2023 Olivier Messiaen International Competition

President of the Jury
Michaël Levinas

Composer and pianist Michaël Levinas was a student of Olivier Messiaen, Vlado Perlemuter and Yvonne Loriod, among others, and a former resident of the Villa Médicis. He took part in the creation of the ensemble L’Itinéraire, founder of the spectral movement, which he directed for a long period.

His work constantly explores the realms of timbre and acoustics, and questions the fundamental relationship between text and music. As a pianist, he is a regular guest at Europe’s leading contemporary music festivals. His rich piano discography, which ranges from Bach to Boulez, is punctuated by critically acclaimed recordings.

Members of the Jury

Jean-François Heisser
Marie-Josèphe Jude
Florent Boffard
Louise Bessette

Orlando Bass (FRANCE)
Orlando Bass is a British-born French pianist, harpsichordist and composer born in 1994. He studied piano (Roger Muraro), chamber music (Itamar Golan), accompaniment (Jean-Frédéric Neuburger), improvisation, voice conducting and composition at the National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance. Since 2023, he has been studying for the Konzertexamen (Artist Diploma) with Kirill Gerstein at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule in Berlin.
His career is studded with prizes: he won the Grand Prix of the CFRPM (modern piano repertoire) in Paris, First Prize in the Les Virtuoses du Coeur Competition and First Prize in the Bologna Harpsichord Competition – Paola Bernardi Foundation. The modern and contemporary repertoire that he frequently performs as a soloist and chamber musician is particularly close to his heart, leading him to create new works without neglecting the classical repertoire. He has made several recordings on harpsichord and piano for the Maguelonne, Hortus, Odradek, Triton and La Scala Music labels. A new opus is in preparation for 2024, devoted to the first sonatas of Prokofiev and Bartok, with the violinist Rachel Koblyakov.

Miharu Ogura (JAPAN)
Born in Tokyo in 1996, the pianist Miharu Ogura is now based in Frankfurt where she is studying at the Hochschule with Florian Hölscher, after training at the Toho Gakuen College in Tokyo. Winner of several competitions, Miharu Ogura is deeply involved in contemporary music, both as a performer and as a composer. She has recently recorded two CDs, one devoted to Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke and the other to her own piano compositions. Two new musical works commissioned by Radio France and the Venice Biennale will be premiered in 2024.
She performs as a soloist – recently in Sweden, Frankfurt and Tokyo – and with orchestras and ensembles. She has performed with the Frankfurt hr-Sinfonieorchester conducted by Duncan Ward, in an opera by Søren Nils Eichberg at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden (conducted by Albert Horne), and with the ensembles hand werk and XiEMA, with the Ensemble Ulysses (in Barcelona under Beat Furrer, at Royaumont under Jean-Philippe Wurtz and at ManiFeste with the Ensemble intercontemporain under Pierre Bleuse) and with the mdi ensemble.

Shoma Oto (JAPAN/FRANCE)
Born in 1993, Shoma Oto trained at the Versailles Conservatory in the class of Edda Erlends-Dottir and Michael Guido. He then joined the class of Laurent Cabasso and Aimo Pagin at the Académie Supérieure de Musique de Strasbourg (HEAR). He continued his studies at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Lyon, studying for a master’s degree in music performance with Laurent Cabasso, Hélène Bouchez and Jérôme Granjon.
He has had the opportunity to complete his training at a number of academies, including the Gyorgy Sebök International Academy, where he met teachers Denis Pascal and Rena Shereshevskaya. He also won the Audience Prize in the competition organised by the Versailles Conservatory. A keen harpsichordist, he studied with Blandine Rannou in Versailles and with Aline Zylberach and Christine Heraud in Strasbourg.

Alexa Stier (HUNGARY/ROMANIA)
The Romanian-Hungarian pianist Alexa Stier is currently a doctoral student at the Yale School of Music, where she is studying with Professors Boris Berman and Wei-Yi Yang, after obtaining her Master’s degree in 2021. She previously studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow with Professor Fali Pavri and trained at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest as part of the Erasmus exchange programme.
She has performed extensively in Europe and the United States, in recital, chamber music and with orchestra (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, New Britain Symphonic Orchestra, Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra, Dinu Lipatti Philharmonic Orchestra).
Alexa Stier is a prizewinner in several international competitions, including first prize in the Sheepdrove Piano Competition (UK) and the Virtuoso e Belcanto Concerto Competition (Italy).

3 – Claude Debussy: a set of two Préludes and one Étude chosen by the candidate

Introduction

Originally a contemporary piano competition, the Olivier Messiaen Competition was established in 1967 as part of the Royan Festival and held in Paris until 2007. In 2019, Bruno Messina, director of the EPCC AIDA, was entrusted with its revival. Co-organised by the EPCC AIDA and the MC2: Maison de la Culture de Grenoble – Scène nationale, the 2023 competition will be dedicated to the piano.

Article 1

The International Olivier Messiaen Competition is open to pianists of any nationality born after 1 January 1993. It will take place in Grenoble from 2 to 4 November 2023 under the presidency of Michaël Levinas.

Article 2 – Format

The Competition consists of four rounds: a preliminary elimination round based on recordings and three public rounds in Grenoble.

Recordings for the preliminary round must be submitted by 30 June 2023.
The first round will take place at the MC2 in Grenoble on Thursday 2 November 2023.
The second round will take place at the MC2 in Grenoble on Friday 3 November 2023.
The final round will take place at the MC2 in Grenoble on Saturday 4 November 2023.

Article 3 – Draws

At the first and second rounds, the playing order for competing performers will be decided by the drawing of lots. A second draw will determine the playing order in the final.

