressed with the caliber of the musicians who have applied this year,” said Patricia Schust, executive director of the Long Island Conservatory.
Schust said there are 58 finalists in the competition selected through live auditions, CDs and DVDs submitted by 350 applicants in categories of musicians under 16 and 16 and older. The finalists include musicians from all over the U.S. and the world, including players from Russia, Holland, Canada and Bulgaria, Schust said.
“I am pleased to host such a special event and I wish all of our incredibly talented participants the best of luck in the competition,” said Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano.
Competition winners will be eligible to receive $47,000 in prizes made possible through sponsorship by Samsung, Guardian Life Insurance, Woori America Bank, Flushing Bank, and Americana Manhasset, according to Schust. The top prize is a $2,500 cash prize and a $2,500 scholarship for classes at the Long Island Conservatory.
But Schust said the point of the competition is “to foster a love of classical music and to have a group of students from around the country and around the world get to know each other.”
When the musicians play for the jury assessing their performance skills this week, they must have two pieces prepared and may be asked to play all or part of both.
“It’s also a way to train these musicians to play for these competitions so they might eventually get a good job,” Schust said.
