The next Cleveland International Piano Competition will take place from July 27 through August 7, 2005. In addition to the first prize of $50,000, several other policies have also been initiated.  [See press release, "Invacare CEO presents Major gift to Piano Competition".]

First, all candidates will perform for two rounds before any elimination is made. This will give the jury an opportunity to hear them twice before making a decision. With this policy, it will be necessary to limit the number of candidates to avoid the extra days involved in hearing a large class play twice. Therefore, only 30 candidates will be admitted to the Competition. This policy should make the Competition much more attractive to candidates and will allow the jury to make a more informed decision. Instead of four days for preliminaries and two days for quarter-finals, the Competition will schedule three days for the first round (10 candidates each day) and three days for the second round (10 candidates each day). Alternates will be chosen, but their names will not be announced to the general public. The candidates will perform for 30 minutes each in the first round and 40 minutes each in the second round. Five categories of stylistic periods will be listed and the candidates may perform them in any order they wish.

Second, a financial incentive will be offered in an effort to prevent contestant attrition. Therefore the former policy of quarter-finalist prizes of $1,000 to eight candidates and the travel reimbursement policy for qualified preliminary contestants will be merged into a new policy. All of the 22 contestants who do not advance to the semi-finals will receive an honorarium of $1,000.

Third, the selection process, which has not changed for 15 years, will be altered. With only 30 coming to Cleveland, the candidates must be screened very thoroughly and carefully. Video tapings under equal conditions will be offered in two cities in Europe, New York City, and Cleveland. Applicants who cannot come to those sites may make their own videos, under the same specifications. The deadline for applications is January 1, 2005. The videos will be made in late February and early March. After all the videos are made, the Selection Jury will view all the tapes and will vote until 30 candidates and 5 alternates are selected.

Fourth, a change in the age range has been made. The current range is 17 to 32, and the new age range will be 18 to 30. Candidates within this age range preferably should have had professional experience with orchestras, in recitals, and in competitions, which will qualify them for the experience at this level.

“The changes made over the past two months reflect a continuum of change and improvement that has occurred steadily over the past ten years,” said Karen Knowlton, Executive Director of the Competition. However, it is difficult to understate the impact of the Cleveland Orchestra’s involvement on the pace of these changes. The 2001 Competition, with an independent orchestra at Severance Hall, held out a promise of “what could be.” That promise was fulfilled when the Cleveland Orchestra performed for the final rounds in 2003, and plans are underway for 2005.

The increased public attention generated by the Orchestra’s involvement has led to important new streams of revenue. This year, for instance, generous new gifts allowed the Competition to launch a major ad campaign that ran in the Plain Dealer before and during the Competition. These new gifts also allowed for banners to be hung on Public Square, for the winner’s compact disc recording to be distributed for the first time with Naxos, an international label, and for the Competition to launch PIANO/OHIO, a new community-outreach program.

Over the past two years, the Competition has placed significant emphasis on organizing an event that is equal in stature and prestige to its new partnership with the Orchestra.

“As we turn to 2005, most noteworthy, however, is the major new commitment by Mr. and Mrs. A. Malachi Mixon, III,” said Karen Knowlton. “The Mixon gift allows the Competition to offer an extremely generous first prize cash award of $50,000 for five competitions. In fact, it is the largest cash award offered by any piano competition worldwide at this time. This generous prize adds to the increasing “buzz” about the Competition.”

The Competition has long known that a stronger marketing program would improve its ability to attract outstanding candidates and enhance its reputation. Unfortunately, the funds were not available for an extended marketing campaign. The Mixon gift allows the Competition to implement a long-overdue program that includes a stand-alone web site, e-based marketing, a national radio program, and an expanded international advertising program.

In short, the Competition has experienced more changes in the last two years than it did, perhaps, in the years since its inception. There is not a single factor that has led to these changes, but a steady upward growth and progression. These changes are the natural outgrowth of a program that is fortunate to be experiencing the support of individuals and organizations that contribute to its growing presence in the field of international music.