The Music International Grand Prix is a new international music competition that will culminate in a winners’ concert at Zankel Hall (at Carnegie Hall) on Saturday, May 1, 2021.
Talented musicians from around the world will compete for the Grand Prix award. There will also be a special guest performance by Broadway and film star Adam Pascal, best known for his starring role in Rent.
The competition categories are Voice (classical and popular), Piano, Strings, and Woodwinds & Brass. There are four separate age groups: youth, teen, young adult, and adult. Registration opened on August 1, 2020, and many talented applicants have already registered.
The Grand Prix Award is $5000, and the 1st place winners in each category will also receive cash awards. The 1st place winners will perform at the winners’ concert at Zankel Hall to compete for the one Grand Prix Award.
The panel of judges for the Grand Prix Competition include Adam Pascal, Per Brevig, Terrence Wilson, Diane Wittry, and Mark Cortale.
To make it to the winners’ concert, contestants first enter the quarterfinal rounds with a video submission. Qualified applicants will then be admitted to the semifinals. The semifinals will be held either live online (depending on the situation with the pandemic) or live in person at various Semifinal locations across the country. International semifinalists will audition live online. The top scorers will be invited to participate in the Finals in NYC on April 30, 2021. The winners will be decided and announced that evening. The following day, the winners will be awarded at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the 1st place winners will perform and compete for the Grand Prix Award.
So far, semifinals judges include Deborah Thurlow, Professor of Voice at Washington Adventist University: Brent Shires, Associate Professor of Horn at the University of Central Arkansas; Avguste Antonov, Professor of Piano at the Conservatoire de Chateaubriant in France; and Nayer Nagui, Principal Conductor for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Orchestra in Egypt.
Music International Grand Prix was founded by Elysabeth Muscat, a former professional opera singer who performed leading roles at the Zürich Opera, Staatsoper Prague, Vienna Kammeroper, Theater der Stadt Koblenz, L’Opéra Français, and more. With her background as a performer, administrator, teacher, and board member for a wide range of artistic organizations, plus a desire to create a new, different competition to help budding and professional musicians in their careers – especially during this difficult time of COVID when there are fewer performance opportunities – Music International Grand Prix was created.
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