The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is an elite-level competition for classical musicians who are interested in pursuing an international career as a professional concert artist. Established in 2001 by the late André Bourbeau and by the late French-Canadian bass Joseph Rouleau, the CMIM features three disciplines - voice, violin and piano - on a rotating basis over a three-year cycle.
The CMIM is composed of four rounds: the preliminary round (based on video recordings), the first round, the semi-finals and the finals.[1] Award winners receive prizes and grants valued at over $150,000. The 2024 edition, dedicated to the piano, will be followed by the voice edition in 2025 and the violin edition in 2026.[2]
André Bourbeau was the president of the Competition since its first edition in 2002 and was succeeded by François R. Roy in 2018.
Since May 2004, the CMIM has been a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.[3]
In September 2023, Chantal Poulin and Shira Gilbert were appointed as Executive Director and Artistic Director of the CMIM.[4]
The 2024 edition of the CMIM was dedicated to piano. It took place from May 5 to 16 and featured 24 competitors aged 19 to 29 from twelve different countries. For the first time in its history, the competition included a Chamber Music round during the first stage of the semifinal.[5] [6]
Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko won the first prize of the Piano 2024 edition and became the first Canadian laureate of an instrumental edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal.[7] [8]
| 1st Prize | Jaeden Izik-Dzurko |  Canada | |
| 2nd Prize | Gabriele Strata |  Italy | |
| 3rd Prize | Anthony Ratinov |  United States | |
| Finalist | Elias Ackerley | / | |
| Finalist | Jakub Kuszlik |  Poland | |
| Finalist | Derek Wang | United States |
| Prix | Gagnant | Pays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICI Musique Audience Award,Offered by ICI Musique | Gabriele Strata | Italy | |
| Best Canadian Artist Award,Offered by the Bourbeau Foundation | Jaeden Izik-Dzurko | Canada | |
| Best performance of a Sonata in the Semifinal,Offered by Anne Stevens | Jaeden Izik-Dzurko | Canada | |
| André Bachand Award for the Best performance of the imposed Canadian work, Mzizaakok Miiniwaa Mzizaakoonsak (Horseflies and Deerflies) by Anishinaabekwe composer Barbara Assiginaak,Offered by Claudette Hould | Jaeden Izik-Dzurko | Canada | |
| Chamber Music Award,Offered by Dixi Lambert and the Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal | Gabriele Strata | Italy | |
| Junior Jury Prize | Jakub Kuszlik | Poland | |
| Bita Cattelan Philanthropic Engagement AwardOffered by Bita & Paolo Cattelan | Élisabeth Pion | Canada | |
| Three CMIM Grants for the unranked finalists,Offered by the Rouleau Family, Morris & Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation, and Louise Roy | Elias AckerleyJakub Kuszlik Derek Wang | / Poland United States |
The twenty-second edition of the CMIM was dedicated to violin. First prize was won by Dmytro Udovychenko.
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Dmytro Udovychenko |  Ukraine | |
| Second | SongHa Choi | ||
| Third | SooBeen Lee | ||
| Finalist | Nathan Meltzer | United States | |
| Finalist | Michael Shaham |  Israel | |
| Finalist | Ruslan Talas |  Kazakhstan |
| Prize | Winner | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICI Musique's People's Choice Award | SongHa Choi | ||
| André-Bourbeau Award for the best Canadian artist | Not attributed | ||
| Sonata Award for the best performance of a sonata in the Semi-final round | SongHa Choi | ||
| SongHa Choi | |||
| Award for the best performance of a work by J.S. Bach | Dmytro Udovychenko | Ukraine | |
| Award for the best performance of a virtuosic work | Yesong Sophie Lee | United States | |
| Bita Cattelan Philanthropic Engagement Award | Aaron Chan | Canada / | |
| CMIM grants awarded to the three unranked finalists | Nathan Meltzer Michael Shaham Ruslan Talas | United States | |
| John Newmark Prize for the Best Collaborative Pianist | Umi Garrett |
The twenty-first edition of the CMIM was dedicated to voice and featured two divisions - aria and art song. First prize in Aria was won by Simone McIntosh. First prize in Art Song was won by Meredith Wohlgemuth.
