2008 BACH COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED
By Culturekiosque Staff

Culturekiosque, CA
_competition237.html
Sept 9 2008

LEIPZIG, GERMANY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2008 — The XVI International Johann
Sebastian Bach Competition Leipzig 2008 announced the winners during
a recent prize ceremony in Leipzig’s Old Town Hall. Altogether, 95
musicians from 23 countries competed in the categories organ, voice
and violoncello/ baroque violoncello to win the coveted title of
"Bach Prize Winner". The Hungarian/American Bálint Karosi, 29, won
the organ division, followed by Ilpo Laspas from Finland and Lukas
Stollhof from Germany. German soprano Marie Friederike Schöder won
the first prize in voice, followed by Austrian Margot Oitzinger and
bass Jens Hamann, also from Germany. In the category violoncello
the first prize went to Philip Higham of the United Kingdom. Davit
Melkonyan from Armenia and Toru Yamamoto from Japan shared the second
prize. A third prize was not awarded.

Apart from the main prizes in the three categories (1st prize: 10,000
Euros, 2nd prize: 7,500 Euros – endowed by Sparkasse Leipzig, 3rd
prize: 5,000 Euros), special prizes were awarded: the Commerzbank
Foundation’s special prize for the youngest finalist in the amount
of 3,000 Euros went to the 21-year-old German cellist Arne-Christian
Pelz. He will give a concert at the Bach Festival in 2010. Jolanta
Kowalska from Poland received a stipend from the Christa Bach-
Marschall Foundation for a master class. The special prize of the
Leipzig Baroque Orchestra for a voice finalist was awarded to Marie
Friederike Schöder and includes a concert with the Leipzig Baroque
Orchestra next season.

The 23 members of the three juries included Bach interpreters Ewald
Kooiman (Netherlands), Michael Schönheit (Germany) and Masaaki Suzuki
(Japan) in the organ jury; Wieland Kuijken (Belgium), Philippe Muller
(France), Kristin von der Goltz (Germany, Norway), as well as Peter
Bruns (Germany) for violoncello; Harry van der Kamp (Netherlands),
Elisabeth von Magnus (Austria), Barbara Schlick (Germany) and James
Taylor (USA) in the voice jury.

Prof. Robert D. Levin, president of the Bach Competition since 2000,
summarized what had been characteristic of those ten days: "All
contestants have faced the biggest challenge a musician can take on:
the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. With their fascinating performances
they have challenged our judgment, delighted and inspired us." Levin
advised the music world: "Bear those names in mind; you are going to
hear from them on many occasions in the next years."

The International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, first held in
1950, is regarded as one of the most important music competitions
in Germany. Since 1992 the Bach Archives Leipzig host the Bach
Competition, which takes place in the categories piano, harpsichord,
organ, violin, violoncello and voice on a rotating basis.

The next Bach Competition in the categories harpsichord, piano and
violin/baroque violin will take place in July 2010. In November 2009,
there will be a master class on the performance practice of works
by Johann Sebastian Bach held for the instruments mentioned above in
preparation for the competition.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress