Recently, the reporter learned from the Harbin Cultural Broadcasting and Tourism Bureau that the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC), known as the "Olympic Committee" of the music industry, would hold its 69th Annual Meeting in Harbin from June 25 to 29, 2025. Harbin will become the first Chinese city in the 68 year history of the WFIMC to hold an annual meeting.

It is reported that from June 6th to 10th, at the invitation of the World Federation of International Music Competitions and the government of Parma, Italy, the Harbin delegation conducted a working visit to Italy, in order to attend the 68th Annual Meeting of World Federation of International Music Competitions organized by the World Federation of International Music Competitions and hosted by the government of Parma, Italy, and promote the theme of "Harbin - City of Music" during the event. Meanwhile, a promotional video of "City of Music" in Harbin will be launched to promote Harbin to the world.

At this year's annual meeting, the Harbin delegation received the confirmation letter from the World Federation of International Music Competitions to the Harbin Municipal Government for the "Host City of the 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Federation of International Music Competitions". At the same time, the WFIMC officially announced that the 69th Annual Meeting will be held in Harbin from June 25 to 29, 2025. Peter Paul Kainrath, President of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, Florian Rem, Secretary General of the Federation, as well as over 100 senior management personnel and international media reporters from around the world attended the relevant event.

The World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) was established in Geneva, Switzerland in 1957. It is one of the subsidiary organizations of UNESCO and the highest authority organization for international music competitions worldwide. In 2017, Harbin Schoenfeld International String Competition, as the first large-scale comprehensive international string competition in China, was selected as a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions and the only large-scale comprehensive international string competition among its members. In 2021, Harbin Schoenfeld International String Competition was elected as a member of the board of directors of the WFIMC, becoming the first Chinese member unit to be selected for the board of directors of WFIMC over 60 years since its establishment. The Schoenfeld International String Competition was initiated by world-renowned violinist Professor Alice Schoenfeld (1921-2019), and was also founded to fulfill the wish of her sister, cellist Professor Eleonore Schoenfeld (1925-2007). Professor Schoenfeld sisters are famous string educators and performers in the 20th century, and were the first internationally renowned musician to visit China when China and the United States established diplomatic relations in the early 1980s. Using music as a link, they built a bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the United States, and were the first to invite and sponsor young Chinese musicians to go abroad and step onto the international stage, cultivating numerous outstanding musicians and artistic leaders for China.

In 2014, Professor Xue Suli, an outstanding student trained by Schoenfeld sisters professors, introduced Schoenfeld International String Competition to his hometown Harbin. With the approval of the former Ministry of Culture, this first international competition in China named after world famous musicians was held in Harbin for the first time. Four exciting events of Schoenfeld International String Competition has been successfully held in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2023, respectively, with international influence within the framework of the "Harbin Summer" Meeting. With its high standards, international competition level, and professional authority, it has had a wide influence at home and abroad, and gradually developed into the golden signboard of the "Harbin Summer" Meeting and an open window for Harbin to expand its external exchanges and showcase its urban charm. In 2020, the Schoenfeld International String Competition permanently settled in Harbin.

Taking advantage of the favorable opportunity of the 69th Annual Meeting of World Federation of International Music Competitions in Harbin in 2025, the Schoenfeld International String Competition will build a broader platform for music and art exchange, depicting the music culture and stories of Harbin from multiple dimensions to the world, and showcasing the development process of string art in China and the era style of Chinese music industry from multiple perspectives.