Lillian and Maurice Barbash
J.S. Bach Competition
Submissions to the fourth annual Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition will be accepted beginning August 1, 2022. The submission deadline is midnight Friday, October 7, 2022. The competition is for string players ages 16-30, performing works (Partitas, Sonatas, Suites) by J.S. Bach for unaccompanied bowed string instruments. Modern and baroque bowed instruments are eligible.
The Finals will be held at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center Recital Hall at 1:00 pm on Thursday, December 1, 2022, and will be streamed by The Violin Channel.
Cash Prizes:
The Grand Prize – $5000.
The Second Prize – $1000.
Performing Opportunity:
The Grand Prize Winner will be the featured soloist at the Island Symphony Bach Festival which will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2023, at St. Peter’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Bay Shore, New York. (Snow Date: Sunday, February 5, 2023)
The winner will receive an additional fee of $1500. for this performance.
The winner’s program for this concert will include an unaccompanied work by J.S. Bach (not necessarily the one performed at the competition finals), and an encore selected by the soloist.
In the event the Grand Prize Winner is unable to perform at the Island Symphony Bach Festival, the Second Place Winner will be given the opportunity to perform at this event.
Master Class Opportunity:
The Grand Prize Winner will also be invited to participate in a master class conducted by acclaimed baroque violinist, Rachel Podger, which will be held at the Staller Center Recital Hall at 7:00 pm on Thursday, December 1. Should the winner choose not to participate, the opportunity will be offered to the Second Prize Winner. Should the Second Prize Winner decline, the slot will be offered to the other finalists. (See entry form for questions regarding Podger masterclass.)
Accommodations:
All Finalists will be provided hotel accommodations on Wednesday, November 30 at the Hilton Garden Inn which is located on Stony Brook’s campus within walking distance of the recital hall.
The finalist who participates in the master class with Rachel Podger will also be offered hotel accommodations for the evening of December 1, 2022.
Please be advised that the Competition does not provide any stipend for travel expenses.
Important Dates:
Applications Accepted Beginning August 1, 2022 ($30 submission fee)
Submission Deadline: Midnight, Friday, October 7, 2022
Finalists Announced: Saturday, November 12, 2022
Finals: 1:00 pm Thursday, December 1, 2022
Master Class: 7:00 pm Thursday, December 1, 2022
Island Bach Festival: 2:00 pm Sunday, January 29, 2023
Jury:
Robert Mealy, violinist
Director of Historical Performance, Juilliard
Colin Carr, cellist
Professor of Music, Cello and Chamber Music, Stony Brook University
Arthur Haas, harpsichordist
Professor of Harpsichord, Early Music Performance and Continuo, Stony Brook University
Phoebe Carrai, cellist
Professor of Baroque Cello and Baroque Chamber Music, Juilliard
Ida Kavafian, violinist
Nina von Maltzahn Chair in Violin Studies, Curtis Institute of Music.
What they’re saying:
The Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition has been such an important event for the development of my career. Through the pandemic until now, it has provided me with many performance opportunities, and has placed me in front of many esteemed musicians.”
Inaugural Grand Prize Winner, Rachell Ellen Wong, first baroque artist to be awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant.
I truly appreciate the incredible opportunity that, in these troubled times, people like the Barbash family are mobilizing to bring music to life and create a place for young artists to exist. This is made very special by the difficulties we all experience. Bach’s music is everlasting, sincere, and deeply comforting. I feel extremely grateful, and very positively surprised to win this competition.”
2020 Grand Prize Winner, Cellist, Maxime Quennesson
Playing unaccompanied Bach is the true test of a musician. . The opportunity to perform for such a distinguished group of jurors was an amazing experience.”
2021 Joint Grand Prize Winner, Violinist Tianyou Ma
I had a memorable time at Stony Brook University this week. Thanks to the Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition for their incredible generosity and support to the younger generation of artists.”
2021 Joint Grand Prize Winner, Violinist Lun Li