HUDSON INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION

Competition Judges

Born in Moscow, he studied at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with the distinguished pianist Lev Oborin. In 1973, he left a flourishing career in the Soviet Union to immigrate to Israel where he quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after keyboard performers. Presently, he resides in New Haven, USA.

A teacher of international stature, Boris Berman heads the Piano Department of Yale School of Music and conducts master classes throughout the world. He has been named a Honorary Professor of Shanghai Conservatory, of the Danish Royal Conservatory in Copenhagen, and of China Conservatory in Beijing. He is frequently invited to join juries of various international competitions.

A Grammy nominee, Mr. Berman’s recorded all solo piano works by Prokofiev and Schnittke, complete sonatas by Scriabin, works by Mozart, Weber, Schumann, Brahms, Franck, Shostakovich, Debussy, Stravinsky, Berio, Cage, and Joplin. Most recently French label Le Palais des Degustateurs released Boris Berman’s recording of Brahms’s Klavierstücke and Variations, and a double CD retrospective of piano works by Ukranian composer Valentyn Silvestrov.

In 2000, the prestigious Yale University Press published Professor Berman’s Notes from the Pianist’s Bench. In this book, he explores issues of piano technique and music interpretation. The book has been translated to several languages. In November, 2017 Yale University Press has published the newly revised version of the book electronically enhanced with audio and video components. In 2008, Yale University Press has published Boris Berman’s Prokofiev’s Piano Sonatas: A Guide for the Listener and the Performer. Boris Berman has also been an editor of the new critical edition of Piano Sonatas by Prokofiev (Shanghai Music Publishing House).

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Many of his students are first prize winners in numerous national and international competitions, as well as members of major US orchestras and leading music schools. Professor Jensen is also a faculty member of the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Canada, and the Meadowmount School of Music in Westport, New York. Jensen has published the following books: Fun in Thumb Position, The Galamian Scale System for Cello: Volume I and Volume II, CelloMind, and ViolinMind, the latter two books published by Ovation Press. Jensen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Denmark with cellist Asger Lund Christiansen and at the Juilliard School with Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins.

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Kim won first prize at the 1996 Paganini International Violin Competition and has received the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award. He received the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s 2021 Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music.

Kim serves as Visiting Professor in the Practice of Violin at the Yale School of Music, where he teaches individual students, coaches chamber music ensembles, and presents a master class each semester. Kim previously served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He has also served as Lecturer/Artist-in-Residence and Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University and as an international scholar at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. He is the Artistic Director of Chamber Music Northwest and the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, which he founded, and maintains a relationship with the Marlboro Music Festival, with which he has performed on a dozen national tours over the course of nearly 15 years.

Kim earned his bachelor of music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and studied before that at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

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Appointed principal violist of the New York Philharmonic at age 21, he has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras including the New York, Los Angeles, and Helsinki philharmonics; National, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, San Francisco, and Bournemouth symphonies; and Santa Cecilia, English Chamber, and Beethovenhalle orchestras. He has premiered viola concertos by Bartók (revised version of the Viola Concerto), Friedman, Glière, Jacob, Kernis, Lazarof, Müller-Siemens, Ott, Penderecki, Picker, Suter, and Tower and has been featured on CBS’s Sunday Morning, A Prairie Home Companion, and in Strad, Strings, and People magazines. A two-time Grammy nominee, he has recorded on numerous labels including Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Red Seal, and Sony Classical and is a member of SPA, a trio with soprano Susanna Phillips and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. Mr. Neubauer is the artistic director of the Mostly Music series in New Jersey and is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Mannes College.

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He has been a featured artist at nine Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. In 1992 he presented his New York solo debut in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and in 1998 performed his London debut in the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Mr. Burritt has extensive chamber and orchestral experience and has performed with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, The Chicago Symphony, Nexus, Third Coast Percussion and the The Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra.

