Applications open for 2022 George Enescu International Competition

Florence Lockheart
Monday, November 29, 2021

Next year's competition will take place in a hybrid format, both online and in-person at the Romanian Athenaeum

Romanian Athenaeum (c) Andrei Gindac
Romanian Athenaeum (c) Andrei Gindac

Applications have opened for next year’s George Enescu International Competition. After a successful hybrid edition in 2020/2021, musicians are invited to submit their applications for this year’s competitions, which will have both online and in-person stages

Contestants are asked to submit video entries for the first stage of the selection process which will take place online next year from May 1 to 20. Competitors registered for violin, cello and piano who pass the online stage, will directly enter the semi-final. All video recordings will be available for free on the competition website.

Next year’s Enescu Competition will have a jury made up of specialists in the competitions four sections. They will also be joined for the first time by four specialists from America’s famous Juilliard University.

The final stages of next year’s competition will take place at the Romanian Athenaeum, opening with a Gala Concert on September 3. The George Enescu Philharmonic will give an international premiere of the winning work of the Composition section of the previous competition, An Axe for The Frozen Sea by Karlo Margetic. This program will also feature Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano by performed by the three winners of the 2021 edition who will also return to the Athenaeum stage as soloists.

The Competition’s Finals will be conducted by 3 internationally renowned musicians. Wilson Hermanto, Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra Cameristi della Scala, returns to the Enescu Competition for the final of the violin section. Tito Muñoz, Musical Director of the Phoenix Symphony and Case Scaglione, Musical Director of the National Orchestra d’Île de France will participate in the competition for the first time in the finals of the cello and piano sections, respectively.

The total value of the competition prizes is 120,00 euros, with first place winners also getting to perform at the 2023 George Enescu International Festival.

Contestants can register by April 15 2022 on the competition website to take part in one of the 4 sections of the Competition: cello, violin, piano and composition.