When Cosmo Buono began the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition five years ago, one fact was very clear: large numbers of aspiring pianists, many of them world-class, were not being given the opportunities necessary to play professionally. Further, ways to pursue a career, both artistically and financially, remained elusive.

In addition, becoming known through winning major competitions, which can sometimes lead to success, was an expensive process that involved months of elimination rounds and travel, with no guarantee of winning a prize. Further, even the winners would often describe to Mr. Buono how they used the money they received to take more lessons, and travel to other auditions, but once the money was spent, they still did not have a career.

It was for these reasons that Mr. Buono decided to do things differently. He and the late David Bradshaw allowed contestants to submit their applications by mail, along with a recording of their playing, thereby eliminating travel costs. Judges chose multiple First Prize winners in five age categories, from recordings alone.

Also, instead of offering a monetary prize, they felt it was more important to provide the single, and perhaps most significant credential they knew of to help launch a career—a debut at Carnegie Hall. “After all,” said Mr. Buono, “what good are all those years of study and hard work if the artists never get a chance to perform?”

Five years, and hundreds of applicants later, the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition (www.bbpiano.com) continues to help launch the careers of world-class pianists through its Annual Winners’ Recital at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall.

One winner describes his own situation. “I was performing, but not a lot, before I won the Bradshaw & Buono. As soon as I was able to put Carnegie Hall on my CV, I was given invitations not only to perform, but also to teach. There is no question in my mind that Carnegie Hall made all the difference.”

With the success of the Bradshaw & Buono steadily increasing, Mr. Buono hired Barry Alexander, a publicist, to help build more visibility for the competition. Given Mr. Alexander’s background as an opera singer, Mr. Buono thought it would also be possible to use the same business model to begin a competition for voice. They thus created the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition, which had its first Winners’ Recital at Carnegie Hall in January of 2008 (www.baivc.com).

The two competitions now give scholarships through The Alexander & Buono Competitions, or ABC. Designed to help artists further their careers, ABC presents selected winners of the two competitions in concerts throughout the world, and also as part of the Alexander & Buono Festival of Music, held every year in Abano, Italy. They offer career guidance and development, as well as a seminar called “The Business of Music,” held twice each year, featuring discussions with agents, managers, and industry experts from the world of classical music.

In addition, Messrs. Alexander and Buono present the Annual ABC Gala each year at Carnegie Hall, as well as fundraisers throughout the world, which raise money for scholarships, study grants, and opportunities for the winners of the two competitions to be heard. Their ongoing work is doing much to insure that careers of the next generation of artists will be both publicized, as well as sustained.