Mr. Burritt is also active as a composer, with three concertos to his credit as well as numerous solo and chamber works for marimba and percussion. His works for solo marimba have become standard repertoire for the instrument, and are frequently required repertoire on international competitions. Commissions include The World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart Germany, The Paris International Marimba Competition, Nexus and the Paris Percussion Group. Mr. Burritt is published with Keyboard Percussion Publications, C. Alan, Masters Music, and Innovative Percussion. Burritt is also an artist/clinician and product design/consultant for Malletech, where he has developed his own line of marimba mallets and the MJB Signature Marimba. He is an artist/educational clinician with the Zildjian Company, Evans Drum Heads, and Yamaha Drums. Mr. Burritt is the President Elect of Percussive Arts Society, was a member of the Board of Directors from 1996 to2008, a contributing editor for Percussive Notes magazine from 1991 to 2006 and was chairman of the PAS Keyboard Committee from 2004 to 2010. Michael Burritt is currently Professor of Percussion and chair of the Winds, Brass, and Percussion department at the Eastman School of Music.

Categories

Age Groups

• Group A: Ages 9-11
• Group B: Ages 12-14
• Group C: Ages 15-17

Instruments

• Violin
• Viola
• Cello
• Piano
• Percussion

Awards

Prizes

Grand Prize

Full scholarship to Hudson School of Music for four years, valued at $196,000 in total! + $1,000 cash prize, one winner per age group.

Gold Prize

$42,000 scholarship to Hudson School of Music + $2000 scholarship for German and Italian music festivals, one winner per age group.

Silver Prize

$21,000 scholarship to Hudson School of Music+ $1500 scholarship for German and Italian music festivals, one winner per age group.

Bronze Prize

$14,000 scholarship to Hudson School of Music + $700 scholarship for German and Italian music festivals, one winner per age group.

Other Prizes

Winners in the following categories will each be honored with a certificate of recognition, along with their specified prizes.

• Outstanding Performance Award
• Most Promising Young Talent
• Excellence in Musicianship
• Honorary Certificate

For other non-award-winning participants, we will also selectively award honorary certificates from the American Musicians Association, recognizing more outstanding contestants for their effort and dedication to their musical talent.

Scholarship to Hudson School of Music

Grand Prize Winners in all age groups will receive a full scholarship to attend the prestigious Hudson School of Music, a top-ranked music school in the United States. This scholarship provides access to world-class music education and mentorship, valued up to $196,000.

International Festival Performances

Contestants who win the Special Prize, Gold Prize, or Silver Prize in the competition will have the opportunity to become contracted musicians with the Hudson Youth Orchestra. They will represent the orchestra in official performances at prestigious music festivals held in Italy, Germany, and the United States. Additionally, they will receive financial support to cover part of the expenses for participating in these renowned music festivals. Those who win the Bronze Prize, Outstanding Performance Award, Most Promising Young Talent Award, or Music Talent Excellence Award in the competition will become contracted interns with the Hudson Youth Orchestra and will represent the orchestra in performances at the prestigious music festivals held in Italy, Germany, and the United States.

Repertoire/Registration Requirements

Repertoire Requirements

• For the first and final rounds, participants can choose one solo piece or movement from a Suite/Sonata/Concerto from any of the listed musical periods.
• Finalists are required to upload a new performance piece that is stylistically distinct from their first-round submission. For example, if a participant submitted a Baroque ​piece by Bach in the first round, they should choose a piece from a different period, such as Classical, Romantic, or Contemporary (e.g., Beethoven, Brahms, or John Cage) for the final round.
• Marimba: Submit a classical piece for the preliminary round. In the final round, you can choose a piece of your choice.
• Drum Set: For the preliminary round, submit a song in rock, jazz, pop, or any contemporary style. For the final round, you can choose a contrasting style to showcase your versatility.
• All performances must be played from memory.
• Only original pieces are accepted; shortened versions are not allowed.
• The judges’ decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Registration Materials

• Registration Form
• Passport or ID scan
• One photograph
• Personal artistic resume
• Competition video
• Registration fee

Video Recording Requirements

• Performances must be in one continuous take, with no cuts or edits.
• No pitch correction is permitted.
• Videos must be recorded within the last year.
• Participants should avoid background noise and wear concert attire.
• A separate video is required for each piece.
• Mobile phone recording is acceptable but not encouraged. Use a tripod for stable and horizontal recording.
• Ensure there is no glare or reflections in the video.
• The performer’s hands, face, body, and the instrument must be clearly visible throughout the recording.