BISQC Ensembles Vie For More Than $500K In Cash Prizes And Opportunities

2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition offers prizes and opportunities worth over $500,000 for emerging quartets.

The Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) is recognized as one of the premier chamber music competitions in the world and is a program of the globally renowned Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Ensembles are invited to apply before March 1 to be selected to participate in the competition.

Established in 1983 as part of Banff Centre's 50th anniversary, BISQC is a major celebration of chamber music in a festival format attracting enthusiastic capacity audiences. The unparalleled exposure to concert presenters, managers, and broadcasters from North America and abroad makes BISQC a career accelerator for all invited ensembles.

Applications received by the deadline will be adjudicated by a preliminary jury. From the applicants, ten quartets will be invited to participate in the 2022 Competition from August 29 to September 4, 2022, at Banff Centre. All quartets invited to participate in the competition will be provided transportation from their home to Banff, as well as room and board for the duration of the competition. Details on the application process, including biographies for the preliminary and competition jurors, can be found here: BISQC 2022 Competitor Information | Banff Centre.

Prizes:

In addition to generous cash prizes, the three laureate quartets are offered residency opportunities at Banff Centre and, for the first prize laureates, a custom-designed three-year artistic and career development program which includes the Southern Methodist University Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence Prize, a 2-year paid residency worth $200,000 CAD, as well as an Esterházy Foundation Residency with concerts at Haydn Hall in Eisenstadt and the Lucerne Festival. The seven quartets not advancing to the finals are each guaranteed an Anderson Career Development award of $5,000.

"At the 2022 Competition, ten of the world's best emerging string quartets will vie for cash prizes and opportunities worth over $500,000. We have been able to augment our awards this year thanks to some tremendous partnerships and supporters. I cannot stress enough how life and career changing these opportunities are for emerging ensembles, and how excited we are to be able to recognize the talents of BISQC musicians."

- Barry Shiffman, BISCQ Director

"The 'raison d'être' of Banff Centre is to provide opportunities such as these for creatives to grow and flourish in their craft. We are thrilled to be preparing for this year's BISQ Competition."

- Janice Price, President and CEO of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

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