Dimitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition

Participating countries (1961–1971)

The Dimitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition was a prestigious international music competition . It was first held in 1961 and mostly took place at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan , New York City .

Dedicated and named after the Greek conductor and pianist Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896–1960), until 1958 music director of the New York Philharmonic . While the first competition in 1961 was for pianists , from 1963 only young conductors were eliminated . The winners were determined by a jury consisting of 8 to 14 people , which consisted mainly of Americans.

The competition was an official project of the President’s Music Committee of the People-to-People Program . The Women's Division of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York acted as the host and main sponsor . The first prizes were usually endowed with $ 5,000 each, the subsequent finalists received $ 3,000 or less. A gala concert took place regularly in the New York Philharmonic Hall . In addition, medals (gold, silver, bronze) designed by the American artist William Zorach (1889–1966) were awarded to the winners.

In addition, Leonard Bernstein , who temporarily chaired the jury and chaired the music committee, selected three winners of the conducting competition for the upcoming season as assistant to the New York Philharmonic from 1964, most recently for the 1970/71 season. Further finalists were signed by other orchestras in the USA, Canada and Monaco, above all the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC In the 1971 competition - Pierre Boulez was now chief conductor - the assistants were no longer awarded, instead the winner for three subscription concerts was the New York Philharmonic was appointed guest conductor .

The total of 279 participants came mainly from the western world , with the host country providing almost ¼ of the candidates and also winning the most medals, followed by France , Italy and the FRG . Although the socialist states also had the opportunity to participate, there was hardly any participation. The New York Times reported, however, that the Soviet Union had a fundamental interest . The Czech Zdeněk Košler (1963) and the Bulgarian Mesru M. Mehmedov (1969) won first prizes from the Eastern Bloc . In 1964, an African-American named James DePreist won the competition, the first woman was Sylvia Caduff from Switzerland in 1966 . The best-known winner of the Dimitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition was the Italian Claudio Abbado (1963), whose success played a major role in his international breakthrough.

Competition overview

"Lady Bird" Johnson (1967), First Lady and Honorary Chairwoman of the Competition from 1964 to 1968

competition	Year (period)	Venue - final - if applicable, parts I and II -	subject	Nations	Attendees
					total	Men	Women (w)
I.	1961 (December 1st-December 17th)	Hunter College Assembly Hall (I) Metropolitan Opera House (II)	piano	13	32	23	9
II.	1963 (19.03-07.04)	Carnegie Hall	Conduct	28	54	54	0
III.	1964 (November 27th-December 13th)	Hunter College Assembly Hall	Conduct	18th	36	33	3
IV.	1966 (January 3rd-January 19th)	Carnegie Hall	Conduct	18th	34	32	2
V.	1967 (January 9-23)	Carnegie Hall	Conduct	16	41	39	2
VI.	1968 (January 8th-January 21st)	Carnegie Hall	Conduct	19th	40	39	1
VII.	1969 (January 13-23)	Carnegie Hall (I) Philharmonic Hall (II)	Conduct	18th	40	39	1
VIII.	1970 (January 12-25)	Carnegie Hall	Conduct	17th	28	28	0
IX.	1971 (November 29 - December 12)	Philharmonic Hall	Conduct	20th	33	33	0
Respective record

organization

Competition committee

Honorary Chairman (Honorary Chairman) Pablo Casals Pierre Monteux († 1964) Charles Munch († 1968) Bruno Walter († 1962)

Music Committee (Music Committee)

Chairman (Chairman) Leonard Bernstein

Competition Committee of the International Competition Dimitri Mitropoulos (Dimitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition Committee)

Advisory Council (Advisory Committee) under William Schuman (1961) and R. Claire Reis (1963-1971)

Associate Chairman (Associate Chairman) Leopold Godowsky Jr.

