Monday 30 June 2008

Winners of Cash Prizes Totaling $252,000 Announced for Jose Iturbi Music Competition Presented by Cunard Line

SOUTHAMPTON, England, June 23 -- The recipients of cash
prizes totaling $252,000 for The Second Annual Jose Iturbi International
Music Competition at UCLA -- the highest cash prizes of any piano and
singing competition worldwide -- were announced Friday, June 20 (Vocal) and
Saturday, June 21 (Piano) at Schoenberg Hall.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080623/LAM080)

Thirty year-old Soprano Angela Meade earned the competition's $50,000
First Place Vocal prize by wowing the audience and judges with her dazzling
programme which included Pensar en el by Arrieta, Estrellita by Ponce and
Verdi's Pace, pace mio Dio. Currently a resident artist at Philadelphia's
Academy of Vocal Arts, Ms. Meade has collected top prizes from many
national and international competitions and is looking forward to future
debut engagements with the Dallas Opera and Teatro alla Scala plus several
projects with The Metropolitan Opera.

Hailing from the Ukraine and Germany, 26 year-old Mariya Kim's
performance was equally stunning, earning her the $50,000 First Place prize
in the Piano competition with a programme that featured Navarra by Albeniz,
Gershwin's Prelude No. 3 from Three Preludes (1926) and Rachmaninoff's
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 (No. 3 in B Minor, No. 5 in D flat Major and No. 4
in E minor). Kim just returned from Seoul, Korea, having won First Place in
the 2008 Seoul International Music Competition. Among her many top
competition prizes, she won First Place in the "XVII Concorso
Internationale per Pianoforte e Orchestra Citta di Cantu" (Italy), and was
a prize winner of the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano,
Italy -- both in 2007.



The remaining winners of the week-long Vocal competition were:
$25,000 Second Prize - Andrew Garland, 31, USA
$15,000 Third Prize - NaGuanda Nobles, 31, USA
$3,000 Spanish Prize - Andrew Garland, 31, USA
$3,000 American Prize - NaGuanda Nobles, 31, USA
$3,000 President's Prize - Jamilyn Manning-White, 23, USA
$3,000 People's Choice - Rodell Rosel, 32, Philippines/USA


The remaining winners of the week-long Piano competition were:
$25,000 Second Prize - Anastasia Markina, 29, Russia/USA
$15,000 Third Prize - Tommaso Cogato, 27, Italy;
(three-way tie) Stepan Simonian, 26, Russia/Germany;
Chetan Tierra, 24, USA
$3,000 Spanish Prize - (tie) Mariya Kim, 26, Ukraine/Germany;
Anastasia Markina, 29, Russia/USA
$3,000 American Prize - Yevgeniy Milyavskiy, 23, Belarus/USA
$3,000 President's Prize - Margarita Muzychenko, 22, Russia
$3,000 People's Choice - Chetan Tierra, 24, USA

"The talent of this year's competitors was staggering," said Donelle
Dadigan, president of the Jose Iturbi Foundation. "Our finalists are truly
destined for superstardom. Interest in the final rounds was so intense that
hundreds of people lined up in hope there would be last minute
cancellations."

Six finalists received cash prizes of $2,000 in addition to the $1,000
received by each of the 12 semi-finalists.

In addition to cash prizes of $50,000, the First Place winners will
present a Cunard Command Performance(TM) aboard Queen Mary 2 during the
April 26, 2009, Transatlantic Crossing from New York to Southampton,
England.

Also during the voyage, Donelle Dadigan will be joined by members of
the esteemed judging panel to present a series of classical music
discussions and Q&A's in association with Cunard Insights(TM), the line's
award-winning Guest Enrichment Programme. Guests sailing on this voyage
will also hear from the winners about their experiences as young musicians
competing to win the world's only weeklong competition that adds features
of "American Idol" to the world of classical music. Highlights of the 2008
Competition will be broadcast via Cunard's onboard stateroom television
system.

"We look forward to welcoming Angela Meade and Mariya Kim aboard Queen
Mary 2 to present a very special Cunard Command Performance(TM) for our
guests," said Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard Line.
"Their exclusive appearance will surely be a memorable highlight of the
voyage," Marlow added.

Photos and biographies of the winners can be viewed at
http://www.joseiturbifoundation.org. In addition to presenting sponsor
Cunard Line, sponsors of the 2008 Jose Iturbi International Music
Competition include Alliance Bank, The Beverly Hilton, Fields Pianos and
The Luxe Hotel.

About Cunard Line

Cunard Line, operator of the luxury ocean liners Queen Mary 2, QE2 and
Queen Victoria has long been synonymous with the quest for new discoveries
and the epitome of British refinement since the company's first
paddle-wheeled steamer, Britannia, crossed the Atlantic in 1840. Cunard
voyages bring together like-minded travelers who relish the Cunard
hallmarks of impeccable White Star Service(TM), fine dining, sophisticated
adventure, the legacy of historic voyages and transatlantic travel.

Cunard Line is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. The
exclusive alliance also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America
Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a
passion to please each guest, and a commitment to quality and value, member
lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. Together they offer
exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable
destinations.

About The Jose Iturbi Foundation

Created in 1985 by Donelle Dadigan and Marion Seabury, The Jose Iturbi
Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to
continuing the legacy of concert great Jose Iturbi, and to fulfill his
desire of bringing to the public's attention today's greatest emerging
classical pianists and vocalists. The foundation's goal is to globally
expand the passion for classical music through dynamic competition and
compelling live performance. The competition distinguishes itself by giving
the largest cash prizes ($50,000 each) for first place winners for solo
piano and voice in the world. Last year, the foundation gave away $268,000
in prize money for the winners of The Jose Iturbi International Music
Competition.

One of the greatest concert pianists of his time, Jose Iturbi was also
a composer, conductor and performer of international acclaim who starred as
himself in seven MGM musicals including "Anchors Away" (1945) starring
Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. He was the first classical musician to
receive a Gold Record representing record sales in excess of one million
and receive a star on the world-famous Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
Iturbi felt that classical music should be a more recognizable part of
everyone's entertainment. It was his hope that through live concerts,
motion pictures, recordings, international competitions, and public forums,
a larger number of people would learn to love classical music and attend
live concert performances. For rules and regulations on The 2008 Jose
Iturbi International Music Competition, go to
http://www.joseiturbifoundation.org. Ticket requests are available online
for the public to attend all rounds of the competition on a first come
first served basis.




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