Music Competition - my/maSCENA

Photo: Ralph Lauer

Report | Cliburn Semi-Final Round: The Mozart Concertos

By Viktor Lazarov on 1 June 2025 Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano

The second phase of these Cliburn semifinals consisted of all twelve contestants performing a Mozart concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carlos Miguel Prieto. The easiest job for a critic. Everything is clear, your soul is naked, there’s no place to hide. You can pedal yourself out of Chopin, rubato yourself out of Rachmaninov. But in Mozart, the towel is off: it’s doctor’s appointment time. The Unbearable Lightness of Playing Mozart How to evaluate the performance of a Mozart concerto? First, there is style. Classical performance follows some rules in articulation, dynamics, pedalling, touch, improvisation, and ornamentation.…

Laureano Quant, baryton, reçoit son prix des mains de la présidente du jury, Adrianne Pieczonka. Photo: TamPhotography

Report | CMIM Art Song Final: Laureano Quant, Pure Talent

By Justin Bernard on 1 June 2025 Art Song, Concert Reviews, Music Competition, Vocal

When Laureano Quant’s victory was announced last night, Saturday, May 31, at around 10:15 p.m., a great cheer echoed through Bourgie Hall, packed for this grand finale of Art Song. The Colombian baritone’s fans came out in force to support him, proudly displaying their country’s flag, just as they would during a World Cup victory for the national team. Yet, Quant wasn’t the favourite to win. He faced two candidates, Russian soprano Julia Muzychenko-Greenhalgh and UK baritone Theodore Platt, who already seemed to possess all the attributes of experienced singers, confidence in their talents, and a great artistic sense. The…

Photo: Tam Photography

Colombian Baritone Laureano Quant Wins CMIM 2025 Art Song Prize

By Newswire on 1 June 2025 Classical, Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Vocal

Montreal, May 31, 2025 — The Colombian baritone Laureano Quant has been awarded the Art Song Prize of the Voice 2025 edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM). Offered in partnership with the Nawacki Family Foundation, this $10,000 prize recognizes the artist who delivered the most outstanding performance in the First Round-Art Song and in the Art Song Prize Final. The Final of this special prize dedicated to Art Song was buoyed by performances of rare intensity from the five Art Song prize finalists. The winner was announced by the president of the Voice 2025 international jury, Canadian…

Photo: Ralph Lauer

Report | Cliburn Semi-Final Round: The First Six Recitals

By Viktor Lazarov on 31 May 2025 Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano

What can be most difficult to assess about an expert performance is that which is missing. Words can easily be found to describe playing that makes us feel as if it is the only thing happening in a hall packed with a thousand souls. Capturing this “it,” when the “it” is there, is child’s play: when “it’s” there, words come flowing like the ocean on a high tide. The challenge is to explain that elusive, yet palpable element that disturbs one’s innate aesthetic in an otherwise highly polished performance. That lack of “something” that lets us check our phones or…

CMIM 2025 Announces its 10 Semifinalists

By Newswire on 30 May 2025 Classical, Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Vocal

Montréal, May 29, 2025 — Following an extraordinary First Round, which included two stages, Aria and Art Song, the International Jury of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) has selected the ten semiﬁnalists of the Voice 2025 edition. The announcement was made after jury deliberations, following the last session of this First Round, during which 23 young singers dazzled the audience with their skill, virtuosity, and artistry. These are the 10 singers advancing to the Semiﬁnal Junho Hwang, Tenor, South Korea Katerina Burton, Soprano, United-States Chanhee Cho, Bass-baritone, South Korea Yewon Han, Soprano, South Korea Fleuranne Brockway, Mezzo-soprano, Australia…

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition semifinalists. Photo: Ralph Lauer

Report | Cliburn Semi-Finals: Chance, Fate, or Merit

By Viktor Lazarov on 28 May 2025 Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 – Welcome to La Scena Musicale’s reviews of the semi- and final rounds of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious events on the classical music competing circuit. Occurring every four years, it is perhaps best compared to the US Open in tennis—one of four (or five) most competitive and historically significant piano competitions in the world. Arguably, the others would be the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Russia, the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels, Belgium, and the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland. Following this comparison, the Leeds Competition in Leeds, England may…

Yewon Han, soprano. © Tam Photography

Report | CMIM Day 3: Excitement before the Semifinals

By Justin Bernard on 28 May 2025 Art Song, Concert Reviews, Music Competition, Opera

The last session of the CMIM Aria category before the semifinals sees a final push from the remaining competitors! On the evening of May 27, four candidates closed the first round, including singers we had counted among the competition’s favorites. Chinese mezzo Jingjing Xu received warm applause as she entered the Bourgie Hall stage. In a short pre-recorded presentation video projected on a big screen, Xu, who completed part of her studies at McGill University, showcased the masculine posture she would have the pleasure of adopting in Handel’s “Dopo Notte.” However, once she reached this aria from Ariodante, the singer…

The Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Laureates Announced

By Newswire on 27 May 2025 Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Opera, Vocal

Montreal, May 21, 2025 – Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 is proud to announce the winners of the 32nd National Lyric Audition of its Young Lyric Ambassadors (J.A.L.) program, a unique international showcase for emerging young Canadian opera singers. Following auditions held across the country from April 24 to 27, an international selection committee composed of opera directors from Europe and the Americas selected singers under the age of 35 who distinguished themselves through their vocal excellence, stage presence, and international career potential. The 2025 J.A.L. laureates are: Jamal Al Titi – Baritone – Québec Katelyn Bird – Soprano – Ontario Ariane…

Semifinalists and Schedule Announced For 2025 Cliburn Competition

By Newswire on 27 May 2025 Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 25, 2025—The jury of the Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (May 21–June 7, 2025) has announced the 12 pianists advancing to the Semifinal Round. In this next round, each competitor will perform twice: one 60-minute recital and one Mozart concerto with Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. The Semifinal Round will take place at Bass Performance Hall. The Semifinalists of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2025 CLIBURN SEMIFINALISTS Piotr Alexewicz, Poland, age 25 Jonas Aumiller, Germany, 26 Yangrui Cai 蔡阳睿, China, 24 Elia Cecino, Italy, 23 Yanjun Chen 陈艳君, China, 23 Carter Johnson, Canada/United…

Chanhee Cho, baryton-basse; Esther Gonthier, piano. Capture d'écran sur le site web du CMIM.

Report | CMIM Day 2: Are the Evening Session More Favourable to the Candidates?

By Justin Bernard on 27 May 2025 Art Song, Concert Reviews, Montreal, Music Competition, Opera

The sessions at the CMIM that follow one another are all different. So far, the one constant is that we hear the most remarkable voices in the evening. Could this be a coincidence, or does the timing of the performance have something to do with it? Aria I – Afternoon This second day started rather well with Katerina Burton. The American soprano was generous in her interpretation and legato, but her repertoire choice was very cautious. Later in the evening, other competitors in her voice category took real vocal risks that were rewarded in the end. Given his vocal qualities…

Browsing: Music Competition