The 26th annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition

Mitchell Sardou Klein, director of the competition since its inception in 1985, said East Coast conservatories dominated the Klein until a few years ago. The increased prominence of California schools such as Colburn, Thornton and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music bodes well for the future of classical music, Klein said.

“It is true that the young artists of today are better than ever before, achieving ever higher artistic standards, and it is also true that they are more numerous,” Klein said. “That may be a challenging reality in an unfriendly economy, but I believe that it bodes well for the future, especially since so many of these remarkable young musicians have a real passion for bringing music to new audiences, including those in their generation who never had exposure to music in their schools.”

This year’s semifinalists were selected from an all-time high of 90 entrants from three continents and the nation’s top conservatories. The semifinalists represent four countries. This year, 22 percent of Klein applicants attend schools in California, nearly double from 2007. This is also the first time the competition has had more than one semifinalist in California. Last year’s winner, Francesca dePasquale, attends the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.

The semifinalists are:

• Matthew Allen, 19, cellist from Tallahassee, Fla. He studies with Melissa Kraut at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
• Elizabeth Beilman, 23, violist from Willowbrook, Ill. She studies with Don McInnes at the Thornton School of Music at University of Southern California.
• Daniel Cho, 17, violinist from Palisades Park, N.J. He studies with Hyo Kang at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division.
• Allyson Goodman, 22, violist from North Chelmsford, Mass. She studies with James Dunham at Rice University.
• Mayumi Kanagawa, 16, violinist from Japan. She studies with Robert Lipsett at the Crossroads School in Los Angeles.
• Richard Narroway, 19, cellist from New Scottish Wales, Australia. He studies with Hans Jorgen Jensen at Northwestern University.
• Mindy Park, 21, cellist from Palatine, Ill. She studies with Ronald Leonard at Colburn Conservatory of Music.
• Ji-Won Song, 18, violinist from South Korea. She studies with Victor Danchenko at the Curtis Institute of Music.
• Yina Tong, 23, cellist, from China and Laguna Hills. She studies with Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory of Music.

In the semifinal round, each performer will play an unaccompanied work of Bach, movements from notable concertos and a new commissioned composition by Elena Ruehr (“Klein Suite”). In the final round, the artists must perform additional portions of their selected concerto and one major sonata movement.

The grand prize, the Marvin T. Tepperman Memorial Award, totals $12,200 and appearances with the Santa Cruz and Peninsula symphonies, Music in the Vineyards, Noontime Concerts and other performances. The Elaine Klein Award goes to second place and is $3,000. The Alice Anne Roberts Memorial Award goes to third place and is $2,500. The Thomas and Lavilla Barry and Lena and Jules P. Flock Memorial awards go to two fourth-place finishers and include $1,200 each.

This year’s distinguished jury includes Jennifer Kloetzel and Ethan Filner of the Cypress String Quartet, Lesley Robertson of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Utah Symphony Assistant Concertmaster David Park, Marc Gottlieb, Alan Grishman, Elena Ruehr and Alice Schoenfeld.