Every year, the Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival attracts the finest musical talent from around the world. The festival takes visiting international students on an exciting week-long adventure filled with masterclasses, seminars, competitions and sightseeing around the cultural capital of Australia. This year, we are inviting both international and local students to participate in the Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival Competition, an incredible opportunity for participants to showcase their skills and experience the thrill of performing at a world class concert venue.
Who can enter the competition?
The competition is open to pianists, violinists, violists, and cellists. There are eight competition categories:
Senior Piano Section (18-25 years old)
Senior Strings Section (18-25 years old)
Intermediate Piano Section (13-17 years old)
Intermediate Strings Section (13-17 years old)
Junior Piano Section (9-12 years old)
Junior Strings Section (9-12 years old)
Junior Piano Section (6-8 years old)
Junior Strings Section (6-8 years old)
When and where will the competition be held?
The competition will be held at the South Melbourne Town Hall (Fishley St, South Melbourne) on Sunday 4 August.
Why should you participate in the MIPSF competition?
The Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival Competition is an excellent opportunity for music students to showcase their artistic mastery and flair. What’s more the best students from the competition will be invited to perform in the Gala Concert on the evening of 5 August.
Charlotte Miles, a 2018 festival participant, says she has always loved the incredible sense of immersion offered by music festivals.
“For a few days, or a few weeks, you are continually immersed in every facet of music-making, including masterclasses, concerts and talks, and you learn so much so quickly from the enrichment of these experiences.” Charlotte Miles, 2018 festival participant.
Did we mention that there are prizes to be won? Prizes and certificates will be awarded to first, second and third places.
Uniting musicians from all over the world
In previous years, we’ve seen music students from Korea, China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia join local students at the Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival. At both the festival competition and the Gala concert students have the opportunity to witness the performances of their musical counterparts from all corners of the globe.
“Last year I participated in the festival and I couldn't believe how much I have gained out of it! The teaching faculty in the festival was extremely knowledgeable and provided lots of insightful feedback. This international festival also gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet talented musicians from across the globe and it was a great learning experience watching them play. I strongly recommend young musicians to enter this festival as its an opportunity not to miss out! Last year I was also lucky enough to perform in the Gala Concert - it was such a rare opportunity to perform in front of such a supportive audience, and not to mention it was a full house audience last year!” Yii Ying Tan, 2018 festival participant.
The Gala Concert Venue for 2019
We are very excited to announce that the concert venue for the 2019 Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival Gala Concert will be one of the biggest and most prestigious concert halls in the city - the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall at the Melbourne Recital Centre . Designed to be the best place to hear music, the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall is renowned for its superb acoustics and state-of-the-art facilities.
This year, the MIPSF Gala Concert returns with another tour de force line-up of artists, featuring maestros Trio Anima Mundi (Kenji Fujimura, Rochelle Ughetti, Noella Yan), Elizabeth Sellars (violin), and Lisa Grosman (viola). The concert will also feature top rising stars selected from the festival competition.
How to enter the Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival Competition
For local students:
Read the Competition Guidelines and Rules & Regulations and identify your category on this page: https://www.iamusica.org/mipsf19-local
Fill in the online application
Submit your entry free (the entry fee for all competition sections is $25 per student)
For international students:
Email contact@iamusica.org for the regional organiser details in your home country.
The Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival is an amazing opportunity for local and international students to receive training and mentoring from some of Australia’s most celebrated artists and gain valuable performance experience. An added bonus is the incredible friendships you make along the way.
If you have any questions about the competition or the Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival in general, please reach out to our team at office@iamusica.org.
