Nearly 50 young pianists from 17 countries have begun a three-week competition for the Fourth Rubinstein International Piano Award established by the late maestro, Artur Rubinstein, whose black-draped bust stood on a pedestal on the Mann Auditorium concert stage as the competition opened Sunday night.
The international jury which will chose the winners in a series of elimination performances includes numerous piano virtuosi as well as music critics from the BBC, The New York Times and the Figaro of Paris. The first three prizes are a gold medal and $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000.
The Rubinstein prizes will be awarded at a final competition in Jerusalem on April II. Many of the 49 competitors this year have already won international piano prizes, so the Rubinstein contest qualifies as a virtual championship of champions.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
