Record number of applicants for the Maj Lind Piano Competition
The International Maj Lind Piano Competition to be held in Helsinki, Finland on October 14–27, 2022 received 270 applications of first-rate pianists, which is a record number in the Maj Lind´s history.
The contestants for the fifth International Maj Lind Piano Competition have now been selected. A host, Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts, received a record 270 applications from which 46 were selected.
The contestants were chosen by a team of six piano professionals on the basis of the applicants’ videos. Terhi Luukkonen, Secretary General of the International Maj Lind Piano Competition, is delighted at the record number of applications – more than ever before in the history of the competition – and the very high standard. Contestants are currently studying or have graduated from internationally acclaimed music schools.
“The pre-selection team has not had an easy task,” she says, “because the applicants were all first-rate. I am particularly delighted at the great interest shown in our competition. The reputation of this competition as a first-rate international event has clearly spread round the world, and judging from the interest, we now rank as a major international competition.”
Winners announced at the orchestral finals
The competition will proceed via two rounds to chamber music finals at the Sibelius Academy and culminate in orchestral finals at the Helsinki Music Centre on October 26 and 27, 2022. The six most successful contestants will seek victory by performing a piano concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anna-Maria Helsing. Prizes totalling €109,000 will be awarded, and the finalists will also be offered solo engagements with Finnish orchestras and festival organisers. The contestants, who must be under the age of 30, will be judged by an international jury made up of nine distinguished piano professionals.
Founded in 1945 and nowadays held once every five years, the national Maj Lind Piano Competition became an international event in 2002. It was set up with funds bequeathed in her will by the keen amateur music lover Maj Lind (née Kopjeff, 1876–1942). The competition is organised by the University of the Arts Helsinki, the Sibelius Academy and financed by the Sibelius Academy Foundation out of the Maj Lind Fund. The previous winners of the international competition have been Alberto Nosè (2002), Sofija Guljak (2007), Sergei Redkin (2012) and Mackenzie Melemed (2017).
Participants
The list of participants majlindcompetition.fi/en/competitors/
Additional info
Terhi Luukkonen, Secretary General
terhi.luukkonen@uniarts.fi
Mila Kajas-Virtanen, Communications
mila.kajas-virtanen@uniarts.fi