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Each year we take a look at the overview of applicants to the Klein Competition (about 60-80/year) and we have the sense that this demographic snapshot is at least somewhat indicative of international trends in classical music youth. 25 years ago, when the Competition started, most of the applicants were from the US, and the largest international contingent was Japanese. The biggest domestic applicant pool came from the Chicago area, with its rich history of developing violinists and cellists (yes, even violists – no viola jokes here), and where music education has continued to be supported in the public schools.
In more recent years, we have seen small surges of Eastern European players (Russia, Romania and Bulgaria), Western Europeans, and Canadians. Domestically, the Midwest has continued to produce exceptional applicants. Now (not surprisingly) the biggest overseas numbers come from China (especially Shanghai) and Korea.
The eligible age range of the Competition is 15-23. Intuitively, it seems obvious that older players with more experience would dominate, but there have been periods when 15- and 16-year-olds have been better represented (and have won quite a few top prizes).
Most of our applicants wind up studying at U.S. Conservatories. Obviously, this has a lot to do with the fact that young musicians who have no ties to the U. S. are less likely to apply to a Competition that takes place here. But, we think it also reflect the general sense that the most respected string pedagogues are teaching here. There have been continuing demographic shifts here, too. The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute are almost always the most represented in our applicant pool with New England Conservatory close behind, but there have been surges from the Cleveland Institute, the University of Indiana, the Colburn School and Northwestern University. As to teachers, it does seem that the teachers with the largest number of applicants also tend to have the largest number of winners (intuitively true, but a more complicated arithmetic of probabilities). And those dominant teachers tend to be major performers themselves. So, with all this in mind, let’s take a look at this year’s stats:
[Advisory: this is NOT a scientific study – peruse at your own risk]
- Total Applicants to the Klein Competition – 2010: 65
- Nationalities (in order from most to least): U.S., Korea, China, Canada/Russia (tie) (others with just 1: Britain, France, Iran, Israel, Japan, Spain, Taiwan)
- Conservatories: Juilliard (12), Curtis (8), New England (7), Northwestern/San Francisco (3), Colburn/Columbia/Harvard/Michigan State/Moscow Conservatory (2)
- Ages (in order of number of applicants): 22, 20, 21, 23, 19, 18, 17, 15, 16
- Teachers (number of students applying): tie: Donald Weilerstein, and Roland & Almita Vamos (4), Peter Wiley (3), tie: Richard Aaron, Darrett Adkins, Suren Bagratuni, James Buswell, Pamela Frank, Laurence Lesser, Robert Lipsett, Robert Mann, Itzhak Perlman, Ian Swensen (2 each)
Information on this year’s 8 chosen Semifinalists and their backgrounds is currently posted elsewhere on this site. |