Associated committee (Associate Committee) under Sol Hurok

Committee (Committee) <100 members

Women's section / women's organization of the Music Competition ( Women's Division of the / Women's Organization Competition Committee (s) )

Arts Council (Council of the Arts) by Richard Rodgers

Course of the competition

Preliminary decision

(Quarter finals)

Semifinals

final

(Gala concert)

Central venues

• 

  92nd St.

• 

  Carnegie Hall

• 

  Hunter College

• 

  Metropolitan Opera

• 

  Philharmonic Hall

price

medal

Claudio Abbado (two years after winning the competition in 1963)

Bronze medal from the 1963 New York Mitropoulos Competition, Smithsonian American Art Museum

Medal table
space	Participating country	gold	silver	bronze	total
01	United States	5	1	5	11
02	France	5	1	0	6th
03	Italy	3	0	1	4th
04th	BR Germany	2	2	0	4th
05	Argentina	2	1	0	3
06th	Switzerland	2	0	0	2
07th	Israel	1	3	0	4th
08th	Bulgaria	1	1	0	2
	Spain	1	1	0	2
09	Netherlands	1	0	1	2
	Czechoslovakia	1	0	1	2
10	Belgium	1	0	0	1
	Chile	1	0	0	1
	Guatemala	1	0	0	1
	Iran	1	0	0	1
	Canada	1	0	0	1
	Taiwan	1	0	0	1
11	England	0	0	2	2
12	Japan	0	0	1	1
total		30th	9	14th	53

Prize money

year	Sponsorship of the prize money	1st prize B	2nd prize	3rd prize	4th prize	total
1961	Philip Morris Company , Samuel Bronfman Foundation , Philadelphia Friends of Dimitri Mitropoulos, Spyros Skouras	$ 5,000	$ 3,000	$ 1,500	$ 1,000	$ 10,500
1963 A	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award, Lawrence A. Wien Foundation Award, Philip Morris International Award	$ 5,000	$ 3,000	$ 1,500	$ 1,000	$ 20,500
1964	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award, Lawrence A. Wien Foundation Award, anonymous donors	$ 3,500	? C.	-	-	> $ 21,000
1966	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award, Lucy G. Moses Award	$ 5,000	$ 2,500	$ 1,000	$ 750	$ 24,250
1967	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award, Lucy G. Moses Award	$ 5,000	$ 2,500	$ 1,000	$ 750	$ 24,250
1968	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award, Lucy G. Moses Award	$ 5,000	$ 2,500	$ 1,000	$ 750	$ 24,250
1969	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award, Alan and Margaret Kempner Award	$ 5,000	$ 2,500	$ 1,000	-	$ 23,500
1970	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award, Alan and Margaret Kempner Award	$ 5,000	$ 2,500	$ 1,000	-	$ 18,500
1971	Cecile Lehman Mayer Memorial Award	$ 5,000	$ 3,000	$ 2,000	-	$ 10,000
total						> $ 176,750

^A.The prize money of the finalists from 1963 was used for the sick Polish conductor Piotr Wollny .

^B. Each of the winners received the advertised prize money.

^C. Announcement of the award of a second prize during the competition without mentioning the prize money.

Assistant position

Leonard Bernstein (1971)

Orchestra / abbreviation chief conductor	Competition playtime							total
	II. 1963/64	III. 1965/66	IV. 1966/67	V. 1967/68	VI. 1968/69	VII. 1969/70	VIII. 1970/71
Metropolitan Opera / MET		1						1
New York Philharmonic / NYPO Leonard Bernstein and George Szell	3	3	3	3	(3) 0	3	3	18 (21)
Orchester Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo / OPMC Igor Markevitch						1		1
Toronto Symphony Orchestra / TSO Seiji Ozawa		1						1
Washington National Symphony / NSO Howard Mitchell		1	1	1	4th			7th
Selection among the winners by Leonard Bernstein

⁰ Although the New York Philharmonic held three positions, all four winners were initially sent to Washington, DC in the 1968/69 season.

Award winners

piano

year	1st Prize	2nd prize	3rd prize	4th prize - certificate	Special award ("Honorable Mention")
1961	Agustin Anievas	Maria Pariente (f)	Susan Starr (w)	Ralph Votapek	Tania Ashot (w) Samuel Lipman

Conduct

Edo de Waart (four years after winning the competition in 1964)

year	1st prize - gold medal / assistant	2nd prize - silver medal	3rd prize - bronze medal	4th prize - certificate or bronze medal
1963	Claudio Abbado / NYPO Pedro Ignacio Calderón / NYPO Zdeněk Košler / NYPO	Moshe Atzmon	Joop van Zon	Jacques Houtmann a
1964	Ricardo del Carmen / NSO James DePreist / NYPO Jacques Houtmann / NYPO a Lawrence L. Smith / MET Edo de Waart / NYPO Niklaus Wyss / TSO	Dalia Atlas (f) Vladimir Kojoukharov
1966	Sylvia Caduff (w) / NYPO Alain Lombard / NYPO Juan Pablo Izquierdo / NYPO Walter Gillessen / NSO	Theo Alcantarilla	Zdeněk Mácal	Taijiro Iimori
1967	Enrique García Asensio / NSO Paul Capolongo / NYPO Alois Springer / NYPO Helen Quach (w) / NYPO	Paul Freeman	James Rives Jones	Elio Boncompagni
1968	Boris Brott / NSO Gaetano Delogu / NSO François Huybrecht / NSO Farhad Mechkat / NSO	Catherine Comet (w)	Akira Endo a	Gordon Mackie
1969	Alfredo Bonavera / NYPO Mesru M. Mehmedov / NYPO Uri Segal / NYPO Michael Zearott / OPMC	Klauspeter Seibel	Akira Endo a
1970	Philippe Bender / NYPO Mario Benzecry / NYPO David Gilbert / NYPO	Yuval Zaliouk	Guido Ajmone-Marsan
1971	Jacques Delacote b	Wolfgang Balzer	Timothy Reynish

^a Prize winners with successes in two consecutive competition years

^bThe winner was used for three subscription concerts with the New York Philharmonic, and Bernstein awarded him the last baton of Dimitri Mitropoulos.

Attendees

Country	Competition year									Total (after participation) 5	Total (according to persons)
	1961 6	1963	1964	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971
Argentina	2	2	1	0	0	2	0	1	1	9	8th
Australia	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Belgium	1	1	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	7th	6th
Brazil	0	1	0	1	2	1	1	1	1	9	7th
Bulgaria	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	5	4th
Chile	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Denmark	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	2
Federal Republic of Germany 1	2	1	4th	3	4th	3	4th	2	2	25th	22nd
England 2	0	2	1	2	3	5	1	1	3	18th	17th
Finland	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	4th	4th
France	1	2	2	1	1	1	3	1	2	14th	12
Greece	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	2
Guatemala	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	3
India	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Iran	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	2
Israel	1	3	3	0	0	2	4th	2	1	16	16
Italy	0	2	0	2	2	2	2	1	2	13	12
Japan	0	2	2	1	0	1	1	2	0	9	8th
Yugoslavia	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1
Canada	0	3	0	1	3	2	0	0	0	9	8th
Lebanon	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Malaysia	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1
Mexico	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	8th	7th
Netherlands	0	3	1	2	2	0	3	1	2	14th	13
Nigeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	1
Northern Ireland	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Austria	0	2	0	1	2	0	1	0	0	6th	5
Peru	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	2
Philippines	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	4th	3
Poland	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	2
Portugal	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	1
Romania	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1
Switzerland	0	3	1	2	4th	1	3	1	1	16	14th
Singapore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
Spain	0	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	1	6th	6th
South Korea 3	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	6th	5
South Africa	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Taiwan 4	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	5	4th
Czechoslovakia	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Hungary	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	3	3
United States	18th	7th	11	9	11	12	11	8th	8th	95	63
Uruguay	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Host country Eastern Bloc countries and Yugoslavia (socialist countries)					total					338	279

¹ Referred to as Germany in the competition brochures and in the American press

² Shown as Great Britain in the 1967 participant statistics

³ Referred to as Korea in the competition brochures and in the American press

^4th Referred to as the Republic of China or China in the competition brochures, and the National China in the American press

⁵Including the two-time participant as well as the three-time participant Howard Wassermann from the USA

^6thSteinway & Sons provided instruments for all competition rounds .

