WELCOME 2024 MUSICIANS!
LOCATION: Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040
COMPETITION DATE: Saturday, December 14, 2024
WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT ON WEBSITE: 7 pm, Saturday, December 14, 2024
GOLD MEDALISTS’ CONCERT: Sunday, December 15, 2024, 2:00 pm and 3 pm.
Gold medalists must confirm their attendance by emailing registrar: info@russiancompetition.org no later than 10 pm on Saturday evening.
GENERAL SCHEDULE: A password to access the program booklet from our secure section (http://www.russianchambermusic.org/competition/2024-information/2024-official-schedule/) was sent to your music teacher. If you haven’t received the password, please email us: info@russiancompetition.org.
VOICE DIVISION….2:00 pm to 2:15 pm (Dr. Donna Shin) ROOM: FIRESIDE
STRING CHAMBER DIVISION (TRIOS, QUARTETS)….2:15 pm to 3:00 pm (Dr. Donna Shin) ROOM: FIRESIDE
STRING DIVISION, 13 and under….3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (Dr. Donna Shin) ROOM: FIRESIDE
STRING DIVISION, 14 to 18….4:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Dr. Donna Shin) ROOM: FIRESIDE
PIANO DUETS, 13 and under….11:30 am to 12:00 pm (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
PIANO DUETS, 14 and up….5:45 pm to 6:00 pm (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
PIANO DIVISION, age 6 and under….9:00 am to 10:15 am (Jeffrey Gilliam) ROOM: ATRIUM COURT
PIANO DIVISION, age 7….9:00 am to 10:15 am (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
PIANO DIVISION, age 8….10:15 am to 12:00 pm (Jeffrey Gilliam) ROOM: ATRIUM COURT
PIANO DIVISION, age 9….10:15 am to 11:30 am (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
PIANO DIVISION, age 10….12:30 pm to 2:00 pm (Jeffrey Gilliam) ROOM: ATRIUM COURT
PIANO DIVISION, age 11….12:30 pm to 2:00 pm (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
PIANO DIVISION, age 12….2:00 pm to 3:45 pm (Jeffrey Gilliam) ROOM: ATRIUM COURT
PIANO DIVISION, age 13….2:00 pm to 3:45 pm (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
PIANO DIVISION, age 14….4:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Jeffrey Gilliam) ROOM: ATRIUM COURT
PIANO DIVISION, age 15….3:45 pm to 5:00 pm (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
PIANO DIVISION, age 16….5:00 pm to 6:30 pm (Jeffrey Gilliam) ROOM: ATRIUM COURT
PIANO DIVISION, age 17 and up….5:00 pm to 5:45 pm (Dr. Alexandre Dossin) ROOM: SANCTUARY
CONCERTO DIVISION, all ages….ONLINE JUDGING (Dr. Robin McCabe)
GENERAL RULES
INSTRUMENTS:
Piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, voice
CATEGORIES:
Solo works, Chamber works & Concertos
REPERTOIRE:
Musicians may play any published solo work(s) by any living or deceased composers of Russia and other Soviet era countries. Musicians must use standard published repertoire (This refers to music printed for distribution and sale and available through the general market in printed form with legal copyright printed on the music). Public domain sheet music may be used, provided that the music must be printed in a way that ensures all musical content fits within the dimensions of the page. The first measure of every line of music must be numbered and the printed music should be organized in a binder so that each piece is easily identifiable. If multiple works are included, they must be clearly separated with a table of contents or divider pages. All repeats and Da Capos may be omitted.
MEMORIZATION:
Memorization is REQUIRED for ALL divisions EXCEPT for strings, woodwinds, brass, voice and chamber divisions. Chamber includes piano duos, trios, quartets, quintets, etc. A concerto may NOT be categorized as chamber work.
PRIZES & RECOGNITION:
Medals/Diploma may be given based on merit: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Up to 3 Gold medals and several Silver and Bronze Medals may be given to each age division. All musicians will receive Achievement Certificates, and valuable feedback from World-Class adjudicators from around the country. All top medalists will be featured on our Facebook page. Several outstanding musicians may be invited to perform in future RCMFS concerts.
