Application rules:
The Competition is open to candidates of all nationalities born on or after January 1, 1995.
Application period: July 10 – October 23, 2024.
Apply online by accessing the special page on the official website.
Upload high quality image data at the time of applying online.
*Photograph must be taken from the front, from the chest up.
*Photograph data must be high quality, of 700 x 1,000 pixels or higher.
*Photograph must be free of copyright.
*Photograph will be used in official programs, on the Competition’s official website, and for other public relations purposes.
Follow the procedure below for uploading the Video Data.
1. Online applications must be fully completed, by Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 11:59 PM (Japan time).
2.Within 3 days after the completion of online application (or within 24 hours for applications received on or after October 21, 2024), the SIMC Secretariat will send a message to the Applicant’s E-mail address given by the Applicant at the time of his/her online application. This message from the Secretariat will provide the Applicant with an individual link for uploading his/her Video Data.
3. The Applicant must upload his/her Video Data to the individual link provided no later than Friday, October 25, 2024, 11:59 PM (Japan time).
*Acceptable file formats are, MP4, AVI, MOV only.
*The filename of the Video Data must ONLY consist of the name of the Applicant and the titles of chosen pieces. (Do not include additional information, such as name of accompanist or date/place of recording.)
*Please refer to “01. Pre-Selection” in the “The Repertoire” section for details regarding video recordings of your performances. ( Violin Section/ Piano Section )
Photocopies of school certificate(s)/diploma(s) or competition award(s)/prize(s)
Fill in “Musical Background” (music education, any awards/prizes won in other competitions) at the time of applying online.
Please upload photocopies of the school certificate(s)/diploma(s) or competition award(s)/prize(s) listed there.
The information the Applicant provides will be used for official programs, on the Competition’s official website, and for other public relations purposes. The information will have no impact on the screening process.
Entry Fee
The entry fee of JPY 15,000 must be paid by credit card at the time of applying online.
*If the entry fee is not paid by the application deadline, the application may not be accepted.
*All charges must be borne by the Applicant.
*The entry fee is not refundable for any reason.
More information: https://simc.jp/en/9th_competition/application/
Awards:
First prize: JPY 3,000,000,
Second prize: JPY 2,000,000,
Third prize: JPY 1,000,000,
Fourth prize: JPY 800,000,
Fifth prize: JPY 700,000,
Sixth prize: JPY 600,000,
Repertoire:
Violin Section
Pre-Selection
Total performance duration shall be approximately 30 minutes.
1. Select two pieces from the twenty-two below.
Paganini
Caprices, op.1
No.1, No.2, No.4, No.5, No.6, No.7, No.8, No.9, No.10, No.11, No.12, No.15, No.17, No.18, No.21, No.24
Ernst
6 Polyphonic Etudes for violin solo, No.6 “The Last Rose of Summer”
Grand Caprice on Schubert’s Der Erlkönig, op.26
Wieniawski
Ecole Moderne, op.10
No.2 La Vélocité
No.5 Alla Saltarella
No.7 La Cadenza
No.9 Les Arpéges
2. Select one sonata from the list below and perform both I. and II.
J.S.Bach
Sonata No.1 in G minor for violin solo, BWV1001:
Ⅰ. Adagio Ⅱ. Fuga
Sonata No.2 in A minor for violin solo, BWV1003:
Ⅰ. Grave Ⅱ. Fuga
Sonata No.3 in C major for violin solo, BWV1005:
Ⅰ. Adagio Ⅱ. Fuga
3. Select one piece from the list below and perform the 1st movement with a piano accompaniment. The opening and interlude may be cut.
Mozart
Violin Concerto in B flat major, K207
Violin Concerto in D major, K211
Violin Concerto in G major, K216
Violin Concerto in D major, K218
Violin Concerto in A major, K219
・The cadenza must be played within three minutes.
Notes about the Video Recordings
・Video recordings must be unedited and made on or after October 1, 2023.
・All performances must be performed from memory.
・All pieces of the Applicant’s choice from above repertoire must be recorded on the same day at the same venue.
・A separate video recording can be made for each piece. Each piece can be uploaded as a separate file (no need to create one file). HOWEVER, J.S.Bach’s Sonata I and II must be performed continuously in one take and uploaded as one file.
・The Video Data must be taken from the same camera angle throughout and must clearly show the Applicant’s hands and face.
・The Video Data must be of excellent technical quality and preferably recorded professionally.
・The Video Data will be excluded from judgment if it was perceived that the hand movement of the Applicant during his/her performance does not synchronize with the sound.
