José Iturbi International Music Competition Explained

The José Iturbi International Music Competition is a music competition named after the Spanish piano virtuoso José Iturbi. It was established by the José Iturbi Foundation in 2007 and takes place at the University of California Los Angeles.[1] The competition has two tracks: one for pianists and the other for opera singers. The competition is open to pianists and singers of all nationalities between the ages of 17 and 35. The competition's co-founder, Donelle Dadidgan, is the founder of the Hollywood Museum and the goddaughter of José Iturbi.[2] Initially held annually from 2007 to 2010, the next competition was scheduled in 2013.

Prizes

Cash prizes are awarded to the winners, with $50,000 going to the First Prize winners in the piano and voice competitions. The competition also awards the "Spanish Prize", the "American Prize", and the "People's Choice Award".

Judges

The competition has separate judges for the piano and voice sections. The following were the judges for the 2010 competition:[3]

PianoConcert pianists Daniel Pollack (Chairman) and Ilana Vered, conductors Jorge Mester and Lalo Schifrin, and Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed
  • VoiceFormer Director of Columbia Artists Management vocal division Matthew Epstein (Chairman) and opera singers David Daniels, Marilyn Horne, Carol Vaness, and Peter Kazaras
  • Past First Prize winners

    Piano

    Voice

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Westphal, Matthew (25 June 2007). "First Annual José Iturbi International Music Competition Concludes at UCLA With Two Top Prizes of $50,000". Playbill. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
    2. Villarreal, Yvonne (19 June 2009). "A classic sense of excitement at the José Iturbi International Music Competition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
    3. José Iturbi International Music Competition (2010). Judges. Retrieved 6 February 2010.