Jurors

Juan José Castro (three years after serving on the jury in 1963)

Antal Doráti (two years before joining the jury in 1964)

Juror	1961	1963 m	1964	1966	1967	1968 l	1969	1970	1971	total
George Barati										4th
Léon Barzin										3
Leonard Bernstein					Ex officio					4th
Frank Brieff										8th
Richard Burgin										8th
Eleazar de Carvalho										5
Juan José Castro										1
Carlos Chavez Ramirez										3
Samuel Chotzinoff										1
Fausto Cleva										7th
Harriet Cohen (w)										1
Antal Doráti										1
Guillermo Espinosa										1
Franco Ferrara										3
Rudolph Ganz										1
Vladimir Golschmann										3
Sascha Gorodnitzki										1
Mozart Camargo Guarnieri										1
Grant Johannesen										1
Thor Johnson										1
Milton Katims										1
Richard Korn										2
Jacob Latins										1
Eugene List										1
Fritz Mahler										2
Adele Marcus (w)										1
Igor Markevitch										1
Gian Carlo Menotti										2
Howard Mitchell										2
Wilfrid Pelletier										2
Artur Rubinstein										1
Max Rudolph										1
Thomas Schippers										1
Hans Schwieger										2
Frank Sheridan										1
George Singer										1
Hans Swarowsky										2
Leopold Stokowski										1
Rosalyn Tureck (f)										1
Alfred Wallenstein										1
Akeo Watanabe										3
Beveridge Webster										1
Stanisław Wisłocki										1
total	14th	11	9	10	10	8th	8th	10	10	-
Respective record					Jurors: Chairman Deputy Chairman Member  

^l In 1968 a letter of protest was sent to the management of the competition from 11 disregarded participants, criticizing the judges' personal preferences and geographical balance rather than quality in the selection decision.

^mTheodore Bloomfield from the USA was originally announced as a juror.

