Adam International Cello Festival and Competition


The Adam International Cello Festival and Competition took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1995–2009, on the initiative of Professor Alexander Ivashkin and Professor Natalia Pavlutskaya while on the staff at the School of Music, University of Canterbury. The mission of the competition was to provide an opportunity for gifted young musicians in New Zealand to meet and compete with their international peers. Professor Ivashkin subsequently became the Artistic director of the Festival.:. The acclaimed Russian cellist, pianist, and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich accepted the position of patron. The Festival and Competition were supported by Denis and Verna Adam of the Adam Foundation, as well as charitable trusts, business and private sponsors.
The festival was based at the Great Hall, located in the Christchurch Arts Centre and took the form of a week long programme of competition rounds, guest recitals, masterclasses, workshops, conversations, and social events.
Applications were accepted from young cellist between the ages of 14 and 30 years old from around the world. The first round consisted of an audio or video tape recording. Around 20 young musicians were selected and invited to compete in the remaining three rounds in Christchurch.
The event culminated in a final gala, in which the finalists performed a concerto with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in the Christchurch Town Hall. The winner received a cash prize, a recording contract with Naxos Records, and a performance contract with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. A number of other prizes were awarded.
The festival's importance was demonstrated by the consistently high calibre of the competitors it attracted and the prizewinners' subsequent international success. It was also reflected in the quality of the international jury panels which included world-renowned cellists.
Funds were raised by the Board of Trustees to produce each festival. Applications were made to a variety of prospective donors, including charity trusts, business sponsors, and private sponsors either for general funding or support.
All competitors were billeted by local families.
The 7th Adams Festival and Competition was held in March and April 2009, this was the last to date. Two consecutive earthquakes in Christchurch, Canterbury, in September 2010 and February 2011, led to massive destruction in Christchurch. Both the Great Hall at the Art Center and the Christchurch Town Hall were damaged. Due to these circumstances the Board of Trustees decided to cancel future competitions.

The 1st Adam International Cello Festival and Competition – July 1995

Prize winners:
Invited cellists:
Ashley Brown, Tara Cuddeford, Ken Endo, Sebastian Foron, Stephen Framil, Charmian Hammill, Christopher Hutton, Matthew Jones, Bongshin Ko, Tibor Nemeth, Martin Osten, Timothy Park, Julie Platt, Wolfgang Schmidt, Peter Seidenberg, Nicolai, Skliarevski, Iaroslav Tcherenkov, Igor Zubkovski.
International jury panel:
David Geringas, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Markus Stocker, Young-Chang Cho, Alexander Ivashkin
Finals gala conductor: Theodore Kuchar

The 2nd Adam International Cello Festival and Competition – June 1997

Prize winners:
Invited cellists:
Greg Beaver, Marie Bittloch, Jung-Eun Choi, Christina Christensen, Hye-Min Chung, Fabian Diedrichs, David Garner, Elke Hager, Ichiro Hasabe, Rachel Johnston, Doo Min Kim, Soo-Yeon Kim, Phillip Koerner, Inbal Meggido, Daniel Morris, Alice Neary, Timothy Nemeth, Timothy Park, Julie Platt, Liwei Qin, Alexei Sarkissov, Hilmar Schweizer, Vitautus Sondeckis
International jury panel:
Siegfried Palm, Natalia Pavlutskaya, David Pereira, Markus Stocker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi
Finals gala conductor: Brian Law

The 3rd Adam International Cello Festival and Competition – July 1999

Prize winners:
International jury panel:
Mstislav Rostropovich, Karine Georgian, Alexander Ivashkin, Philippe Müller, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Nathan Waks
Finals gala conductor: Sir William Southgate

The 4th Adam International Cello Festival and Competition – July 2001

Prize winners:
International jury panel:
Alexander Ivashkin, Torleif Thedéen, Georg Pedersen, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Lev Markiz.
Finals gala conductor: Brian Law

The 5th Adam International Cello Festival and Competition – July 2003

Prize winners:
International jury panel:
Lluís Claret, Alexander Ivashkin, Laurence Lesser, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Eleonore Schoenfeld.
Finals Gala Guest Conductor: Brian Law

The 6th Adam International Cello Festival and Competition – July 2006

Prize winners:
International jury panel
Alexander Ivashkin, Simon Morris, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Leslie Parnas and Arvo Volmer
Finals Gala Concert Conductor: Arvo Volmer

The 7th Adam International Cello Festival and Competition – April 2009

Prize winners:
International jury panel:
Frans Helmerson, Alexander Ivashkin, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi
Finals gala conductor: Werner Andreas Albert

Young Composers' Competition

Initiated in 2006, The Young Composers’ Competition ran alongside the festival and competition and was open to composers under the age of 30 enrolled in or graduates from a New Zealand secondary or tertiary level School of Music. Applicants were required to compose a solo piece for cello. The winning composition was a mandatory piece in the second round repertoire of the Festival and was also performed in the final Gala
A successful northern hemisphere Gala Prize-winners’ Concert was held in November 2005 in London's Wigmore Hall.
The concert, supported by the Denis and Verna Adam of the Adam Foundation, and Christopher Marshall, showcased six cellists, all prize-winners from previous festivals, who came together to celebrate the festivals and their own achievements.
Featured cellists were Yoosha Kim, Alice Neary, László Fenyö, Wolfgang Schmidt, Li-Wei Qin, and Monika Leskovar.