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Simone McIntosh | Canada | |
| Second | Sarah Dufresne | Canada | |
| Third | Valerie Eickhoff |  Germany | |
| Finalist | Nils Wanderer | Germany | |
| Finalist | Hugo Laporte | Canada |
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Meredith Wohlgemuth | United States | |
| Second | Harriet Burns |  United Kingdom | |
| Third | Bryan Murray | United States |
| Prize | Winner | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICI Musique People's Choice Award - Aria | Nils Wanderer | Germany | |
| ICI Musique People's Choice Award - Art Song | Deepa Johnny | Canada | |
| Best Canadian Artist Award - Aria | Simone McIntosh | Canada | |
| Best Canadian Artist Award - Art Song | Deepa Johnny | Canada | |
| Opera Aria Award | Simone McIntosh | Canada | |
| French Art Song Award | Meredith Wohlgemuth | United States | |
| German Lied Award | Harriet Burns | United Kingdom | |
| John Newmark Award for best collaborative pianist | Jinhee Park | ||
| Bita Cattelan Philanthropic Engagement Award | Adanya Dunn |  Bulgaria / Canada | |
| André Bachand Award for the Best Performance of a Canadian Work | Michael Lafferty | United Kingdom | |
| Montreal students' coup de coeur Prize | Simone McIntoshSarah Dufresne | Canada Canada | |
| CMIM grants awarded to two unranked finalists | Nils WandererHugo Laporte | Germany Canada |
The twentieth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to piano. First prize was won by Su Yeon Kim, from South Korea.
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Su Yeon Kim | ||
| Second | Yoichiro Chiba |  Japan | |
| Third | Dimitri Malignan |  France | |
| Finalist | Alice Burla | Canada | |
| Finalist | Francesco Granata | Italy | |
| Finalist | Ying Li |  China | |
| Finalist | Chaeyoung Park | South Korea | |
| Finalist | Marcel Tadokoro | France |
| Prize | Winner | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICI Musique Audience Award | Dimitri Malignan | France | |
| André-Bourbeau Award for the best Canadian artist | Alice Burla | Canada | |
| Bita Cattelan Philanthropic Engagement Award | Anna Han | United States | |
| André-Bachand Award for the best performance of the compulsory Canadian work | Alice Burla | Canada | |
| Festival Bach Montréal Award for the best performance of a work by J.S. Bach | Dimitri Malignan | France | |
| CMIM grants awarded to the five unranked finalists | Alice Bural Francesco Granata Ying LiChaeyoung Park Marcel Tadokoro | Canada Italy Ying Li South Korea
|
The COVID-19 confinement and closing of international borders prevented this nineteenth edition of the CMIM to be held. Instead, every day from May 4 to May 18, 2020, from their respective locations, the selected competitors performed short recitals, in anticipation of the competition, which was postponed to 2021.
The eighteenth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to violin. First prize was won by Hao Zhou.
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Hao Zhou | United States | |
| Second | Johanna Pichlmair |  Austria | |
| Third | Fumika Mohri | Japan | |
| Finalist | Elli Choi | United States / South Korea | |
| Finalist | Anna Lee | United States / South Korea | |
| Finalist | Christine Lim | United States / South Korea |
| Prize | Winner | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio-Canada People's Choice Award | Hao Zhou | United States | |
| André-Bourbeau Award for the best Canadian artist | Not attributed | ||
| Sonata Award for the best performance of a sonata in the semi-finals | Anna Lee | United States / South Korea | |
| Johanna Pichlmair | Austria | ||
| Montreal Bach Festival Award for the best performance of a work by J.S. Bach | Johanna Pichlmair | Austria | |
| CMIM grants awarded to the three unranked finalists | Elli Choi Yejin Noh Jinhyung Park | United States United States / South Korea United States / South Korea |
The seventeenth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to voice and featured two divisions - aria and art song. First prize in Aria was won by Mario Bahg. First prize in Art Song was won by John Brancy.
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Mario Bahg | ||
| Second | Emily D'Angelo | Canada | |
| Third | Konstantin Lee | ||
| Finalist | John Brancy | United States | |
| Finalist | Mikhail Golovushkin | ||
| Finalist | Andrew Haji | Canada |
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | John Brancy | United States | |
| Second | Julien Van Mellaerts | New Zealand/United Kingdom | |
| Third | Clara Osowksi | United States | |
| Finalist | Gemma Summerfield | United Kingdom |
| Prize | Winner | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio-Canada People's Choice Award - Aria | Emily D'Angelo | Canada | |
| Radio-Canada's People Choice Award - Art Song | Clara Osowksi | United States | |
| Best Canadian Artist Award - Aria | Emily D'Angelo | Canada | |
| Best Canadian Artist Award - Art Song | Rihab Chaieb | Canada | |
| Opera Aria Award | Mario Bahg | ||
| Oratorio Award | Andrew Haji | Canada | |
| French Mélodie Award | John Brancy | United States | |
| Lied Award | Julien Van Mellaerts | New Zealand/United Kingdom | |
| John Newmark Award for best collaborative pianist | Joao Araujo | Portugal |
The sixteenth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to piano. The Grand prize was won by Zoltan Fejervari.
