MASHA LAKISOVA
Meet the winner of our 10th Edition
The World's biggest stage
(formerly known as getting to Carnegie)
Almost ten years ago, Steinway Artist Julian Gargiulo decided to try an experiment: he invited musicians from top International Conservatories worldwide to compete for a place on stage with him at Carnegie Hall. His invitation was open to all students. The rules of the game were simple: all contestants would record and send a video of themselves performing. The four chosen finalists would join him on stage and each perform a movement of his newly composed work. The audience would vote live for the winner, and the winner, aside from performing at Carnegie Hall, would travel with Julian and a team of internationally acclaimed musicians to perform at the Water Island Music Festival. After the first six years' sold-out events, the 2021 Final Round, which was generously sponsored by the Alphadyne Foundation was streamed 'live' on The Violin Channel for its 500,000 member following, making it 'virtually' the largest concert hall in the world. This year’s event was held in the Kaufman Center's Merkin Hall and streamed “live” once again thanks to the amazing generosity of The Violin Channel. The finalists premiered Julian's newly composed Violin Sonata No 5 "The Hero's Journey". In an effort to follow its primary goal of making Classical Music more accessible, relevant, and fun, Getting to Carnegie is moving to an infinitely larger space and rebranding itself as The World's Biggest Stage. Let the games begin!