CALENDAR OF THE COMPETITION
Barcelona, from March 21 to April 2, 2020
December 10, 2019 Online registration deadline
January 20, 2020 Pre-selection shortlist Acceptance notification deadline
March 21, 2020, 8.30 a.m. Contestant’s preliminary meeting
From March 22 to March 25, 2020 First round
March 26 and March 27, 2020 Second round
March 29, 2020 Semi-final
From March 26 to March 29, 2020 OFF Competition
Dates of possible recitals by contestants no longer competing
April 1, 2020, 8:00 p.m. Final with orchestra
April 2, 2020, 7:00 p.m. Official Awards Ceremony
ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES
1) The competition is open to young pianists of all nationalities.
2) Age limit as of January 1, 2020: Minimum: 17 years old. Maximum: 28 years old.
3) Contestants from previous Maria Canals Competitions may compete again unless they have already been awarded the first prize in the same branch.
4) Inscription:
All the process has to be done online through the website: www.mariacanals.cat
Required documents to be enclosed to the registration form:
- a) A contestant’s identity card or passport.
- b) A detailed “Curriculum Vitae”.
- c) Previous and present teachers.
- d) Contestants must upload a recent and good quality recording on their YouTube channel or other video-sharing platform using a fixed camera with no postproduction and with a maximum duration of 20 minutes, including one fast movement of a Beethoven sonata and a work of the applicant’s own choice. Without the Beethoven’s sonata, the preselection process will be done just taking the CV of the contestant into consideration. The contestants must send the link of the recording through the registration form. The Competition will not be responsible for any external technical problems related to the access to these links.
- e) One recent photo in JPG format.
- f) The programme form fully completed. Contestants who have previously been finalists and prizewinners at any competition organised by members of the World Federation of International Music Competitions will be automatically accepted to participate in the first round. They must, however, fill the online form and enclose all documents including one that proves they have received such prize. Otherwise, the contestants will have to go through the general preselecction process like the other participants. Online registration form deadline: Monday, December 10, 2019. Under no circumstances may the program be altered after the registration deadline. Changes can only be made at the Artistic Director´s request, after the selection process is completed.
5) Pre-selection In principle, there is no limit to the number of contestants accepted into the competition. The shortlist will be drawn up by a commission chaired by the Artistic Director. Contestants will be notified whether or not they have been accepted to participate once the commission has made its decision, no later than January 20, 2019.
6) Selected contestants must pay a €180 registration fee within 10 days of being notified of their acceptance. No contestant will be accepted unless this payment is made.
Registration fees will not be refunded under any circumstances. The registration fee must be transferred to: Concurs Internacional de Música Maria Canals de Barcelona Banco Sabadell Atlantico Via Laietana, 47 08003 Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) Account Number: IBAN: ES1100810057300001427051 SWIFT: BSABESBB All bank charges relating to the international transfer are to be paid by the contestants.
THE JURY
7) No relative or pupil that has received lessons from a member of the Jury in the last three years may take part in the competition. In the event of an irregularity, the contestant will automatically be disqualified.
8) The Members of the Jury will be the same throughout the competition.
9) Contestants that have not advanced to the second round or the semi-final may talk to members of the Jury, if they wish to do so, on March 28 and 30, both in the morning. Those interested should let the Contestant’s Secretary know in advance, once they are already out of the competition.
10) All decisions of the Jury are final.
PRIZES
Main prizes
First Prize (Fundació Jesús Serra)
Prize 25.000 Euros
Gold medal
offered by Bagués-Masriera Joiers.
Second Prize (Fundació Carulla )
Prize 10.000 Euros
Medal offered by Capdevila, Joiers i Argenters.
Third Prize (Fundació Lluís Coromina )
6.000 Euros
Medal offered by Sant, Joieria i Argenteria.
Fourth place. Semifinalist (Mariona Guarro de Martínez Girona )
Prize 1.500 Euros
Fifth place. Semifinalist (Museu de la Colònia Vidal)
Prize 1.500 euros
Sixth place. Semifinalist (Premio Joan-Artur Roura i Comas)
1.500 Euros
Accommodation Grant
Accommodation and breakfast will be provided for all accepted contestants into the second round, from the day after posting the first round results until the day after posting the second round results.
