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PRESS RELEASE contact person: MR. GREGORY NUBER IBLA Foundation (212) 387-0111 phone (212) 388-0102 fax iblanyc@aol.com Visit our website at www.ibla.org For immediate release: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Would you please, share with your readers the following information: 2000 IBLA-NYC Music Festival * Sunday, April 16, 2000, 8:30 PM Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall 57th Street at 7th Avenue On Sunday evening, April 16, 2000 at 8:30 P.M., the IBLA International Music Foundation is proud to present the IBLA Grand Prize Winners at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The concert features performances by solo and duo pianists and opera singers. This international roster of artists represents the countries of Armenia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the United States. Each summer, an impressive array of musicians comes to Ibla to compete in the only competition of its kind. Before a world-renowned jury, these artists are given an opportunity to present a unique repertoire of their own choice. Performers are not held one against another with elimination rounds as is customary in competitions. Each performance is heard in its entirety. Before performing for the Jury, artists are offered the opportunity to present a performance for the audience in open air venues. The Italian audience is very involved in the process and together with the International Jury carefully listens to hundreds of concerts during the two week event. From this wealth of contestants, a group of those with professional promise are selected to be presented throughout the world. Entry into the music business is becoming increasingly competitive and uncertain. Many highly talented musicians discover it is hard to find an audience. The IBLA Foundation aims to ease their problems by developing performing venues to bring new talent before the public. It also strives to bring artists in contact with all those capable of fostering their careers: conductors, critics, managers, recording companies and other sections of the music industry. Most IBLA related events are open to the public free of charge. It is the generosity of individuals, businesses, corporations, and other music-lovers that makes the difference. Prior to the Carnegie Hall Gala Concert, a series of performances will be held at New York University's Casa Italiana at 24 West 12th Street. These concerts are billed as a "Meet the Masters" series where world renown artists and conductors will share their professional experience with the performers. The winners will play and at the conclusion of the programs the "Masters" will offer comments and advice to the artists. * Wednesday April 12, 6:00 PM Thursday April 13, 6:00 PM Friday, April 14, 2000, 6:00 PM Saturday, April 15, 2000, 2:00 PM New York University's Casa Italiana 24 W. 12th Street On Monday, April 17 a final concert will be held at the United Nation's Dag Kammarskjold Auditorium at 6:00 PM. Attendance requires inclusion on a guest list. Contact the IBLA Foundation office for reservations. * Monday, April 17, 2000 6:00 PM Dag Kammarskjold Auditorium United Nations 1st Avenue at 42nd Street The organization of the IBLA GRAND PRIZE started in 1990 with the support of Chancellor Alex Ewing from the North Carolina School of the Arts. By 1992 the First edition was held as a part of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America. Since its inception, elite-level artists from around the world have been sharing their musical gifts at the IBLA Grand Prize International Competition. The additions of the Bellini International Vocal Competition in 1994, the European International Competition for Composers in 1995, and the Baroque Music Competition in 1999 have contributed to enlarging the community of talented musicians sharing their gifts in Sicily and throughout the world. I look forward to enjoying the excitement with you in April. Dr. Salvatore Moltisanti. President IBLA Foundation "The sunbaked island of Sicily, the largest and historically richest in the Mediterranean, is the scene of the Ibla Grand Prize, a piano competition held in a hall buried among the clusters of 17th- and 18th- century stone buildings that crowd the little threads of streets. The rocky town of only 80,000 lies just a few miles from where the Ionian and Mediterranean meet at Sicily's southernmost tip. Hearing piano- playing in this kind of setting is amazing. It is like opening an ornate and ancient casket only to find it is stocked with glittering gems" by Gordon Sparber, Winston-Salem Journal |