Enlarge image Hosts Wolfgang and Sabine Drautz with pianists Joshua Chandra, Evgeniy Milanskiy and Vladimir Khomyakov. (© Germany.info/Los Angeles) Consul General Wolfgang Drautz hosted a recital featuring three pianists competing in the 5th International Anton G. Rubinstein Competition at his residence on March 14.

The competition is one of the most important piano competitions in Europe and is staged by FORUM TIBERIUS – International Forum for Culture and Business, an institution founded in Dresden, Germany in 2003 to encourage the interplay between culture, economics, politics and science, and thus fosters one of the world's largest privately funded Young Artist Programs.

Enlarge image L to r: FORUM TIBERIUS' Dr. Jürgen B. Mülder and Arkadi Zenziper, Consul General Drautz and Ekkehard Klemm, Carl Maria von Weber University of Music, Dresden. (© Germany.info/Los Angeles ) Originally, the competition was founded in 1890 by Anton G. Rubinstein, the Russian pianist and composer, who staged it himself to promote young and talented artists. It took place every five years until 1910 in St. Petersburg, where Rubinstein also had founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1862, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. In 2003, FORUM TIBERIUS revived the "Anton G. Rubinstein" International Piano Competition.

Consul General Wolfgang Drautz welcomed guests to the special concert in honor of the competition's visit to Los Angeles. He then introduced FORUM TIBERIUS Chairman Dr. Jürgen B. Mülder, who gave some background information on the institution and the competition.

Enlarge image Evgeniy Milanskiy performs at the recital. (© Germany.info/Los Angeles) He explained how the members of the jury, who will have traversed four continents and held auditions in eleven cities from February to July 2012, will select over 100 talented young pianists from all over the world to participate in the final rounds that willl take place in Dresden starting September 19 and will culminate with the final concert on October 3, 2012, where, accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of Carl Maria von Weber University of Music, Dresden, under the direction of Prof. Ekkehard Klemm, an expert panel will choose the best pianist.

Enlarge image Prof. Cornelius Schnauber helped co-found FORUM TIBERIUS. (© Germany.info/Los Angeles) The evening’s recital featured three of the four pianists the jury had selected in Los Angeles. Wowing the audience with their performances were: Evgeniy Milanskiy, born in 1984 in Belarus and who emigrated to the United States in 1994, played pieces by Scriabin and Brahms; Joshua Chandra, born in 1990, and a California-native, first explained to the audience what they should listen for, before he performed pieces by Debussy and Rachmaninoff; Vladimir Khomyakov, born in 1984 in Kirovogard, a 3rd prize winner of the competition 2005, played compositions by Chopin and Grigori Ginzburg.

Enlarge image L to r: Daniel Pollack, Vladimir Khomyakov, Evgeniy Milanskiy, Arkadi Zenzper, artistic head of competition, Chairman Dr. Jürgen B. Mülder and Noemi Pollack. (© Germany.info/Los Angeles) Among the distinguished guests in attendance were the Consuls General of Argentina, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, Professor Cornelius Schnauber, co-founder of FORUM TIBERIUS, and internationally renowned pianist and USC Thornton School of Music faculty Daniel Pollack.

Enlarge image Helga Kasimoff of Kasimoff-Blüthner Piano Co., who provided the piano, and Uwe Siemon-Netto, Director of the Center for Lutheran Theology and Public Life. (© Germany.info/Los Angeles) At the reception that followed the concert, guests had the opportunity to mix and mingle as well as speak with the young pianists. Joshua Chandra was overheard telling one guest since so many people don’t know what to listen for when they hear classical music, its so important to explain it to them, so they can fully enjoy the experience. "Classical music is not boring, its extremely interesting!," he said.