Article 4 – Programme

The detailed programme of the rounds will be posted on the Competition website.
Candidates can perform the pieces in the order of their choice.
Candidates must submit their programme to the Competition organisers by 1 September at the latest.
Copies of the scores for unpublished works must be submitted to the Competition organisers by 1 October at the latest.

Article 5 – Prizes

Olivier Messiaen Grand Prize: €6,000
Second prize: €4000
Third prize: €3000
Fourth prize: €2000
Prize for the best performance of a work by Olivier Messiaen: €2000
Prize for the best performance of a new work: €3000
Public prize: €1000

The Olivier Messiaen Grand Prize cannot be shared. The second prize can only be shared if the Olivier Messiaen Grand Prize is not awarded.

Article 6 – Jury

The jury is made up of international figures from the classic music world. Its members will deliberate at the end of each round. In the event of a tie, the President will have the deciding vote.
The jury reserves the right to interrupt a performance.
The jury reserves the right not to award all prizes.
There is no right of appeal to the jury’s decision.

Article 7 – Application submissions

Application forms can be downloaded from the Competition website (www.maisonmessiaen.com). They must be duly completed, signed and emailed to the Competition organisers (concours@olivier-messiaen.eu) no later than 30 June 2023 with the following documents attached:

– CV in English or French detailing music schools attended, main teachers, awards obtained and current professional status.
– Photocopy of an identity card, passport or other equivalent official document.
– A recent photograph with last name and first name included in the file name.
– Entry fee or proof of payment (see article 9).
– A recording of the pieces included in the preliminary round repertoire (see article 8).

Article 8 – Preliminary round

From the preliminary recorded round, 10 candidates will be selected to perform in the public competition rounds.

Recordings entered into the preliminary round can be performed in the three public rounds. They must be submitted with the application as mp3, wav or aiff files. Recordings must not be cut or edited. Deadline for submission: 30 June 2023, with the application form.
The names of the 10 selected entrants in the competition will be listed on the competition website in July 2023.
Each chosen candidate will also receive the decision personally by email.

Article 9 – Entry fee

The entry fee is €50. Candidates must pay the entry fee net of any additional costs at registration. Fees received by the Competition organisers cannot be refunded.
Payment methods will be explained on the application form.

Article 10 – Visas
Any candidate who requires a visa to participate in the competition must take personal responsibility for applying for one. If a candidate is required to present a letter of invitation to obtain a visa, please request this from the Competition organisers.

Article 11 – Recording of public performances

Candidates waive the right to any remuneration from any recording or radio, television or web broadcast (streamed live or made available later) of performances (either in part or in full) in the competition rounds or in the final concert.

Article 12 – Assistants

Competitors are entitled to have an assistant of their choice at the console. In this case, they are responsible for covering all related travel and accommodation expenses. If a candidate has not appointed their own assistant, they can use assistants provided by the Competition. Requests for an assistant must be submitted to the Competition organisers by 1 September at the latest.

Article 13

By signing the application form, candidates agree to all the terms and conditions stipulated in the Competition rules and are required to fulfil all engagements offered as part of any prize awarded. In the event of any dispute, only the French version of the Competition rules is binding.

The International Olivier Messiaen Competition is organised by Arts en Isère Dauphiné Alpes (AIDA) in partnership with MC2: Maison de la Culture de Grenoble – Scène nationale.

AIDA – Arts en Isère Dauphiné Alpes
Bruno Messina, director

Arts en Isère Dauphiné Alpes (AIDA) is a public institution for cultural cooperation. Created in 2004 and directed by Bruno Messina since 2009, AIDA promotes musical creativity and outreach and works more broadly to support cultural development in Isère and Hautes-Alpes by organising major events in these areas:

• The Festival Berlioz, the great symphonic music event in La Côte-Saint-André
• The Jeune Orchestre Européen Hector Berlioz – Isère, the festival’s youth orchestra and academy
• Les Allées Chantent, an annual tour of 80 concerts in iconic heritage venues
• À Travers Chants, a programme of choral singing teaching for children aged 8 to 12
• La Maison Messiaen, an artists’ residence in Matheysine, southern Isère
• The International Olivier Messiaen Competition, honouring the organ and the piano
• The Festival Messiaen in the Pays de la Meije, a major contemporary music event

AIDA’s activities are focused on promoting musical aesthetics in all their diversity, developing creativity, supporting established and emerging artists, encouraging musical practice, furthering musical access and discovery for all audiences and contributing to the training of future professional and amateur musicians.

www.aida38.fr

MC2: Maison de la Culture de Grenoble – Scène nationale
Arnaud Meunier, director

The MC2: Maison de la Culture de Grenoble is a public institution for cultural cooperation – with “Scène nationale” accreditation – directed by Arnaud Meunier since January 2021. It presents more than eighty shows a season, presenting the very best in contemporary creation.

The MC2: Grenoble runs a complex of four performance halls and rehearsal studios that is unrivalled in France. In addition to its three theatres (250 to 1400 seats), which can accommodate all possible forms of staging, from the most traditional to the most innovative, the MC2: Grenoble has an exceptional facility for music: a 13,000 m auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 spectators, which enables it to welcome the greatest soloists and orchestral ensembles in Grenoble. One of the MC2’s missions is to establish itself as a structure for artistic creation, production and touring on a national and international scale, with an emphasis on contemporary creation. The MC2 is a unique tool for all disciplines of the performing arts, whether in production or distribution, through the provision of spaces open to artists and cultural initiatives.

www.mc2grenoble.fr