FOR CONCERTO DIVISION: One Concerto GRAND PRIX winner will perform with Bellevue Symphony on March 2, 2025 at 3 pm.
AGE DIVISIONS (as of December 1st, 2024)
Solo Piano (IN-PERSON COMPETITION. soloist performs memorized):
PIANO A – up to 6 years (up to 4 minutes) – Fee $60
PIANO B – 7-8 years (up to 5 minutes) – Fee $65
PIANO C – 9-10 years (up to 6 minutes) – Fee $70
PIANO D – 11-12 years (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $75
PIANO E– 13-14 years (up to 8 minutes) – Fee $80
PIANO F– 15-16 years (up to 9 minutes) – Fee $85
PIANO G – 17-18 years (up to 10 minutes) – Fee $90
PIANO H – 19 years and older (up to 11 minutes) – Fee $95
Solo Strings (IN-PERSON COMPETITION. Memorization optional. Soloist performs with accompanist):
STRINGS A –13 and under (up to 8 minutes) – Fee $85
STRINGS B – 14-18 years (up to 11 minutes) – Fee $90
Solo Winds/Brass/Voice/Miscellaneous (IN-PERSON COMPETITION. Memorization optional. Soloist performs with accompanist):
BRASS, WIND, VOICE, MISC A – 13 and under (up to 8 minutes) – Fee $85
BRASS, WIND, VOICE, MISC – 14 and older (up to 10 minutes) – Fee $90
Ensemble (IN-PERSON COMPETITION. Piano duo, piano trios, etc. Memorization optional):
ENSEMBLE A – Average age 13 and under (NO concertos, up to 10 minutes) – Fee $90 per group
ENSEMBLE B – Average age 14 and older (NO concertos, up to 15 minutes) – Fees $95 per group
Concerto Competition (VIDEO FORMAT COMPETITION ONLY! Soloist performs memorized, with accompanist. One winner will perform with Bellevue Symphony on March 2, 2025. Video file must be received by December 1st, 2024):
CONCERTO, any instrument A – 13 years of age and under (one movement only) – Fee $90. VIDEO FORMAT ONLY. ACCOMPANIST’S FACE MUST NOT BE VISIBLE. Video upload information will be provided via email.
CONCERTO, any instrument B – 14-18 years (one movement only) – Fee $95. VIDEO FORMAT ONLY. ACCOMPANIST’S FACE MUST NOT BE VISIBLE. Video upload information will be provided via email.
Judges for the 2024 Russian Chamber Music Competition
PIANO DIVISION:
Dr. Alexandre Dossin
Considered by Martha Argerich an “extraordinary musician” and by the international critics a “phenomenon” and “a master of contrasts,” Steinway Artist Alexandre Dossin keeps an active performing, recording, and teaching careers.
Alexandre Dossin is Professor of Piano and Chair of Keyboard at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance. Originally from Brazil, Alexandre Dossin is a graduate from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia) and holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (USA).
A prizewinner in several international piano competitions, Dossin received the First Prize and the Special Prize at the 2003 Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other international awards include the Silver Medal and second Honorable Mention in the Maria Callas Grand Prix, and Third Prize and Special Prize in the Mozart International Piano Competition, in addition to several prizes in Brazil.
An active recording artist, he has numerous CDs released with several labels, including 9 CDs with Naxos. Dossin is an editor and recording artist for several Schirmer Performance Editions. Dossin’s edition and recording of complete piano sonatas by W. A. Mozart (2-volume edition and recordings, Schirmer Performance Editions) was released in the fall of 2023. Other recent releases include the complete piano works by George Walker in 2 CDs with Naxos. A performance edition of the same works published by Keiser Southern Music will follow by the end of 2024. Soloist appearances in 2023-2024 include the Eugene Symphony, the Austin Symphony, Porto Alegre Symphony in Brazil and Orchestra Sinfonica Santa Croce in Italy, in addition to the West Coast premiere of George Walker’s piano concerto with the University of Oregon Philharmonia.
Dossin’s work was praised in reviews by Diapason, The Financial Times, Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide, Clavier and other international publications.
Dossin is the Vice President of the American Liszt Society, the President of the Oregon Chapter of the American Liszt Society and is one of the recipients of the prestigious Faculty Fund for Excellence at the University of Oregon.
PIANO DIVISION:
Jeffrey Gilliam
Prior to joining the piano faculty at Western Washington University, Jeffrey Gilliam taught at The Juilliard School; The University of Michigan School of Music; and at The International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad, Switzerland. He has performed and taught all over the world, including guest university teaching positions in Thailand and South Africa, as well as receiving two Fulbright awards. He has recorded with violinists Yehudi Menuhin, Alberto Lysy, and Ruggerio Ricci for the EMI, Dinemec Classics, and Opus 111 labels respectively.
Originally from Akron, Ohio, Jeffrey Gilliam studied piano with Cécile Genhart at The Eastman School of Music, and with Theodore Lettvin at The University of Michigan. He also studied collaborative piano with Martin Katz and Margo Garrett. He has performed in master classes for Leon Fleisher, György Sebök, John Perry, Maria Curcio Diamand, Tatiana Nikolayeva, György Sandor, and Dorothy Taubman.
In addition to teaching piano and collaborative piano at Western, he is Artistic Director of Western’s Sanford-Hill Piano Series. In 2015 he established the Jeffrey Gilliam Piano Scholarship Endowment Fund. His students have gone on to distinguished piano performance programs at McGill, Stony Brook, New England Conservatory, Rice University, and Eastman.
STRINGS, VOICE, WOODWINDS, BRASS, MISC:
Dr. Donna Shin
Flutist Donna Shin has been praised for her beautifully-spun phrases, seductive sound, sterling technique, and charismatic exchanges with the audience. Described as “dazzling” by the Boston Globe, Shin has built an enviable reputation as a versatile performer of solo, chamber, orchestra, jazz and ancient Asian repertoire. Performing in concert halls throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, she is admired for her adventurous programming and expressive flair.
Devoted to the role of artist-teacher, she is the flute professor at the University of Washington School of Music after holding faculty posts at the University of South Carolina School of Music and Oklahoma State University. She frequently appears as artist-performer and master class clinician at universities and flute clubs throughout the world, modeling the artist-teacher path for young flutists.
Shin has been featured in solo performances with the North Korean National Symphony Orchestra, People’s Liberation Army Band of China, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Eastman Philharmonia, New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, University of South Carolina Wind Ensemble, Oklahoma State University Wind Ensemble, and University of Washington Wind Ensemble. In 2010, Shin premiered D. J. Sparr’s Precious Metal: Concerto for Flute and Winds in Seattle and cities throughout Japan and China. She recently premiered Hilary Tann’s Shoji, a work for flute and oboe, at the University of Texas at Austin, D. J. Sparr’s Fantasia for Flute and Electronics: Sugarhouse at the Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival at the University of Richmond, and performed Gabriela Frank’s Illapa: Tone Poem for flute and orchestra with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Shin performed for two seasons as principal flute with the Heidelberg Schlossfestspiele Orchester in Germany. In Boston, she performed with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Bedford Symphony, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Chamber Orchestras. She has also performed with the South Carolina Philharmonic, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Tulsa Signature Symphony, Lake Placid Sinfonietta, Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
Shin has won prizes in competitions held by the National Flute Association, April Spring Friendship Arts Festival in North Korea, Performers of Connecticut, James Pappoutsakis Society, and Seattle Flute Society, to name a few. As a founding member of Paragon Winds woodwind quintet, she was awarded fellowships from the New England Conservatory and Yale University’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and won the Grand Prize at the Coleman National Chamber Ensemble Competition in Pasadena, California.
Committed to developing young artists and reaching out to audiences, Shin has introduced new music programs to a variety of communities, ranging from rural Oklahoma to communist North Korea to castle communities in northern Italy. Recent international concert tours include: Brazil, China, Japan, and Uzbekistan.
