The annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition is recognized as the world's leading competition for young string artists. For the past 22 years, the Klein Competition has given classical music virtuosos between the ages of 15 and 23 a place to showcase their skills and to initiate their careers.
The California Music Center and San Francisco State University College of Creative Arts announce with pleasure the Semifinalists for the 22nd Irving M. Klein International String Competition.
This year, 65 young musicians entered the 2007 Klein Competition Ð they represented 15 countries and ranged from 15 to 23 years of age. From this group, nine exceptional young artists from the United States, South Korea, and Canada advanced to the Semifinalist stage of the competition. The Semifinalists are comprised of six violinists and three cellists. Over the course of three days in June, the Semifinalists will perform a series of concerts to vie for first prize: $10,000 and a series of solo appearances and recitals.
The annual Klein Competition presents the best and the brightest young string artists in concert - this year, the contestants are unusually gifted. Mitchell Sardou Klein, Director of the Klein Competition observed that "this group of Semifinalists represents the most outstanding conservatories and teachers. The leading musical artists of the present era, like Itzhak Perlman, Cho Liang Lin, Donald Weilerstein, Paul Katz and others, are sending their most outstanding students to the Klein Competition."
Two of the Semifinalists are from the Bay Area - Andrea Segar from Berkeley, and David McCaroll from Santa Rosa.