Dr. Gomez to Conduct Competition in Chile

Following Sunday’s FYAO rehearsals, Dr. Gomez and wife Routa left for Chile for the next two weeks.  Dr. Gomez will again act as Artistic Director of the prestigious XXXVIII International Competition of Musical Performance “Dr. Luis Sigall “, to be held between November 5 and 12 in Viña del Mar, Chile. This year’s competition is for cellists, and there are a total of 16 celliists representing thirteen countries. Routa will act as Concertmaster of the orchestra, which will be conducted by Dr. Gomez.  The following is information from the event’s website:

The president of the Cultural Corporation of Vina, Luis Bork said, “This contest is one of the cultural landmarks of our country, as great masters of music have launched their careers on it and there is no other event of this level from Mexico to the south of the continent.”

The participating artists are young virtuoso cellists of whose ages range between 18 and 27 years. The first two stages of the competition, scheduled from Saturday through Wednesday 5 November 9, will take place in the Central Hall of the Club in Vina del Mar, while the great final day will be held in the Hall of the Hotel Don Bernardo O’Higgins. For the second year, the Artistic Director of Competition will be Alvaro Gomez, a prominent Chilean-American violinist and conductor of wide international experience.

The eight cellists receiving the highest scores in the first round will advance to the final stage, scheduled for Tuesday, November 8 and Wednesday November 9. The competition winners will be chosen by leading musicians and scholars: Walevska Christine (USA), David Chew (England), Dmitry Eremin (Russia), Martin Osten (Germany), Emmanuel Lopez (USA), Eduardo Salgado (Chile) and Edgar Fischer (Chile).

The winner will receive the First Prize “Izidor Handler”, with $10,000 and an invitation to perform two concerts with the Symphonic Orchestra of Chile, in February 2012 and a concert in the City of Santiago in Official Season 2012. The Second Prize “I. Municipality of Viña del Mar” will consist of $ 4,000, while the Third Prize “Cultural Corporation of Viña del Mar” will be  $2,000.

This appointment for Dr. Gomez is a visible recognition of his international stature and abilities as a musician and conductor.  While Dr. Gomez is away at this event, rehearsals will continue!  Dr. Gomez asks that everyone continue to prepare their parts well for the upcoming concert, so that all will be ready when he returns!