Rachmaninoff Piano Competition Coming to Pasadena

The city of Pasadena, Master Classes International and the Russian Ministry of Culture will announce on Friday a new musical partnership: the 2002 International Rachmaninoff Piano Competition and Festival.

The competition, planned to take place in Pasadena from March 22 through April 6, 2002, at a still-to-be-chosen venue, invites pianists ages 18 to 32 to compete for cash prizes, as well as the chance to perform with the Moscow Radio Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra and the State Capella Choir of St. Petersburg.

The city of Pasadena has provided $25,000 toward the annual competition, which is expected to cost $3 million to $3.5 million over the first four years. Russia has made a $300,000 commitment to bring more than 200 orchestra and choir members to Pasadena. The visiting musicians will also teach and perform around the Southland. The rest of the funding is yet to be raised.

The competition plans to cover the expenses of 30 international competitors, who will be narrowed down to six finalists, then three top winners over the two weeks of competition. The first-prize winner will perform with the Russian orchestra in San Francisco after the competition.

Douglas Yoder, competition executive director and executive vice president of Master Classes International--a California nonprofit that has brought international artists to Los Angeles in teaching programs--believes the Rachmaninoff event can carve out its own niche in a crowded field of piano competitions, dominated by the prestigious Tchaikovsky, Van Cliburn and Leeds competitions, which are held in Russia, Texas and England, respectively.

“It’s the only [competition] of its kind that involves international cooperation at such a level; we have the endorsement of the Cultural Ministry of Russia for this competition,” Yoder said. “This represents cultural collaboration at its very best.”

Yoder said that Master Classes International has strong ties to Russia and Eastern Europe through founder and president Armen Ter-Tatevosian, an Armenian musician who has served as general manager of music programming for USSR State Radio and Television for the Republic of Armenia, as well as holding the title of resident pianist for the USSR State Radio and Television Orchestra. Yoder’s organization also maintains partnerships with the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music and the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.

Yoder added that the competition could stand out because the surrounding festival will allow visiting artists to go out into the larger community, many to teach and perform in schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. “We think there is a real future for competitions that are done in a holistic context,” Yoder said. “What we see is a collaborative vision for doing something in the arts.”