The David Popper International Cello Competition was founded in 2000 by Gabriella Szili (cello teacher), director of the competition, and the cellist, Csaba Onczay, permanent jury president of the competition. The basic idea and purpose of creating the competition was to give the young generation (age group 10-23) the opportunity to show their knowledge, preparation, and talent at an international competition.
The first competition took place in 2000, and the 10th anniversary will take place in 2023, thanks to Várpalota City Municipality, which embraced it, and has been the main supporter of the event since the beginning, together with the Várpalota Music School.
Nothing highlights the international nature of the competition more than the fact that beyond Europe, competitors have already come to Várpalota from 24 countries such as South Korea, China, the USA, Japan, and such special places as Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, and Australia.
More than 450 cellists took part in previous competitions, and we are also pleased that many return several times to prove themselves or to compete in other age groups.
Among the Hungarian winners of the past, István Várdai stands out, who so far has been the only one to win first place a total of three times at the Popper International Cello Competition, and third place in 2007. He won first place in the Tchaikovsky International Cello Competition, and in 2014 the ARD Competition. Amongst the international competitors, the Romanian Andrei Ionita shall be highlighted, who won the first prize at Várpalota in 2009, and then won the Tchaikovsky International Cello Competition in 2015.
The last few years have proven that the Popper International Cello Competition occupies a prestigious place and role in the series of international competitions.
It is very important to emphasize as only a few countries can claim an international youth cello competition in Europe.
This recognition is due to “the high professional standard of the event and the expertise of the international jury, the fame of which was carried around the world by the visitors to the competition, the competitors, and the training teachers," Gabriella Szili, the director of the competition, pointed out in an interview.
The competition is named after DAVID POPPER, who was born on June 16, 1843, in Prague. He studied at the Prague Conservatory as a student of Georg Goltermann. As a young artist, he performed concerts with Bülow. After the highly successful tours from 1868 to 1873, he was the leading organist of the court opera in Vienna, and from the fall of 1866 until his death in 1913, he was a teacher of the organ and string quartet at the Academy of Music in Budapest.
He formed a world-famous string quartet with Hubay. As a soloist and conductor of the Academy of Music orchestra, he was an active contributor to Hungarian music life.
Popper was the most famous cellist of his time. His cello playing was both virtuoso and noble, and his personality as a large-scale performer prompted many to look for the opportunity to play together. It is no coincidence that Brahms presented his cello sonata Op.99 with Popper in December 1886 in Budapest, 2 weeks after the premiere in Vienna.
Popper dedicated his authorship to his beloved instrument, as he left us a repertoire that can be learned and played all over the world. His works are not only the basic pedagogical pillars of cello playing, but also his character and parlor pieces, cello concertos, and transcriptions are masterpieces of cello literature, which are gladly played on concert stages.