Aarhus International Piano Competition

Deadline: 15/11/2018
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Disciplines: Piano
From: 15/03/2019 To: 23/03/2019
Age limit: 10-15, 15-21
5/07/2018

Next competition

The next Aarhus International Piano Competition will take place in 2019 between March 15th and March 23rd.

Application deadline

The deadline for applying is November 15th 2018.

All applicants must apply on this website.

General info

The total amount of prizes will be 32.500 euro.

All in all 42 applicants will be invited to take part in the competition.

In category A 20 pianists will be invited.

In category B 22 pianists will be invited. Two invitations are reserved for Danish pianists.

AGE CATEGORIES

Aarhus International Piano Competition is divided into two Age Categories.

Category A

Pianists born between 16th of March 2003 –  15th of March 2008

Category B

Pianists born between 16th of March 1997 – 15th of March 2003

ONLINE APPLICATION 2019

General information

All applicants must apply on this website.

The application form will open here in October 2018.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 2019

Audio recording

As a part of the application proces every applicant has to upload a high quality audio recording ( .mp3 in a quality of min. 128 kbit/s  — we strongly recommend a minimum of 192 kbit/s).

The repertoire-requirements for these recordings are the same in Category A and Category B:

The recording should contain a programme of three pieces with a maximum duration of 20 minutes, including:

1. A first movement of a sonata by J. Haydn, W.A. Mozart or L.v. Beethoven.

2. One piece or movement by F. Chopin.

3. One piece or movement of free choice.

Editing of the recordings is not allowed, but separate works or movements can be from different takes.

Documentation for the audio recording

– A letter stating that the applicant is the one playing in the recording, signed by an official insitution, sound engineer or piano professor.

OR

– A short video showing part of the audio recording process (this video will NOT be presented to the pre-jury).

Application fee

Application fee is 100 € and is non-refundable.

The application fee will be payable by VISA, MASTERCARD or AMEX directly upon submitting the application form.

Other documents

– Copy of passport (.jpg, .png or .pdf)

– Photo in high resolution (minimum 600×600 px)

Applicants will receive information whether or not he/she has been accepted to take part in the competition, on the 20th of December 2018.

REPERTOIRE

General Conditions

The whole repertoire must be played by memory.

Participants are allowed to play pieces from their preliminary repertoire in the competition.

In 2nd Round participants are not allowed to repeat any of the pieces that they already played in 1st Round.

The performance duration in the 1st and 2nd rounds should be approx. 25 minutes.   The allowed minimum performance duration is 20 minutes, the allowed maximum performance duration is 30 minutes.

Regarding the repertoire of free choice: Participants are allowed to play single movements of pieces.

REPERTOIRE CATEGORY A

1st Round

25 minutes repertoire, including one of the following works of Carl Nielsen:

  • 5 klaverstykker,  op. 3
  • Humoreske Bagateller, op. 11
  • Klavermusik for Smaa og Store, op. 53 (an excerpt of own choice with the minimum duration of 6 minutes)

The rest of the repertoire is of free choice.

2nd Round

25 minutes of free repertoire

REPERTOIRE CATEGORY B

1st Round

25 minutes repertoire, including one of the following works of Carl Nielsen:

  • 5 klaverstykker,  op. 3
  • Chaconne, op. 32
  • Tema med variationer, op. 40
  • Tre klaverstykker, op. 59

The rest of the repertoire is of free choice.

2nd Round

25 minutes of free repertoire

3rd Round

The first movement of one of the following piano concertos, performed with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra:

  • L.v. Beethoven: Piano Concerto no. 3 in c minor, op. 37
  • L.v. Beethoven: Piano Concerto no. 5 in E-flat major, op. 73
  • F. Chopin: Piano Concerto no.1 in e minor, op. 11
  • F. Chopin: Piano Concerto no. 2  in f minor, op. 21
  • R. Schumann: Piano Concerto in a minor, op. 54
  • E. Grieg: Piano Concerto in a minor, op. 16
  • P.I. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no. 1 in b-flat minor, op. 23
  • S. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no. 3 in d minor, op. 30

