Foundation For the Promotion of Young Cellists

How it all began

A few months back none of future founders intended to constitute any formal organization for the promotion of cellists or organize an international cello competition. None of the founders has had any experience in organizing musical life, not to mention a competition. Thanks to the lack of experience could the Foundation be created and the Competition announced. Ome must only be unaware of the impossibility....

Among the seven founders there are only two musicians, only one being cellist. There share an experience in observing the development of young peoples' talents from careless childhood to the point when they begin an independent life. We know how much they love music and how much effort it takes to achieve the staus of an independent musician after teen-years of studies. These young people do not complain about the hardness of their choice. They have devoted to music believing it is needed. They delivered us - the founders many exceptional emotions and we feel indebted to all of them. We know how much they need to be lstened to. After all it is for us they play, and yet how many don't know how much joy listening can being.

For many years we have observed how helpless musicians are in building their careers and how easily can their dreams be shattered. Living in a half-real world of art they resistantly acknowledge existance of the all-real one. As a Foundation we wish to bring those two worlds closer to each other ; the daydreaming artist and the conscious or not listener. We took care of cellists not because we find cello music superior to others but because we were captured by its unique beauty conveyed by young and dedicated artists.

International Warsaw Cello Competiton

To whom it is dedicated

Announcing the Cello Competition in June 1996 just a few days after the idea came to us, we met questions as "Who needs the Competition ?". However, it were not the young cellists who asked, they are the ones who can answer...

According to the Foundation's intention, the Competiton is only a means of achieving the goal of walking young artists out of their practice rooms and inroducing them to concert halls of Poland and beyond. Is there a better way of doing that than presenting them in the press or on radio and TV. And would that be possible without the Competiton?

We must not view the Competiion as a race where the winner takes all leaving the rest defeated. The Competition above all is an event where those young people can meet and confront with the use of harmless weapon - art. We are convinced that mutual contact of the performers as well as listeners will serve the purpose of promoting cello music and outstanding performers.

We hope it will create better opportunities for improving skills not only of the competitors but also of a large group of listeners and teachers who may come into contact with distinguished members of the Jury of Warsaw Competition.