We also sat with Pierre van der Westhuizen, currently in his second year as director of the Irving S. Gilmore Keyboard Festival and Awards. Westhuizen knows his way around competitions, having been the previous CEO of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, which he transformed into a world-class, multi-faceted experience.

Musical America contributor George Loomis also interviewed officials at two highly regarded events—Ravenna and Ojai—and asked them one set of questions, just for the purposes of compare and contrast. The two couldn’t be more different: one takes place over a weekend, the over a two-month period; one is in the U.S., the other in Europe; one is rural, the other urban; one’s in a valley, the other by the sea; one focuses on contemporary fare, the other on traditional; one houses its artists in homes, the other in hotels; Ojai’s venues are primarily outdoor and strictly 20th century, Ravenna’s are mostly indoor and date as far back as the sixth century. It’s a fascinating study of contrasts.

We also interviewed Benjamin Woodroffe, secretary general of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC), for his insights into the latest trends in competitions. Woodroffe discusses how the larger competitions are not only choosing the best and the brightest contestants, but also booking them, training them, and managing them.

We’ve included both foreign and domestic programs, the tiny programs (Cellos at Belle Serre in Castres, France, with an enrollment of ten) and the huge programs (University of North Carolina at Greensboro Summer Music Camp, with 1,900).