Russian pianists Miroslav Kultishev and Victor Maslov won the 2nd Classic Piano International Competition for young pianists in Dubai within the framework of the 10th InClassica International Festival. 

The results of the competition were summed up on September 4.

Miroslav Kultishev, representing Russia, won the first prize and received EUR 100,000, as well as the opportunity to tour. 

As part of this, he will give concerts in late 2021 in a number of countries: Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg), Switzerland, Turkey, USA, Great Britain. He will also receive a fee of EUR 100,000 for the tours.

"It was a really difficult test for three weeks. I was happy to be on stage again, which is especially valuable in our time of epidemic constraints, I was happy to interact with my fellow contestants, and I am very grateful to the European Foundation for Support of Culture for organizing and supporting classical art. 
"There is music above us," said Osip Mandelstam. 

"And we all serve the music," said Miroslav Kultishev after receiving the award.

In the 3rd and 4th rounds of the competition organized by the European Foundation for Support of Culture and the SAMIT Event Group, the participants performed with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sergey Smbatyan.

"One of our biggest music projects, CLASSIC PIANO, ended today. This event lasted a total of three years, taking into account the primaries in different countries. I was happy to see all the participants and I am very grateful to our highly professional jury, which consists entirely of masters of classical music and piano. We congratulate the winner and look forward to seeing him as a soloist during our tour," said Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture, summing up the results of the competition.

Composers, pedagogues of higher music institutions, and stars of classical art were invited to the jury of the CLASSIC PIANO competition. 

"I would like to note that from the beginning, all the contestants who came to Dubai are highly qualified professionals, and it was not easy to choose at each stage. In the final, we saw heated debates, as each of the participants showed virtuosity, artistry, and a deep understanding of the musical material. I would like to congratulate the finalists and wish them a good journey on the way with black and white keys, as well as thank the members of the jury, I was happy to lead a team with such extraordinary musicians," said the chairman of the jury Alexander Tchaikovsky.

CLASSIC PIANO has become the last round of the piano competition series, which has been held in various cities around the world since 2019. 
Five finalists from Germany, Austria, France, China, Armenia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, the United States, Russia, Israel, Italy, and Belgium arrived in the UAE to demonstrate their skills in the final round of the three-year competition. A total of 70 people took part in CLASSIC PIANO.
The 2nd CLASSIC PIANO International Piano Competition kicked off on August 15 in Dubai. 

In the first two rounds, the musicians gave a solo concert, presenting to the jury a program of baroque music and a romantic repertoire, as well as works by contemporary Maltese composers. 

In the third and fourth rounds, the contestants performed with the accompaniment of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sergey Smbatyan.
The prize fund amounted to more than EUR 300,000.

Yuki Amako (Japan) and Artyom Kuznetsov (Russia / USA) received a special prize of EUR 3,000 each for their work by Maltese composers.
70 people from more than 20 countries took part in the music competition.