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Zoltán Fejévári |  Hungary | |
| Second | Giuseppe Guarrera | Italy | |
| Third | Stefano Andreatta | Italy | |
| Finalist | Albert Cano Smit |  Spain | |
| Finalist | Yejin Noh | ||
| Finalist | Jinhyung Park |
| Prize | Winner | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio-Canada People's Choice Award | Giuseppe Guarrera | Italy | |
| André-Bachand Award for the best performance of the compulsory Canadian work in the semifinals | Giuseppe Guarrera | Italy | |
| Award for the best semifinal recital | Giuseppe Guarrera | Italy | |
| Chopin Award for the most outstanding performance of a work for solo keyboard by Frédéric Chopin | Giuseppe Guarrera | Italy | |
| Bach Award for the most outstanding performance of a work for solo keyboard by J.S. Bach | Giuseppe Guarrera | Italy | |
| CMIM grants awarded to the three unranked finalists | Albert Cano Smit Yejin Noh Jinhyung Park | Spain / Netherlands |
The fifteenth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to violin. The Grand Prize was won by Ayana Tsuji.[12]
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Ayana Tsuji | Japan | |
| Second | Bomsori Kim | ||
| Third | Minami Yoshida | Japan | |
| Finalist | Petteri Iivonen |  Finland | |
| Finalist | Ji Won Song | ||
| Finalist | Fedor Rudin |
| Prize | Winner | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio-Canada People's Choice Award | Bomsori Kim | ||
| André-Bachand Award for the best performance of the compulsory Canadian work in the semifinals | Ayana Tsuji | Japan | |
| Award for the best semifinal recital | Ayana Tsuji | Japan | |
| Award for the best performance of a Sonata in the semifinal round | Ayana Tsuji | Japan | |
| Bach Award for the best performance of a work by J.S. Bach in the quarter-final round | Ayana Tsuji | Japan | |
| Paganini Award for the best performance of a Caprice by Paganini in the quarter-final round | Ayana Tsuji | Japan | |
| CMIM grants awarded to the three unranked finalists | Petteri Iivonen Fedor Rudin Ji Won Song | Finland France |
The fourteenth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to voice. The Grand Prize was won by Keonwoo Kim.
| Laureates of the 2014 Montreal International Musical Competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | Vocal Range | |
| First | Keonwoo Kim | South Korea | Tenor | |
| Second | Hera Hyesang Park | South Korea | Soprano | |
| Third | France Bellemare | Canada | Soprano | |
| Finalist | Anaïs Constans | France | Soprano | |
| Finalist | Vasil Garvanliev | Macedonia | Baritone | |
| Finalist | Takaoki Onishi | Japan | Baritone | |
The thirteenth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to piano. The Grand Prize was won by Jayson Gillham.
| Laureates of the 2014 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Jayson Gillham |  Australia / United Kingdom | |
| Second | Charles Richard-Hamelin | Canada | |
| Third | Annika Treutler | Germany | |
| Finalist | United States | ||
| Finalist | Xiaoyu Liu | Canada | |
| Finalist | Alexander Ullman | United Kingdom | |
The twelfth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to violin. The Grand Prize was won by Marc Bouchkov.
| Laureates of the 2013 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Marc Bouchkov |  Belgium | |
| Second | Stephen Waarts | United States | |
| Third | Zeyu Victor Li | China | |
| Finalist | Chi Li | Taiwan | |
| Finalist | Ji Young Lim | South Korea | |
| Finalist | Fédor Roudine | France | |
The eleventh edition of the Montreal International Musical Competition was dedicated to voice. The Grand Prize was won by Philippe Sly.
| Laureates of the 2012 Montreal International Musical Competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | Vocal Range | |
| First | Philippe Sly | Canada | Bass Baritone | |
| Second | Olga Kindler |  Switzerland | Soprano | |
| Third | John Brancy | United States | Baritone | |
| Finalist | Won Whi Choi | South Korea | Tenor | |
| Finalist | Emily Duncan-Brown | Canada | Soprano | |
| Finalist | Yuri Gorodetski |  Belarus | Tenor | |
| Finalist | Sidney Outlaw | United States | Baritone | |
| Finalist | Andréanne Paquin | Canada | Soprano | |
The tenth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to piano. The Grand Prize was won by Beatrice Rana.
