It will be recalled that the International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz, which has existed for 22 years and positions Ukraine on world’s cultural map, is in danger of disappearing. This news has gone viral in social websites. Professor Yurii ZILBERMAN, Pro-Rector of the Kyiv Reinhold Gliere Institute of Music, director general of the competition, spoke to The Day about the critical situation and the ways out of it.
“The root cause is a catastrophic shortage of funds,” Mr. Zilberman explained. “We are grateful to the Kyiv City Administration for meeting its commitments and giving money, but the latter is only enough to pay for the services of the international jury and the administrative group. We have no complaints about the city administration. But the Ministry of Culture, which has, to put it mildly, something to do with the competition, as it is its founder, must have decided that the state does not need us too much. This year the ministry allotted less than the cost of hotel accommodation for participants and the jury is, not to mention that it allocated nothing at all to pay for the rental of halls – not the most expensive in Kyiv, incidentally. I mean the House of Scientists and the Hall of Columns at the National PhilharmonicSociety. Prize money alone makes up 1,315,000 hryvnias.
“This year we just have no place to hold the competition for which we, directors, have selected 32 participants (we have now one age group – from 16 to 33 years) from 13 countries – Ukraine, Austria, France, Poland, Australia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, China, and others. There were much more applications because the International Competition in Memory of Horowitz is very well known in the world. Let me remind you that it is the only Ukraine-held competition that is part of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.
YURII ZILBERMAN AND DIANA POPOVA, DIRECTOR OF THE CULTURE DEPARTMENT OF THE KYIV CITY ADMINISTRATION, AT THE PHILHARMONIC’S FOYER BEFORE THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 11th INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR YOUNG PIANISTS IN MEMORY OF VLADIMIR HOROWITZ (JUNIOR, INTERMEDIATE, AND HOROWITZ DEBUT GROUPS) HELD IN 2016 / Photo by Ruslan KANIUKA, The Day
“Unfortunately, this is of little interest to culture bureaucrats, as is the question where we can find prize money – not a single penny has come from the Ministry of Culture, charitable foundations, and sponsors (our oligarchs and business people). We have turned to almost all of them, only to get a refusal…
“You will agree that this alters the opinion about the philanthropy of the powers that be and the way we care about Ukraine’s place in the world and our future. The propaganda of cultural values and projection of the image of Ukraine as a cultured state seems to be just a bubble, a pompous declaration followed by no real actions. How else can this be called?
“I will remind you that we did not hold the Horowitz competition in the most difficult times – 2014 and 2015 – because there was the Revolution of Dignity, the annexation of Crimea, and the outbreak of a war in the east. The people mobilized all of their strength to tackle this most terrible of all the possible problems. But if we say for a third time now to the world community: ‘Sorry, there will be no competition this time again,’ we will just disappear! Will the state of Ukraine benefit from this? I strongly doubt it.
“The Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz badly needs support – from both the state and art patrons. Otherwise, what shall we say to the talented and promising participants who are expected to arrive in Kyiv as early as in April? That they should have gone to Eurovision Song Context or should forget about Ukraine altogether?
“Of course, we still believe in the common sense of our power-wielders and in that the 11th International Competition in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz (senior group) will still be held in Kyiv on April 17-27.”
