In Saturday’s (6/5) Toronto Star, William Littler writes, “With the fading of its gala concert’s final notes from the stage of the Maisonneuve Theatre last night, the Ninth Montreal International Musical Competition came to a close and several new career doors simultaneously opened. Winning a major competition continues to be one of the best ways to launch a career in music and the Montreal event, which alternates between violin (this year), piano and voice, continues to be Canada’s most important annual music competition. … The Montreal competition obviously recognizes the subjectivity involved in judging talent at such a high level by offering prizes to all six finalists, including engagements with two dozen orchestras and concert presenters from across the country, with the potential employer free to choose from among any of the finalists. … The standard achieved by the two dozen selected candidates, aged 14 to 27, from 10 countries, was already high in the quarter finals. By the time of the concerto finals earlier this week, deciding who should walk away with $30,000 and who should walk away with $2,000 was largely a matter of taste and temperament. … A $20,000 career development program and an Analekta recording have become part of the winner’s prize in Montreal.”
June 7, 2010