CARL NIELSEN REPERTOIRE

The Carl Nielsen sheet music can be bought following this link: http://www.kb.dk/en/nb/dcm/cnu/index.html

PRIZES

MAIN PRIZES

Category A:

1st prize: 6.000 €

2nd prize: 4.000 €

3rd prize: 2.000 €

Category B:

1st prize: 8.000 €

2nd prize: 5.000 €

3rd prize: 3.000 €

4th prize: 1.000 €

CARL NIELSEN PRIZES

Category A:

Carl Nielsen Prize: 1.000 €

Category B:

Carl Nielsen Prize: 1.500 €

These prizes are given for the best Carl Nielsen performance in 1st Round

OTHER PRIZES

Audience Prize: 1,000 €

EMCY Prize – read more here

CONCERT PRIZES

The winner of the 1st prize in Category B will be invited to give a concert with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in the following season.

The other prize winners will be offered concerts in danish music societies or at festivals.

MEMBERS OF THE JURY 2019

Søren Rastogi, Denmark

Idil Biret, Turkey

Akiko Ebi, Japan

Caroline Hong, USA

Ewa Poblocka, Poland

Markus Schirmer, Austria

Antti Siirala, Finland

SCHEDULE AND DAILY PROGRAMMES

Aarhus International Piano Competition 2019

The exact time of the preliminary rounds can be changed.

Programmes for each day will be available here during the competition week.

Last update 8th of April 2019 – 15:34

Date Time Event Location
Fri. March 15 08:00 – 21:30 Registration of participants Musikhuset Aarhus,

Competition office

22:00 – 22:30 Ballot Musikhuset Aarhus,

Kammermusiksalen

Sat. March 16 10:00 – 14:00 Rehearsal on the instrument in Lille Sal Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

19:30 – 20:30 Opening concert with Hao Wei Lin Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

Sun. March 17 10:00 – 13:00

15:00 – 18:30

1st round Category B Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

Mon. March 18 10:00 – 13:00

15:00 – 18:30

1st round Category B Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

Tue. March 19 10:00 – 13:00

15:00 – 18:00

1st round Category A Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

19:30 – 21:30 Concert with participants Category B, 1st round Haderslev Musikforening
Wed. March 20 10:00 – 13:00

15:00 – 18:00

1st round Category A Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

19:30 – 21:30 Concert with participants Category B, 1st round Hjørring Musikforening
Thu. March 21 10:00 – 12:15

14:00 – 16:15

18:00 – 20:15

2nd round Category B Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

19:30 – 21:30 Concert with participants Category A, 1st round Fredericia Musikforening
Fri. March 22 10:00 – 13:00

15:00 – 18:00

2nd round Category A Musikhuset Aarhus,

Lille Sal

19:30 – 21:30 Concert with participants Category A, 1st round to be announced
Sat. March 23 13:00 – 15:00 Concert with participants Category A & B, 2nd round to be announced
19:30 – 22:00 Final round Category B

Closing concert with winners Category A

Presentation of prizes

Symfonisk Sal

CONCERTS AND EXTRAS

Participants, who are not continueing to 2nd round or 3rd round of the competition, are invited to play one concert in a Music Society in Aarhus and other places in Denmark.

Look in the schedule for more information.

The pianists will not be paid any fee for playing at these concerts.

The pianists will be accompanied by a member of the competition staff and all travel costs will be paid by the competition.

As a gift from the competition every participant will be offered a professional portrait photo made by danish photographer Tom McKenzie.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

for participation in Aarhus International Piano Competition 2019

The Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities.

Applicants in Category A must be born between 16th of March 2003 –  15th of March 2008.

Applicants in Category B must be born between 16th of March 1997 – 15th of March 2003.

All necessary documents for participation must be received by the Competition Secretary through the online application system on November 15th 2018 at the latest.

Every applicant has to upload an audio recording together with the application. Editing of the recordings is not allowed, but separate works or movements can be from different takes.

As many participants as possible shall be offered the opportunity to stay with guest families in and near Aarhus during the competition period. Staying with guest families, participants are allowed to be accompanied by one family member.

Each competitor is responsible for all costs that may be incurred by participation in the Competition.

