THE ORGANISER

PACEM IN TERRIS - Verein zur Förderung des musikalischen Nachwuchses e.V. Bayreuth

Schloßplatz 2

95512 Neudrossenfeld

Tel.: 09203-68291

Konto-Nr. 1565498

BLZ 77340076

Commerzbank Bayreuth

THE SOCIETY

• Founded in 1982

• Honorary members:
Wolfgang Winkler (1924-2005) District President of Upper Franconia 1973-1989
Hans Angerer (1941-2012) District President of Upper Franconia 1999-2006
Prof. Dr. h.c. Demetrius Popp

• Chairperson until 2008
Prof. Dr. h.c. Demetrius Popp

Board members since 2008

Dr. Susanne Thesing | Chairperson
susanne.thesing(at)t-online.de

Dipl.-Ing. Gerhard Löffelmann | Vice Chairperson

Brigitte Petermann | Secretary

Gisela Schmiedl | Treasurer

THE HISTORY

The flautist Demetrius Popp, founder and director of the Camerata Chamber Orchestra in Bucharest, came to Bayreuth in 1968 at the invitation of Herbert Barth, for the Youth Music Festival. In 1971 Popp left Romania permanently to found an institute for musical education here in Bayreuth. He taught flute and piano, and many of his students won prizes in the Jugend Musiziert competitions. In 1982 he and his wife, the violinist Beatrice Popp-Kapelovici, founded the Society for the Promotion of Musical Youth and Contemporary Music, Bayreuth. Gifted and talented students and young people were encouraged and given performance opportunities until the very end of their post-graduate studies. Out of this initiative grew the idea of a competition, and Demetrius Popp took on the role of artistic director. Beatrice Popp-Kapelovici led the administration.

PACEM IN TERRIS 1987-2007
From 1987 to 1989 both wind and strings competed in a so-called concert competition. In the final concert the prize winners were accompanied by members of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra.

In 1990, the year of Germany’s reunification, the competition took on the name PACEM IN TERRIS. This was seen as a symbolic message: music plays a crucial role in achieving peace and understanding, in this instance between east and west. Music brings peace to the earth: pacem in terris.

While the competition was devoted to piano, violin and cello in the first four years, in 1993 a composition competition was introduced. The realisation that wind players are often disadvantaged on the music competition circuit lead to a rethink in 1995, when wind instruments were also pitted against each other in the competition. In 2002 came a further addition: the categories of the competition would alternate each year between one for wind instrument and one for violin, cello and piano. In 2007 Demetrius Popp led the International Music Competition PACEM IN TERRIS for his 20th and final time, with flautists, oboists, clarinettists, bassoonists and saxophonists competing.

In 2014, after a seven year break, the International Music Competition PACEM IN TERRIS can re-launch under new directorship and with a new artistic profile.

PRIZE WINNERS

Prize winners of the International Music Competitions PACEM IN TERRIS – A selection

Alexander Zeiher / Violin 1987
Eckart Schmidt / Violin 1988
Nikolaus Römisch / Cello 1989
Claudio Bohórques / Cello 1990
Vilmos Oláh / Violin 1990
Denis Goldfeld / Violin 1992
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt / Cello 1992
Axel Strauss / Violin 1993
Tanja Tetzlaff / Cello 1993
Dalia Stulgyte / Violin 1994
Attila Pasztor / Cello 1994
Anna Heygster / Violin 2002
Panu Sundquist / Cello 2002
Rebekka Hartmann / Violin 2004
Igor Bobowitsch / Cello 2004
Soojin Han / Violin 2006
Janina Ruh / Cello 2006