Alink - Argerich
Foundation
An Independent Worldwide Information and Service Centre for Musicians and Competitions
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Alink-Argerich Foundation
AAF is a unique organisation, offering the most complete details on music competitions ever compiled. By its nature and background, AAF has the widest range of information on piano competitions.
1. The situation worldwide
Competitions play an important role in the life of a musician whether one likes it or not. There are more and more music competitions all over the world, delivering a vast array of winners and non-winners every year. Many young talents take part with much expectation and high hopes. Some are rewarded, many are disappointed. It becomes more and more difficult to assess the situation and to evaluate the significance of a prize, the award-winner or the relevance of a particular competition. It is in this respect that AAF tries to make a difference, to help and assist, by offering clear and useful information.
2. The people behind AAF
3. Aim
The Alink-Argerich Foundation is there to give information, assistance and advice to musicians and competition organisers. The Foundation maintains a unique collection of competition related materials such as application brochures with the rules and conditions of music competitions and competition programme books.
4. Who can benefit from AAF?
Music students can contact the Alink-Argerich Foundation with questions they have about music competitions or related matters, either for information, personal advice or complaints. They may also receive assistance filling out applications, or help with practical matters that arise in connection with their participation in competitions and travelling to different parts of the world (communication problems, etc.).
Competition organisers may require the assistance of the Alink-Argerich Foundation when they plan and prepare their event, establishing the most appropriate dates, generating international publicity, acquiring the attention of the press, searching for suitable jurors, recruiting contestants, verification of applications, defining adjudication procedures.
Music institutes, libraries, firms and governments may rely on the Alink-Argerich Foundation to obtain better insight, statistics, historical overviews or recommendations, finding the answers to specific questions by approaching AAF for dedicated analysis and proper evaluation.
Impresarios will want to call upon the Alink-Argerich Foundation for help in tracing and making contact with particular musicians. Journalists and people in the media, as well as critics and researchers can ask for more background information and opinions on certain competitions or prizewinners and jurors.
5. No discrimination
The prime objective of the Alink-Argerich Foundation is to be of service to all. Everyone may benefit from the knowledge and experience that this Foundation has to offer, so that classical music and its performers receive the appropriate appreciation and that the pure joy of music and relaxation that making music can bring, be pursued and be experienced more intensely.
6. Financial situation
The Alink-Argerich Foundation came forth from the dedicated worldwide research on piano competitions that Gustav Alink has done for several decades (since 1980).
In all those years, there has never been a sponsor to support these activities. Time and a considerable amount of money was invested in this personal enterprise. Many people believed that the research was part of a doctoral study with the objective to write a thesis. Although the entire research could be called scientific, there was no university involved.
The Alink-Argerich Foundation considers it important that all young musicians who wish to make use of the services and who wish to receive information from AAF, should feel free to contact AAF.
However, to maintain this unique position and to keep all information up-to-date, financial support is needed, every
year, in order to offer good quality
information, while striving at the highest degree of completeness.
Competition organisers do co-operate, but some of
them are too busy, have different priorities, or simply lack the
means or personnel to react promptly. Therefore, AAF must remain
alert and active.
The amount of competition materials that AAF is dealing with, is unsurpassed: it cannot be matched by any other organisation. To maintain this position, and to continue to operate smoothly, a solid financial backing is needed.
The optimal solution would be
that the Alink-Argerich Foundation is supported by one or two
main sponsors.
However, at the time of writing, this is not the case. No
government nor company has stepped forward to help out.
In order to cover its expenses, AAF has proposed an annual contribution for musicians and competitions that wish to support AAF and that can thus be affiliated to AAF. It can be considered a contribution to the time and efforts invested by AAF. AAF is grateful for each acknowledgment of its usefulness and purposes, and will gladly interpret it as a kind salute that all efforts be continued.
Meanwhile, any suggestion concerning another organisation or company who wishes to sponsor AAF or to co-operate with AAF, is welcomed.
To read more about the annual contribution, you may click here ("Join"), or you may first want to go to the section where the main services are described.
7. Characteristics of the organisation
Keywords to describe the intent of the Alink-Argerich Foundation are: reliability, quality, sincerity, and respect. The Foundation is an active organisation, operating and monitoring activity on a worldwide scale. With its activities and goals, the Foundation seeks to improve and support the circumstances in which true talent can emerge and quality can be acknowledged.
8. Various ways to contact AAF
The Alink-Argerich Foundation has its official seat in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Address
Central mail address for AAFP.O. Box 85600
NL-2508 CH DEN HAAG
The Netherlands
Telephone numbers
The Netherlands: (+31) 70 - 3634760
(N.B.: due to much travelling, there may be no person to answer your call personally. In that case, you are kindly asked to either leave a message or to contact AAF in one of the other ways described here.)
Web site
Webmaster: John Ciocoiu
Registration
The Alink-Argerich Foundation has been registered at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Haaglanden in the Netherlands, under registration number KvK 27183935
