A large number of prestigious competitions are held in St. Petersburg. Our city, its history,
unique architecture, and cultural traditions are aimed at a beautiful, sublime future. One
of the leitmotifs of this St. Petersburg symphony was the competition for young pianists,
which gave a start in the world of art to many famous musicians, such as Miroslav
Kultyshev, Alexander Lubyantsev, Andrey Korobeynikov, Lukas Genyushas, Alexander
Mutuzkin, and Sergey Redkin.
Over the years, the "Step to Mastery" competition not only successfully identified talented
performers and provided them with the opportunity to perform in the best concert halls of
Russia and Europe, but also became a new "step" in the organization of creative
competitions.
The competition was initiated by teachers and graduates of the school. Alexey Sokolov
(currently a professor at the Tianjin Conservatory, China) provided great assistance in
holding the first competitions. The permanent chairperson of the jury, People's Artist of
Russia, professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory Ekaterina Murina, made an
invaluable contribution to organizing the work of the jury.
The jury in different years included representatives from Italy, Argentina, Austria,
Germany, Poland, Lithuania, China, France, Serbia, South Korea and Australia.
High level of performance skills of the participants, objectivity and impartiality in assessing
their performances by the jury, clear organization of the events, friendly attitude and warm
welcome of the participants and guests of the competition were noted by the observers
of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY). On their
recommendation, in 2000, the competition "Step to Mastery" (first of the Russian
competitions) was accepted into EMCY.
In the first competition 43 representatives from five European countries took part, but
already after the tenth, the number of participants exceeded 1.000 young musicians from
30 different countries. What attracts young pianists to participate in the “Step to Mastery”,
many of whom are already laureates of national and international competitions. First of
all, is the high rating of the competition and, of course, the desire to perform in the final
round with the Academic Symphony Orchestra in the Grand Hall of the Saint Petersburg
Academic Philharmonia. Online internet broadcast of all auditions gives the music
community an excellent opportunity to compare and evaluate achievements of various
piano schools of the world.
There is no doubt that the young participants of the 13th competition will demonstrate the
highest level of performing skills, passion and devoted love for their chosen work, thereby
creating the atmosphere of a great piano celebration.
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