Shin earned degrees with the highest honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy, Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory, including the esteemed Performer’s Certificate at the Eastman School. As instructor of chamber music and flute at the University of Rochester and the Eastman School of Music, she was awarded the “Eastman School of Music Excellence in Teaching” prize. During her doctoral studies at Eastman, she became the first woodwind player in the school’s history to be nominated for the highly coveted Artist’s Certificate.
During the summer months, Shin performs as artist-teacher at the Bay View Music Festival in Michigan, ARIA International Summer Academy in Massachusetts, and Snowater Flute Festival in Washington. Her previous summer activities have included leadership of study abroad performance courses throughout the Veneto region of northern Italy and Young Artist Competition Coordinator for the National Flute Association.
CONCERTOS:
Dr. Robin McCabe
Celebrated pianist Robin McCabe has established herself as one of America’s most communicative and persuasive artists. McCabe’s involvement and musical sensibilities have delighted audiences across the United States, Europe, Canada and in nine concert tours of the Far East. The United States Department of State sponsored her two South American tours, which were triumphs both artistically and diplomatically.
As noted by the New York Times, “What Ms. McCabe has that raises her playing to such a special level is a strong lyric instinct and confidence in its ability to reach and touch the listener.” The Tokyo Press declared her a “pianistic powerhouse,” and a reviewer in Prague declared, “Her musicianship is a magnet for the listener.” Richard Dyer, the eminent critic of the Boston Globe: ‘Her brilliant, natural piano playing shows as much independence of mind as of fingers.”
Her recordings have received universal acclaim. Her debut album for Vanguard Records featured the premiere recording of Guido Agosti transcription of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. Critics praised it as “mightily impressive.” Stereo Review described her disc of Bartok as “all that we have come to expect from this artist, a first-rate performance!” She was commissioned to record four albums for the award-winning company Grammofon AB BIS in Stockholm, which remain distributed internationally, including the CD “Robin McCabe Plays Liszt,” (AB BIS No. 185).
McCabe earned her bachelor of music degree summa cum laude at the University of Washington School of Music, where she studied with Béla Siki, and her master’s and doctorate degrees at the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with Rudolf Firkusny. She joined the Juilliard faculty in 1978 then returned to the UW in 1987 to accept a position on the piano faculty. In 1994 McCabe was appointed Director of the School of Music, a position she held until 2009. McCabe holds a Michiko Morita Miyamoto Professorship in Piano at the School of Music and has previously held a Ruth Sutton Waters Professorship and a Donald Petersen Professorship in the School of Music.
McCabe is a dedicated arts ambassador and advocate for arts audience development, frequently addressing arts organizations across the country. With colleague Craig Sheppard, she has launched the highly successful Seattle Piano Institute, an intense summer immersion experience for gifted and aspiring classical pianists.
The winner of numerous prizes and awards, including the International Concert Artists Guild Competition and a Rockefeller Foundation grant, McCabe was the subject of a lengthy New Yorker magazine profile, “Pianist’s Progress,” later expanded into a book of the same title.
In 1995 McCabe presented the annual faculty lecture — a concert with commentary — at the University of Washington. She is the first professor of music in the history of the University to be awarded this lectureship. Seattle magazine selected McCabe as one of 17 current and past University of Washington professors who have had an impact on life in the Pacific Northwest. In 2005, to celebrate its 100th year as an institution, The Juilliard School selected McCabe as one of 100 alumni from 20,000 currently living to be profiled in its centenary publication recognizing distinction and accomplishments in the international world of music, dance, and theater. Today she is a highly- sought teacher at the University of Washington, with students from around the world seeking admission to her studio.
McCabe performs regularly throughout the United States, and has made several tours of South Korea, Japan and China. In 2022 she has been appointed Artistic Advisor to the Beijing Royal School, an elite private K-12 institution which is evolving an international Arts curriculum She appears often as an invited jurist for international piano competitions, most recently in New Orleans, San Antonio, and Vancouver, Canada. In 2016 she served on the jury of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. In March of 2022 she served on the jury for the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.