History
Founded in 1957, the World Federation of International Music Competitions is a global network of internationally recognized organisations dedicated to identifying the most promising young talents in music. While providing a forum for dialogue and exchanges between its members, WFIMC provides guidelines, aiming for artistic excellence, integrity and fairness, and thus sets a globally recognized standard.
The federation is currently comprised of over 110 international music competitions and other institutions serving young musicians on their path to an international career.
The Federation is a member of the International Music Council of UNESCO in Paris.
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the Federation is supported by the Department of Social Cohesion of the Canton of Geneva.
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Mission
The WFIMC brings together the world´s most important music competitions, striving for artistic excellence, authenticity, fairness, and equality to support young artists on the path to their international careers.
Who we are
Founders
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Henri Gagnebin (1886-1977)
Founding President
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Frédérick Liebstöckl (1900-1979)
Founding Secretary General
Honorary members
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Renate Ronnefeld
Former President and Secretary General
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Marianne Granvig
Former Secretary General and President
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Richard Rodzinski
Former Vice President and Board Member
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Lottie Chalut
Former Executive Secretary
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Philippe Languin
Former Board Member and Treasurer
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Dame Fanny Waterman (1920-2020)
Former Committee Member
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Idith Zvi
Former Committee Member
Former Artistic Director, The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition
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Michael Frischenschlager
Former Vice President
Board members
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Peter Paul Kainrath
President
Artistic Director, Ferrucio Busoni Intl. Piano Competition (Bolzano, Italy)
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Elisabeth Kozik
Vice President
Managing Director, ARD Intl. Music Competition (Munich, Germany)
![Sisi Ye](/sites/default/files/styles/square_medium/public/people/sisi-ye.jpg?h=750898de&itok=grFje0FY)
Sisi Ye
Vice President
CEO, The Schoenfeld International String Competition (Harbin, China)
![Marcus Barker](/sites/default/files/styles/square_medium/public/people/marcus-barker-cropped1200px.jpg?h=2d933254&itok=JPmkr7Ia)
Marcus Barker
Chief Executive, Piano+ (Sydney, Australia)
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Glen Kwok
Executive Director, The Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA)
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SoHyun Kim
Director of Artistic Planning, Tongyeong Intl. Music Foundation (Tongyeong, South Korea)
![Päivi Pousar](/sites/default/files/styles/square_medium/public/people/pousar-wfimc-board-election-parma-2024.jpg?h=befeaf29&itok=j_qepyHz)
Päivi Pousar
Secretary General, Jean Sibelius International Violin Competition (Helsinki, Finland)
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Artur Szklener
Director, Fryderyk Chopin Institute (Warsaw, Poland)
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Ariel Cohen
Artistic Director, The Artur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition (Tel Aviv, Israel)
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Nicolas Dernoncourt
Secretary General, Queen Elisabeth Competition (Brussels, Belgium)
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Kristin Reigstad
Executive Director, Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition (Trondheim, Norway)
Secretariat
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Florian Riem
Secretary General (Geneva, Switzerland)
![Sarah Betrisey](/sites/default/files/styles/square_medium/public/people/sarah-betrisey-2.jpg?h=fff8ba45&itok=_XOgU9ft)
Sarah Bétrisey
Executive Assistant (Geneva, Switzerland)
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Jinyoung Kim
Manager (Seoul, South Korea)
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Hana Saito Kantová
Manager (Geneva, Switzerland)