Competitions are the Marmite of the music world, applauded by the public for their bloodsports element but loathed by plenty of musicians for exactly the same reason: putting tender talent under too much pressure.
Sitting on the fence, I’d say they were a necessary evil to get young performers noticed, and a timely introduction to the brutal truths of concert life. As a professional musician, you’re perpetually under pressure, so you might as well get used to it from the beginning or you won’t survive.
