THE EVENT AND THE JORDANIA GRAND PRIZE

The Kharkov Philharmonic Society of Kharkov, Ukraine, announces the Fifth Annual Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition. To be held between August 28 and September 4, 2005 in the beautiful, historic city of Kharkov (first capital of Ukraine) in the northeastern corner of the country, this competition will be open to conductors from around the world who wish to enhance their careers through international competition, expand their network of global contacts and have a wonderful experience working with the musicians of this superb orchestra. We also offer Master Classes, professional development seminars and many opportunities for one-on-one contact and individual guidance from our distinguished international panel of judges.

The Jordania International Conducting Competition will be offering the Jordania Grand Prize to the winning conductor. This will consist of concert engagements on three continents during the 2006-2007 concert season with:

The Kharkov Philharmonic - Kharkov, Ukraine - http://www.jamesarts.com/KHRKVPHILWEBPAGE.htm

The Saratov Symphony Orchestra - Saratov, Russia - http://www.sgtpp.renet.ru/region/eng_culture.html

The Orquesta Sinfónica UNCuyo - Mendoza, Argentina - http://www.uncu.edu.ar/contenido/index.php?tid=1

Daegu City Symphony Orchestra - Daegu, South Korea - http://www.jamesarts.com/DAEGU.htm

And other orchestras to be determined. Please note: This orchestra list is subject to change.

The William L. Montague, Jr. Second Prize Winner will receive a full concert with the Kharkov Philharmonic during the 2006-2007 concert season as well as an engagement with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra - http://www.utc.edu/Academic/Music/ and the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Youth Orchestra - http://www.chattanoogasymphony.org/index.cfm?pageId=csyoHome.

The Third Prize winner will receive a full concert with the Kharkov Philharmonic during the 2006-2007 concert season.

The 2004 Jordania International Conducting Competition was a great success, with Jordania Grand Prize winner Darko Butorac of Canada and the United States, The William L. Montague, Jr. Second Prize to Martin Garcia of Uruguay and Third Prize to Evgeny Kirillov of Russia.

Information about the winners of last year's competition can be found at http://www.jamesarts.com/VJCNDCMP04WINNERS.htm. More about the contestants and jury can be found at http://www.jamesarts.com/VJKRKVCNDCMPCONT04.htm.

*Please note that the Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition is open to all, regardless of nationality, age, or sex.

THE CITY

Kharkov, the first capital of Ukraine, is a beautiful old city of about 1.7 million people in the northeastern part of the country. Still largely unknown to the outside world, the city was a long-time center of Soviet arms manufacture. Kharkov is now in transition, as is the Ukraine and many former Soviet republics, with the change from a state-controlled to a market-driven economy.

These changes are also affecting the city's rich and varied cultural life. The Kharkov Philharmonic Society, composed of the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Choir, the Ensemble of Folk Music and several other ensembles, is adapting to new ways of presenting themselves and their superb performances to the rest of the world. Warm, welcoming people by nature, they are anxious to bring their artistry to the rest of the world and to have the world visit them and enjoy the richness of the Ukrainian cultural legacy. For more information about Kharkov, visit the city's website at http://kharkov.vbelous.net/index_e.htm.

The Kharkov Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra was founded in October 1929 (before which time is was the Kharkov Philharmonic Society) and has since welcomed many of the world's great conductors and soloists to its stage. Sviatoslav Richter, Evgeny Mravinsky, Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Vakhtang Jordania are among the performers who have appeared with the orchestra in its seven decades. Tchaikovsky conducted the orchestra in its earlier Kharkov Philharmonic Society years.

The orchestra has toured Russia, France, Spain, Georgia and Armenia. They have recorded a series of CDs of 20th Century Ukrainian orchestral music for the American Angelok1 label, the first volume of which has been internationally released - http://www.jamesarts.com/Angelok1.htm. They have also recorded music by the American composers Janice Hamer and James Oliverio.

Concerts are given at the lovely and intimate Philharmonic Hall. Concerts here are a very special experience, bringing the enthusiastic, overflow audiences into close contact with the performers and the music. For more information about the orchestra, visit their website at http://www.jamesarts.com/KHRKVPHILWEBPAGE.htm.