Web links

Commons : Dimitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Dimitri Mitriopoulos, International Music Competition Medal at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} John Canarina: The New York Philharmonic: From Bernstein to Maazel . Amadeus Press, New York 2010, ISBN 978-1-57467-188-9 , p. 33.
2. ^ John Canarina: The New York Philharmonic: From Bernstein to Maazel . Amadeus Press, New York 2010, ISBN 978-1-57467-188-9 , pp. 57f., 73.
3. ^ John Canarina: The New York Philharmonic: From Bernstein to Maazel . Amadeus Press, New York 2010, ISBN 978-1-57467-188-9 , p. 77.
4. ↑ Raymond Ericson: GETTING THEM HERE: Contest Brings Pianists From 19 Countries . In: The New York Times , Nov. 26, 1961, pp. X9; Ross Parmenter: CONDUCTORS 'TEST OPENS TOMORROW: 3 of 58 Will Win the Right to Lead Philharmonic Other Awards . In: March 21, 1963, p. 8.
5. ^ Shelley M. Jagow, Women Orchestral Conductors in America: The Struggle for Acceptance - An Historical View from the Nineteenth Century to the Present . In: College Music Symposium 38 (1998), pp. 126–145, here: p. 135.
6. ↑ Ulrich Eckhardt : Musicians - Europeans - Contemporary . In the S. (Ed.): Claudio Abbado: Conductor . Nicolai, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-89479-090-3 , p. 15ff., Here: p. 25.
7. ↑ WINNERS CHOSEN IN MUSIC CONTEST: Mitropolous Jury Names 3 Philharmonic Conductors . In: The New York Times , April 5, 1963, p. 28.
8. ↑ Donal Henahan: 4 Win Mitropoulos Competition for Conducting: They Are Judged Best of 41 Candidates and Will Receive $ 5,000 and Gold Medals . In: January 22, 1968, p. 35; Alan M. Kriegsman : 4 Named to Assist Conductor Mitchell . In: The Washington Post , Jan 31, 1968, p. C6.
9. ↑ Eric Salzman : 16 YOUNG PIANISTS VYING IN CONTEST: Semi-Finals Are Running in Mitropoulos Competition . In: The New York Times , December 13, 1961, p. 54; 4 ENTER PIANO FINALS: Mitropoulos Contest Starts Last Stage Tonight . In: The New York Times , Dec. 14, 1961, p. 55; Harold C. Schonberg : NEW YORK PIANIST WINS MUSIC PRIZE: Agustin Anievas Is First in Mitropoulos Competition . In: The New York Times , December 18, 1961, p. 43.
10. ↑ WINNERS CHOSEN IN MUSIC CONTEST: Mitropolous Jury Names 3 Philharmonic Conductors . In: The New York Times , April 5, 1963, p. 28; Harold C. Schonberg: Music: 3 Polished Young Conductors: Mitropoulos Winners at Philharmonic Hall . In: The New York Times , April 8, 1963, p. 36.
11. ↑ 2 US Conductors Take Prizes In the Mitropoulos Competition . In: The New York Times , December 12, 1964, p. 34; In Search of New Conductors . In: The New York Times , December 13, 1964, X13; Harold C. Schonberg: Music: 6 Conductors in Debuts at Philharmonic: Mitropoulos Winners Lead Orchestra Two Added Awards Made by Jury . In: The New York Times , December 14, 1964, p. 48.
12. ↑ Dan Sullivan: … And How They Were Chosen . In: The New York Times , Jan 23, 1966, p. 103; Music: 4 Mitropoulos Contest Winners Conduct: Final Selections Made at Philharmonic Hall . In: The New York Times , Jan 20, 1966, p. 28; Allen Hughes: CONDUCTORS OPEN COMPETITION HERE: 18 Nations Are Represented in Mitropoulos Contest . In: The New York Times , Jan 4, 1966, p. 21; 7 Finalists Are Selected In Mitropoulos Competition . In: The New York Times , Jan 16, 1966, p. 82.
13. ↑ Howard Klein: Bernstein Names 4 Mitropoulos Winners: 3 Men and a Woman Get Medal and Cash as Best Conductors . In: The New York Times , Jan 20, 1967, p. 26; It's Baton Up for 42 Musicians As Mitropoulos Contest Begins . In: The New York Times , Jan. 9, 1967, p. 33.
14. ↑ 11 PROTEST JUDGING AT MUSIC CONTEST . In: The New York Times , Jan. 24, 1968, p. 37; LE CONCOURS DE MUSIQUE DIMITRI MITROPOULOS . In: Le Monde , January 23, 1968; CHARGES ARE DENIED IN CONDUCTING TEST . In: The New York Times, Jan 26, 1968, p. 30; 7 Conductors in Finals Of Mitropoulos Contest . In: The New York Times , Jan. 18, 1968, p. 48.
15. ↑ Donal Henahan: 4 Finalists Out of 6 Win First Prizes in Conducting Contest . In: The New York Times , Jan. 29, 1969, p. 27.
16. ^ Three Young Conductors Win Honors in Mitropoulos Contest . In: The New York Times , Jan 26, 1970, p. 25; 5 Young Conductors Reach Mitropoulos Contest Finals . In: The New York Times , Jan 22, 1970, p. 30.
17. ^ French Conductor, 29, Achieves Mitropoulos Victory and $ 5,000 . In: The New York Times , December 13, 1971, p. 53.