Accommodation and breakfast will also be provided for the semi-finalists and the finalists until the day after the official Awards Ceremony is held. The Competition will pay for the accommodation and breakfast expenses for those contestants who were eliminated from the competition but were selected to give recitals in Barcelona, until the day after the recital has taken place. The accommodation expenses will only be paid in premises provided by the Competition.
COMPETITION PROGRAM:
First Round (Maximum duration of this round: 20 minutes)
J.S. BACH: One prelude and fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier (Book 1 or Book 2) to be chosen by the contestant.
L.V. BEETHOVEN: A complete sonata. The following sonatas will not be accepted: op. 2 nº 1; op. 10 nº 1; op. 13; op. 14 nº 1; op. 14 nº 2; op. 26; op. 27 nº 2; op. 28; op. 31 nº 2; op. 49 nº 1; op. 49 nº 2; op. 79. (Contestants will play one or two movements or the whole sonata, to be decided by the Artistic Director)
F. CHOPIN, F. LISZT, C. DEBUSSY, S. RACHMANINOV or A. SCRIABIN: One étude to be chosen by the contestant.
Second Round (Maximum duration of this round: 40 minutes)
1) A contemporary work, no longer than 5 minutes, composed from 1995 on, stating the year of composition and the composer´s year of birth. Any work requiring previous adjustment of the piano will not be accepted, nor will be any work composed by the contestants themselves.
2) One of the following romantic works, to be chosen by the contestant:
- BRAHMS Sonata No. 1 in C Major, Op. 1; Sonata No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 2; Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5; Variations on a Theme by Haendel, Op. 24; Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35 (Book I or II)
- CHOPIN Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23; Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38; Ballade No. 3 in A-Flat Major, Op. 47; Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52; Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20; Scherzo No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31; Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39; Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54; Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 35; Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58; Polonaise in E-Flat Major Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22; Polonaise in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 44; Polonaise-Fantasia in A-Flat Major, Op. 61; Fantasia in F Minor, Op. 49
- FRANCK Prélude, Chorale et Fugue
- LISZT Sonata in B Minor; Après une lecture du Dante; Spanish Rhapsody; Mephisto Waltz; Ballade No. 2 S.
RACHMANINOV Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 36; Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
- SCHUBERT D850 Sonata No. 17 in D Major, Op. 53; D894 Sonata No. 18 in G Major (Fantasy), Op. 78; D960 Sonata No. 21 in B-Flat Major; Fantasy in C Major (Wanderer Fantaisie), Op. 15 R. SCHUMANN Carnaval, Op. 9; Kreisleriana, Op. 16; Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22; Fantasy, Op. 17; Études Symphoniques, Op. 13 (with the posthumous).
3) One complete work or sonata; or one movement of a sonata; or a collection, one piece or several pieces from a collection by a composer born after 1860 (included), to be selected by the contestant. The composer´s year of birth should be stated. Contestants may choose the order in which they perform the works. However, the Artistic Director may recommend the order of performance if appropriate.
In the second round it is compulsory to play works by 3 different composers.
Semi-final (Maximum duration of this round: 50 minutes)
Recital with a free choice program except for Chopin’s études Op. 10 and Op. 25.
No work played in previous rounds should be included, and one work by a Spanish composer is compulsory.
Final with Orchestra
One of the following concertos, to be chosen by the contestant:
L.V. BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 4 in G Mayor, Op. 58
- CHOPIN Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
- SCHUMANN Concerto en A minor, Op. 54
- BRAHMS Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83
- TCHAIKOVSKY Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat minor, Op. 23
- RACHMANINOV Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
- RAVEL Concerto in G Major
- PROKOFIEV Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
IMPORTANT NOTE
All works must be performed from memory. All works must be performed without repeats, except in the semifinal. Each contestant may only play a maximum of three works by the same composer throughout the competition.