The Competition Repertoire must be played from memory.

A competitor may only alter his/her programme for any stage of the Competition by informing the Competition Secretary of the change by 15th of February, 2019.

No appeal shall be possible against decisions by the Jury or by the Competition Directors.

The Aarhus International Piano Competition is sole holder of the rights to all video or audio recordings and Internet broadcasts in all stages of the Competition.
Competitors cede to the Aarhus International Piano Competition, without remuneration, the rights to the following:

a) performances of works during the the whole Competition

b) performances of works during the concerts for participants and the final-concert

c) photographic and recorded images taken during participation in the Competition and the concerts.

These rights are unlimited in time and space for the following purposes:

– recording

– reproduction (all forms)

– trading

– placing on computer memory, internet or other networks

– public play-back and performance

– exhibiting

– screening

– renting

– leasing

– broadcasting by wired or wireless sound or vision by terrestrial or satellite stations

– simultaneous and integral radio and television transmission and retransmission.The exploitation of these rights in the ways set out above will be carried out by individuals, firms, radio and television stations and record labels authorised to do so by the Aarhus International Piano Competition.

For reasons of competition planning the competitors are required to report in time.

All prize winners are obliged to take part in the Final Concert and to be present at the distribution of prizes. Should a prize winner not appear, he/she can lose the claim to prizes; on such matters the Management of the Competition shall decide.

All organizational decisions concerning the Competition remain the responsibility of the Competition Management. The Management reserves the right to make all final decisions in the event of any misunderstanding.

For as long as pianists take part in the Competition they are not be allowed to have contact with, or speak with members of the Jury.

The application fee of 100 € cannot be returned.

In some cases foreign competitors will need visas. Applicants should consult the nearest Danish Embassy or Consulate for advice.

By sending the application form the participants declare that they approve the terms and conditions mentioned in the regulations.

AIMS AND REGULATIONS

for the Jury’s adjudication of candidates in Aarhus International Piano Competition.

AIMS OF THE WORK OF THE JURY

When adjudicating the candidates and awarding Prizes the Jury must take into account artistic as well as instrumental aspects of the performances. After assessment of the candidate’s artistic and instrumental standard as demonstrated through the varied repertoire of the rounds, the individual Juror votes for the candidates who, up to the time of voting, in his or her opinion are the best qualified. It is thus the individual candidate’s overall performance throughout the competition that must always be taken into account.

The goal of each of the Aarhus International Piano Competition is to award all the advertised Prizes. Only a unanimous Jury can decide not to award one or more prizes on the grounds that the standard of the candidates does not live up to the demands that ought to be made by international competitions of this kind.

