FROM 1943 TO 1990 : LOUIS JOXE AS PRESIDENT

1943, during the War…

The Long-Thibaud Contest was created by the will of two famous artists during their lifes, in a very difficult period. First national, the contest is rapidly noticed thanks to the talent of the two young musicians, Samson François and Michèle Auclair, who win the First Great Piano Prize and the Frirst Great Violin Prize.

1946

The «Jeunesses Musicales» organize concerts, Pathé Marconi recordings, many prizes are offered by the City of Paris, the City of Bordeaux (native town of Jacques Thibaud), the Prince Rainier of Monaco, the «Fondation de France», the SACEM.

1949

The rush of candidates is the occasion to choose a biennial solution. With her great friend Louis Joxe, Marguerite Long gets from the USSR government the participation of soviet citizens. It is a new rush.

1953

Tragic death of Jacques Thibaud in a plane crash while he travelled to Japon for a big tour with his friend and pianist René Herbin. The contest is full of pain, Marguerite Long is shattered as the whole world.

1957

The contest gets the patronage of the French state.

1962

Creation of the two foundations (Marguerite Long and Jacques Thibaud), «of public usefulness», with Louis Joxe (now minister of general De Gaulle) as president.

1966

Marguerite Long dies. The contests in the world are going to multiply, the concurrence is more and more severe.

1980

It is necessary to reform the contest : separation of the two contests, the occurrence of which becomes three-yearly (third year : galaconcert of the laureates).

A network of host families is organized to welcome (free of charge) the foreign candidates. New recourses come from BNP (now BNP Paribas) and from the Japanese group Fuji Television Network.

1990

Support of the Sanwa Bank who organizes a cycle of events in Japan (recitals and concerts with orchestra) during one week for the Great Prizes of piano and of violin.