2023 Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
Contact: Susan Barbash, Competition Coordinator info@jsbachcompetition.org
Submissions to the fifth annual Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition will be accepted beginning April 1, 2023. The submission deadline is midnight Saturday, June 10, 2023. 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 Friday, October 20, 2023, and will be streamed by The Violin Channel.
Note: Finalists will have the option of performing any piece by J.S. Bach for unaccompanied bowed string instrument (Partitas, Sonatas, Suites) at the FINALS. The piece performed at the FINALS does not have to be the same piece performed for the application. However, the finalist must advise the Competition Coordinator what piece he/she will be performing within 7 days of being notified that he/she has been selected as a finalist.
Cash Prizes:
The Grand Prize – $5000.
The Second Prize – $1000.
Performing Opportunities:
The winner will also be the featured soloist at a concert presented by the Amor Artis chamber chorus in New York City, date and venue TBA. The winner will receive an additional fee for this performance.
The Grand Prize Winner will be the featured soloist at the annual Island Symphony Bach Festival which will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, January 28, 2024, St. Peter’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Bay Shore, New York. (Snow Date: Sunday, February 4, 2024) The winner will receive an additional fee of $1000. 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.
The Grand Prize and Second Place winners will be engaged to perform a joint concert hosted by NYC-based Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS), date and venue TBA. This concert will be streamed live. The archived video of the stream will be available to the performers for their personal use. The winners will receive an additional fee for this performance.
Accommodations:
All Finalists will be provided hotel accommodations on Thursday, October 19, and Friday, October 20 at the Hilton Garden Inn which is located on Stony Brook’s campus within walking distance of the recital hall.
Please be advised that the Competition does not provide any stipend for travel expenses.
TIMELINE:
APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED BEGINNING April 1, 2023 ($30 submission fee)
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT, SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023
SUBMISSION FORM AND REQUIREMENTS: https://jsbachcompetition.org
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
FINALS: 1:00 PM FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2023
ISLAND SYMPHONY BACH FESTIVAL: 2:00 PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2024
JURY:
Cynthia Roberts: Professor of Baroque Violin, Baroque Viola and
Chamber Music, Juilliard
Ani Kavafian: Professor in the Practice of Violin and Coordinator of String Studies,
Yale School of Music
Daniel Stepner: Professor Emeritus, Brandeis, First violinist of the Lydian String Quartet, Artistic Director of the Aston Magna Festival.
Colin Carr: Professor of Music, Cello and Chamber Music, Stony Brook University
Arthur Haas: Professor of Harpsichord, Early Music Performance and Continuo, Stony Brook University