Legendary conductor Vakhtang Jordania was born in the Republic of Georgia, where he studied piano from the age of five. A top prize at the 1971 Herbert von Karajan Competition catapulted him to the highest circle of Soviet artistry. From his assistantship with the legendary Yevgeny Mravinsky until his defection to the United States in 1983, Mr. Jordania held positions as music director of the Leningrad Radio Orchestra, the Saratov Philharmonic, and the Kharkiv Philharmonic. The Tchaikovsky Competition was under his baton twice. Conducting for more than one hundred concerts a year, he regularly toured the USSR, collaborating with musicians such as David and Igor Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Dmitri Shostakovich, Kiril Kondrashin, and Emil Gilels.

In 1983 he made his Carnegie Hall debut, which was hailed by the New York Times as "a confident and spirited performanceÉthe full house leaped to its feet." Success quickly followed in England, France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Korea, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South America. In the United States, his appearances in New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Rochester, Denver and Fort Worth brought more critical acclaim. Since his move to the U.S., he has held music director positions with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, the Spokane Symphony, the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, and is currently Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Russian Federal Orchestra of Moscow, the St. Petersburg Festival Orchestra and the Daegu City Symphony of South Korea.

He has recorded extensively for the Melodiya label as well as for Koch International Classics, Soundset Summit, Helicon, Trained Ear, Cantabile, and Angelok 1.

You can find more information about him at http://www.jamesarts.com/vakjo2.htm.

The Fifth Jordania International Conducting Competition is scheduled to take place between the opening party on Sunday, August 28 and the closing night concert on Sunday, September 4, 2005. Contestants will be screened in a process that will begin with submission of a curriculum vitae, a recent photo, a biographical sketch, repertoire list and a performance videotape or DVD along with a non-refundable processing fee of $75 (written in U.S. Dollars), payable to the Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition. Deadline for receipt of these materials is May 15, 2005. Decisions will be announced by June 15, 2005.

Entries will be screened by an international panel of judges. 24 people will be selected to compete in the first round.

Please note: A performance videotape or DVD is required. Applications will not be processed without a performance videotape or DVD.

Please also note: Attendance at the opening party on Sunday, August 28 is required, as drawing for order of performance will be determined at that time.

Round 1 - August 29 and 30 — The 24 contestants, 12 on each of two successive days, will have 20 minutes to rehearse and present two selections, one from each pair of required pieces. You must have the entirety of both pieces ready. You will be informed which section the jury wants to hear from each piece you have selected when you arrive for your performance:

Beethoven — Symphony No. 2 or Haydn — Symphony No. 104
and
Brahms — Symphony No. 3 or Tchaikovsky — Symphony No. 5

12 contestants will be selected to move on to the next round.

Round 2 - August 31 and September 1 — The 12 contestants, 6 on each of two successive days, will have 45 minutes to rehearse and present two selections, one from each pair of required pieces. You must have the entirety of both pieces ready. You will be informed which section the jury wants to hear from each piece you have selected when you arrive for your performance:

R. Strauss — Don Juan or Debussy — Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
and
Prokofiev — Symphony No. 1 or Shostakovich — Symphony No. 5

6 contestants will be selected to move on to the next round.

Round 3 - September 2 and September 3 — The 6 contestants, 3 on each of two successive days, will be allowed 90 minutes to prepare and present one of the following overtures, the Stravinsky and one of three contemporary composition selections:

Weber — Oberon Overture
or
Rossini — La Gazza Ladra Overture
or
Tchaikovsky — Romeo and Juliet
and
Stravinsky — Firebird (version of 1919)
and
Contemporary composition — these selections will be announced when contestants arrive for competition — scores will be provided.

3 contestants will be selected to move on to the final round

Round 4 - September 4 - Final Concert Round — The 3 finalists will rehearse and conduct the Kharkov Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in concert at the Kharkov Opera Theater. This rehearsal is part of the competition. The jury will decide which pieces each contestant will rehearse and perform at the final concert. The selection will be made from the pieces each contestant has already presented.

Prizes will be announced at the closing night concert.

The final concert will be videotaped and DAT recorded. Copies of these recordings will be presented to the 3 finalists.

Simply download the entry form, making sure that all of the required elements and the non-refundable entry fee are enclosed, and mail them to:

Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition
7457 Preston Circle
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421
USA

_____ $75 Non-refundable processing fee (made payable to Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition) — Please note — all checks must be written in U.S. Dollars

Deadline for receipt of these materials is May 15, 2005. Decisions will be announced by June 15, 2005.

Questions about the competition can be directed to Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at jamesarts@worldnet.att.net, or call 516-586-3433.

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