Geneva, 4 June 2020 – Due to uncertainties linked to the coronavirus crisis, the 75th Geneva International Cello Competition will not take place this year. Planned from 23 October to 5 November 2020, the cello competition is postponed until next autumn and will be held alongside the oboe competition. Cellists who have already registered for the competition may report their application to the 2021 edition. Public events will take place during the period of the competition and the Prizewinners Career Development Programme will continue this fall.
In response to coronavirus, the Geneva Competitions had already extended the application deadline for the cello competition, lowered its registration tax and adjusted its conditions of application. To this day, all too many uncertainties still remain concerning the worldwide evolution of the pandemic and the measures that will be taken to counter the virus. In these conditions, it is difficult to contemplate organizing a high-level international competition, based on values of equity, universality and quality.
Even as travel conditions within Europe are gradually loosening, it is impossible to predict the evolution of transcontinental travel restrictions this fall. In view of this situation, we cannot guarantee the presence of all of our candidates, who come from all around the world, nor that of our Jury members. In addition to travel restrictions, the organization is also subject to uncertainties linked to local protection measures of the arts and availability of orchestras.
Faced with these imponderables and in order to ensure the persistence of core values defended by the Geneva Competition for more than 80 years, the organization has decided to postpone the cello competition until next autumn.
Cello & Oboe Competition 2021
The cello competition will be held alongside the oboe competition during the autumn of 2021 (October/November – exact dates to be confirmed). Candidates who have already registered can report their application to next year even if their age exceeds the limit set in the initial rules. Applications for the 2021 Competition will open this September.
Prizewinners eWorkshop & other events this autumn
Despite the cello competition being postponed, the Geneva Competition will pursue its Prizewinners Career Management Programme. Its traditional Prizewinners’ Workshop, which usually takes place during the Spring, will become an eWorkshop and be held online during several weeks this autumn. Concours de Genève will also be present on the local cultural scene this autumn, offering a series of concerts and events around the competition, to be held according to authorized measures.
Founded in 1939, the Geneva Competition is one of the world’s leading international music competitions. It aims at discovering, promoting and supporting young talented artists, giving them the necessary tools to launch an international career.
