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17 April 2007 19:46

Representatives of the Ukraine 3000 Fund Take Part in the Opening Ceremony of the VIIth International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz

April 17, 2007, Head of the Supervisory Board of the Ukraine 3000 Fund Kateryna Yushchenko and Head of the Board of Directors Oleksandr Maksymchuk took part in the opening ceremony of the VIIth International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz. The ceremony was held at the Lysenko Column Hall of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Among other participants of the event were Minister for Culture and Tourism Yuri Bohutsky, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City Administration Vitaliy Zhuravsky, Head of the Sector of Humanitarian Affairs Administration at the Cabinet of Ministers Oleksandr Pospelov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Ukraine Grigol Katamadze, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Ukraine William B. Taylor, and laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize Myroslav Skoryk.

Before the start of the ceremony, the audience was demonstrated a video of a fragment of Vladimir Horowitz’s concert.

Addressing the audience, Head of the Board of Directors of the Ukraine 3000 Fund Oleksandr Maksymchuk said, “We are proud that this competition exists in Ukraine, bearing the name of our famous compatriot Vladimir Horowitz. It has long become one of Ukraine’s calling cards.” He added that the Ukraine 3000 Fund is the contest’s permanent co-organizer. “Support to culture and the arts is one of our Fund’s priorities. We are convinced that the Ukrainian performers’ school with its many-decades traditions should enjoy full support of the state and philanthropists,” Mr. Maksymchuk said, adding that the Ukraine 3000 Fund would proceed with extending its support to the competition. Mr. Maksymchuk wished to all its participants “inspiration, confidence, and brilliant performance; and to the members of the respected jury – unexpected discoveries and finding new talents able to get a ticket to the wide world and make it admire them.”

The ceremony finished with a concert. Laureate of the First International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz Oleksiy Koltakov rendered Sergey Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra, accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonics of Ukraine conducted by Mykola Diadiura.

The Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz was founded in 1995. It is the only musical event in this field in Ukraine that is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. The Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Fund has been supporting the contest since 2005.

The VIIth International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz will take place from April 17 till 30. This year, 76 musicians aged from 14 to 35, representing 22 countries, take part in the competition. Members of the jury are Myroslav Skoryk (Ukraine, Chairman), Ramzi Yassa (Egypt), Fanny Waterman (Great Britain), Mark Malkovich (the USA), Yakov Kasman (the USA), Emanuel Krassovsky (Israel), et. al.