| Laureates of the 2011 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Beatrice Rana | Italy | |
| Second | Lindsay Garritson | United States | |
| Third | Henry Kramer | United States | |
| Finalist | Yulia Chaplina | Russia | |
| Finalist | Zheeyoung Moon | South Korea | |
| Finalist | Jong Ho Won | South Korea | |
The ninth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to violin. The Grand Prize was won by Benjamin Beilman.
| Laureates of the 2010 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Benjamin Beilman | United States | |
| Second | Korbinian Altenberger | Germany | |
| Third | Nikita Borisoglebsky | Russia | |
| Finalist | Noah Bendix-Balgley | United States | |
| Finalist | Jaeyoung Kim | South Korea | |
| Finalist | Kyoko Yonemoto | Japan | |
The eighth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to voice. The Grand Prize was won by Angela Meade.
| Laureates of the 2009 Montreal International Musical Competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | Vocal Range | |
| First | Angela Meade | United States | Soprano | |
| Second | Yannick-Muriel Noah | Canada | Soprano | |
| Third | Andrew Garland | United States | Baritone | |
The seventh edition of the CMIM was dedicated to piano. The Grand Prize was won by Nareh Arghamanyan.
| Laureates of the 2008 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Nareh Arghamanyan |  Armenia | |
| Second (ex aequo) | Alexandre Moutouzkine | Russia | |
| Second (ex aequo) | Masataka Takada | Japan | |
The sixth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to voice. The Grand Prize was won by Marianne Fiset.
| Laureates of the 2006 Montreal International Musical Competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | Vocal range | |
| First | Marianne Fiset | Canada | Soprano | |
| Second | Steven Ebel | United States | Tenor | |
| Third | Evgenia Grekova | Russia | Soprano | |
| Fourth | Julie Boulianne | Canada | Mezzo-soprano | |
| Fifth | Leticia Brewer | Canada | Soprano | |
| Sixth | Peter Barrett | Canada | Baritone | |
The fifth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to violin. The Grand Prize was won by Jinjoo Cho.
| Laureates of the 2006 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Jinjoo Cho | South Korea | |
| Second | Ye-Eun Choi | South Korea | |
| Third | Marcus Tanneberger (German) | Germany | |
| Fourth | Corinne Chapelle | United States | |
| Fifth | Mayuko Kamio | Japan | |
| Sixth | Dan Zhu | China | |
The fourth edition of the CMIM was dedicated to voice. The Grand Prize was won by Sin Nyung Hwang.
| Laureates of the 2005 Montreal International Musical Competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Competitor | Country | Vocal Range | |
| First | Sin Nyung Hwang | South Korea | Soprano | |
| Second | Peter McGillivray | Canada | Baritone | |
| Third | Elena Xanthoudakis | Australia | Soprano | |
| Fourth (ex aequo) | Phillip Addis | Canada | Baritone | |
| Fourth (ex aequo) | Anna Kasyan | Armenia | Soprano | |
| Sixth | Chantal Dionne | Canada | Soprano | |
The third edition of the CMIM was dedicated to piano. The Grand Prize was won by Serhiy Salov.
| Laureates of the 2004 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Sergei Salov | Ukraine | |
| Second | David Fray | France | |
| Third | Daria Rabotkina | Russia | |
| Fourth | Spencer Myer | United States | |
| Fifth | Natalia Zagalskaia | Russia | |
| Sixth | Darrett Zusko | Canada | |
The second edition of the CMIM was dedicated to violin. The First Prize was won by Yossif Ivanov.
| Laureates of the 2003 Montreal International Musical Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | |
| First | Yossif Ivanov | Belgium | |
| Second | Alexis Cardenas | Venezuela | |
| Third | Matthieu Arama | France | |
| Fourth | Nicolas Koeckert | Germany | |
| Fifth | Oleg Kashiv | Ukraine | |
| Sixth | Julia Sakharova | Russia | |
The inaugural CMIM was dedicated to voice. The First Prize was won by Measha Brueggergosman.
| Laureates of the 2002 Montreal International Musical Competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Competitor | Country | Vocal Range | |
| First | Measha Brueggergosman | Canada | Soprano | |
| Second | Burak Bilgili |  Turkey | Bass | |
| Third | Joseph Kaiser | Canada | Baritone | |
| Fourth | Mélanie Boisvert | Canada | Soprano | |
| Fifth | Daesan No | South Korea | Baritone | |
| Sixth | John Matz | United States | Tenor | |