International organ competition begins in Moscow

The Moscow round of the Eighth Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition will start at the Glinka Museum of Musical Culture on September 2. According to Vera Tariverdieva, the art director of the competition, the event will be attended by musicians from Germany, Poland, Latvia, Hungary, Japan, Korea, the U.S., Russia and other countries.

As per the tradition of this organ contest, the first round is held in different countries. This year's contest was launched in Kansas in April, and four people from that U.S. round will come to Kaliningrad. In mid-May, the competition continued with performances in Hamburg, Germany. The first round will end on Sept. 2–3, with concerts and a photo exhibition on the history of the contest in Moscow.

The main part of performances will be held in Kaliningrad on Sept. 6–12. "The competition enjoys a serious image," said Tariverdieva. "It is attended by brilliant musicians, many of whom are winners of national and international shows. In Hamburg, there was a runaway success, and we selected 11 people for the second round. In Kansas, we were impressed by technical equipment: One of the participants was not only playing the organ using his iPad, but he was also changing the registration of the organ on this iPad!"

In Kaliningrad, the grand opening of the main round of the competition will be held at the Cathedral on Kant Island. “St. Matthew Passion,” a composition by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), will be performed for choir and organ. According to Tariverdieva, the prize fund of the contest is quite impressive. "The most important thing is that we have a lot of special prizes in the form of recital engagements in various cities around the world," she said.

The Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition has been held once every two years since 1999. This contest is one of the most prestigious international organ competitions in the world today.

First published in Russian in RIA Novosti.

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