REGULATIONS

  1. Voting is by secret ballot in the presence of an Inspector representing, and appointed by the Management of the Competition. Ballots may not be made public.
  2. The Jurors will vote independently and may not discuss the performances before or during the voting procedure.
  3. Jurors may not communicate with any active participant.
  4. The vote of a Juror will be taken into account only if he or she has heard all performances of all rounds.The Management of the Competition has the right to make exceptions to this rule. If a member of the jury, with approval of the Management of the Competition, was not present during the performance(s) of one/several competitor(s), this member of the jury will henceforward be disqualified regarding this/these Competitor(s). The ballots must be signed by the Jurors. After each voting the Inspector collects and counts the ballots, ensuring that they are duly signed.
  5. After the preliminary rounds, any Juror who has, on a regular basis during the last two years preceding the competition, taught one or more of the candidates may not judge his or her pupil(s). This or other disqualifying relationships between Jurors and Competitors, be they of a professional or personal nature, will be discussed at the Jury meeting before the competition.After the preliminary rounds, members of the Jury who have one or more pupils among the candidates – or who are otherwise disqualified – will mark a “0” beside the name(s) of this or these candidate(s). Thereafter votes are cast so as to make the total of “0’s” and “+’s” the number of votes required for the round in question. Should the candidate obtain at least 4 votes cast by the other jurors, a “+” will be added to the “0”. Should a candidate not obtain at least 4 votes cast by the other jurors, the juror in question must nominate another (other) candidate(s).
    If a member of the jury does not inform the Management of Aarhus International Piano Competition about any disqualifying relationship between him/her and a participant, this member of the jury can immediately be excluded from the jury.
  6. Prior to voting after the preliminary rounds, each member of the Jury will be issued with a ballot with names of all the candidates performing in the round.After the first round in Category A each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 10 candidates whom the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4 and 5.) The 10 candidates who obtain most votes will qualify for the second round.
    After the first round in Category B each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 12 candidates whom the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4 and 5.) The 12 candidates who obtain most votes will qualify for the second round.
    After the second round in Category B a preliminary ballot will be undertaken. Firstly each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 8 candidates whom the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4.) The 8 candidates who obtain most votes will qualify for a second voting.Secondly each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 4 candidates who the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4.) The 4 candidates who obtain most votes will qualify for the final round.
    After the second round in Category A a preliminary ballot will be undertaken. Firstly each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 6 candidates whom the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4.) The 6 candidates who obtain most votes will qualify for a second voting.
    Secondly each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 3 candidates who the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4.) The 3 candidates who obtain most votes will recieve a prize.If a vote proves inconclusive, the following procedures will be observed:a) Should two or more candidates receive the same number of qualifying votes, a separate ballot will be held.b) Should the votes be inconclusively distributed (minority votes) on both sides of the qualifying line, the contestants enjoying the support of the clear majority will be chosen first and those with not more than one vote will be rejected.A new ballot will then be undertaken among the remaining candidates to allocate the vacancies.
  7. After the second round in Category A and after the final round in Category B, a separate vote – with all members of the Jury taking part – is taken for each of the three or four main prizes – beginning with the 1st Prize.Prior to the vote, each member of the Jury is issued with a ballot on which he or she writes the name of the finalist to whom the Juror wishes to award the prize in question.
    If the voting results in a tie between two finalists, a vote is taken to decide whether a Prize is to be divided between the two (in which case the subsequent Prize is not awarded, and the sum for the two Prizes is divided equally between the two winners (ex aequo)). If there is not a majority in favour of dividing the Prize, the vote of the Chairman of the Jury decides in favour of one of the candidates. In case the President is disqualified according to point 4, the Vice-President of the Jury casts the deciding vote.
    If the voting results in a tie between three finalists, a vote will be taken to select, finally, the two best-qualified. Then follows the above procedure for the case of a tie between two finalists.A prize will not be awarded, only in the event of all voting papers for this prize being blank.
    The Audience Prize is awarded on the basis of other regulations that are of no concern to the Jury.
  8. After the first round in Category A and after the first round in Category B the Carl Nielsen Prizes will be decided by voting. Firstly each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 10 candidates whom the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4.) The 10 candidates who obtain most votes will qualify for a second voting.Secondly each member of the Jury places a “+” beside the names of the 4 candidates who the Juror deems best qualified (Taking into consideration point 4.) The 4 candidates who obtain most votes will qualify for the possibility to have the prize. Each member of the Jury is then issued with a ballot on which he or she writes the name of the candidate to whom the Juror wishes to award the Carl Nielsen Prize (Taking into consideration point 7).
  9. The EMCY-Prize is awarded to a prize winner of Category B. The voting procedure is like the main prize voting procedure.
  10. After each of the preliminary rounds the names of the candidates that proceed further are made public in alphabetical order, without mention of the number of votes obtained.
  11. At the final concert the names of the Prize winners will be made public, without mention of the number of votes obtained.
  12. If a member of the jury does not participate in the competition, for example on account of ”Force Majeure”, the Management has the possibility to appoint a new member of the jury immediately.
  13. The decision of the Jury is final and cannot be appealed.
  14. In cases of doubt the Danish edition of the regulations applies.

CONTACT

info@pianocompetition.dk

Aarhus International Piano Competition
C/O Royal Academy of Music Aarhus
Skovgaardsgade 2C
DK-8000 Aarhus C

Denmark

Rune Maahn Christensen: +45 6043 8205
Christian Skovgaard Flarup: +45 2613 7695
Jens Kjær Riemer: +45 2248 2236