“He was a genius. Like Miles Davis, he had the same ability to bring out the best in the musicians who played with him.”(Glen Moore, Oregon)
“He’s our national treasure.” (Tomasz Stańko)
“The Paganini of the jazz violin!” (Urszula Dudziak)
This is the way Seifert is remembered by the world’s most famous living jazzmen who once had the opportunity to work with him. These opinions are by no means exaggerated. Zbigniew Seifert was one of the best jazz violinists of all time. The goal he set for himself was to translate into the violin what he loved most in jazz – the music of his master, John Coltrane. Still, he became much more than merely the Coltrane of the jazz violin. His position in the world’s jazz pantheon is indisputable. Several decades after the artist’s untimely death, his music continues to delight audiences with its virtuosity, emotional depth and intensity. With the intention of paying homage to, and cultivating the memory of, this excellent artist – the Zbigniew Seifert Foundation established a Competition of his name. Its first two editions (in 2014 and 2016) proved a tremendous success. In total, more than a hundred violinists from all over the world entered the Competition, whose winners were Bartosz Dworak (2014) and Mateusz Smoczyński (2016).
The 3rd Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition will be held between 25th and 28th July at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, as well as in Cracow. The Competition is open not only to violinists, but also to violists and cellists. For the first, preliminary stage, candidates are obliged to submit recordings of any compositions of their own choice, including one solo piece. In the next two stages – the semi-finals and finals held at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice – participants will perform works by Zbigniew Seifert. This year, as in the previous two editions, the jury will include one of the greatest jazz violinists of our time, the New Yorker Mark Feldman, as well as another representative of the same avant-garde jazz circles, member of the famous Masada String Trio – the cellist Erik Friedlander. Another musician who has confirmed his work in this year’s jury is the eminent French jazz violinist Dominique Pifarely. The names of the other jurors will be announced at a later date.
A complete application ought to be submitted via the www.seifertcompetition.com website. The non-negotiable deadline is 10th April 2018. All candidates will be informed about the results of the preliminary round by 2nd May 2018.
Three prizes will be granted in the Competition:
– 1st prize - € 10,000
– 2nd prize - € 5,000
– 3rd prize - € 2,000
The audience will also select its favourite, as during the previous editions. Listeners will be able to vote for the best participant via the Competition website: www.seifertcompetition.com. The application form and the Competition Regulations are available from the same website.
MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Seifert-Competition
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seifertcontest
See also: