Memorandum Regarding the People-to-People Music Committee

3 UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY WASHINGTON April 30, 1958 OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR pote THE WHITE HOUSE 1> May I 9 20 AM '58 MEMORANDUM FOR: The President RECEIVED The White House In view of your having invited Van Cliburn to the White House in recognition of his winning of the first piano prize at 07225 Moscow, you may be interested in knowing that Van Cliburn's victory was the end result of an idea developed in connection with the People-to-People Program. The need for qualified United States participation in foreign competitions is one of the main concerns of the Music Committee of the People-to-People Program. Many unqualified candidates have entered competitions, often merely because they happened to be travelling in the vicinity of one. This has served to lower United States musical standards in the eyes of the musicians of other countries. The Music Committee undertook (1) to see that complete information on special competitions reached selected lists of schools, teachers, etc. and (2) to assist qualified candidates regarding travel to the competitions. A representative of the Music Committee approached the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music about assistance to qualified candidates. As a result, a selection panel was set up within the Institute of International Education to choose persons for assistance from the Fund for Music. In the case of the Tchaikovsky Competition at Moscow, funds were set aside for six United States participants. The panel, however, found only two sufficiently endowed to enter