・The video camera’s automatic audio volume control function must not be used. This is because it reduces dynamics and nuances and often results in a recording which does not accurately represent the performance. The Video Data shall not have extremely loud (or quiet) sound volume, and shall not contain noise.
・The Video Data must NOT contain, in image or in sound, the name of the Applicant, as the Pre-Selection will be carried out anonymously.
・The Video Data may be excluded from judgment if the Video Data does not fulfil the requirements above.
Preliminary Round
The Contestant shall perform both 1. and 2. below.
1. Mozart
Adagio in E major, K261
Rondo in C major, K373
・The Bärenreiter edition shall be used.
・The Contestant must perform without a conductor.
・The cadenzas for the pieces will be specified and notification of them made to those who have passed the Pre-Selection.
2. Ysaÿe
Sonata for violin solo No.5 in G major, op.27-5
Semifinal Round
The Contestant shall perform all 1., 2. and 3. below.
1. Select one piece from the list below.
Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto in E minor, op.64
Dvořák
Violin Concerto in A minor, op.53
2. Perform the below piece as the orchestra’s concertmaster.
Mozart
Cassation in G major, K63: Ⅴ. Adagio
3. Perform the below piece as the orchestra’s concertmaster.Specified part(s) in the 2nd movement of Brahms’s Symphony No.1 in C minor, op.68
・The part(s) to be performed will be specified and notification of them made to those who have passed the Pre-Selection.
Final Round
The Contestant shall perform both 1. and 2. below (all movements).
1. Select one piece from the list below.
Mozart
Violin Concerto in B flat major, K207
Violin Concerto in D major, K211
Violin Concerto in G major, K216
Violin Concerto in D major, K218
Violin Concerto in A major, K219
・The Bärenreiter edition shall be used.
・Contestants may select the same violin concerto which was performed for the Pre-Selection.
・The cadenzas for the pieces will be specified and notification of them made to those who have passed the Pre-Selection.
2. Select one piece from the list below.
Beethoven
Violin Concerto in D major, op.61
Paganini
Violin Concerto No.1 in D major, op.6
Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto in E minor, op.64
Schumann
Violin Concerto in D minor
Lalo
“Symphonie Espagnole” in D minor, op.21 (all 5 movements)
Brahms
Violin Concerto in D major, op.77
Saint-Saëns
Violin Concerto No.3 in B minor, op.61
Bruch
Scottish Fantasy, op.46
Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D major, op.35
Dvořák
Violin Concerto in A minor, op.53
Elgar
Violin Concerto in B minor, op.61
Sibelius
Violin Concerto in D minor, op.47
Bartók
Violin Concerto No.2, Sz112
Stravinsky
Violin Concerto in D
Berg
Violin Concerto
Prokofiev
Violin Concerto No.1 in D major, op.19
Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor, op.63
Shostakovich
Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor, op.77
・Contestants are not allowed to select the same violin concerto as the one chosen as the Semifinal Round repertoire 1..
・The cadenzas for the pieces will be specified and notification of them made to those who have passed the Pre-Selection.
Piano Section
Pre-Selection
The performance duration must not exceed 40 minutes in total.
1. One piece from the piano sonatas by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven (all movements)
2. Select one piece from the seventy-three below.
Chopin
Etudes, op.10
Etudes, op.25
Liszt
Études d’exécution transcendante, S139
(except for No.9 “Ricordanza” and No.11 “Harmonies du soir”)
Grandes études de Paganini, S141
3 Études de concert, S144 (except for No.1 “Il lamento”)
2 Konzertetüden, S145
Debussy
12 Etudes
Rachmaninov
Etudes-tableaux, op.33
Etudes-tableaux, op.39
3. Solo piece(s) of the Applicant’s choice (except piano sonatas by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven)
Notes about the Video Recordings
・Video recordings must be unedited and made on or after October 1, 2023.
・All performances must be performed from memory.
・There is no restriction on the duration of each piece.
・It is the Applicant’s choice whether to play the repeat(s) or not.
・Solo piece(s) must NOT be concertos.
・A separate video recording can be made for each piece. Each piece can be uploaded as a separate video file (no need to create one file). HOWEVER, all the movements of each piano sonata from ① must be performed continuously in one take and uploaded as one file.
・The Video Data must be taken from the same camera angle throughout and must clearly show the Applicant’s hands and face.
・The Video Data must be of excellent technical quality and preferably recorded professionally.
・The Video Data will be excluded from judgment if it was perceived that the hand movement of the Applicant during his/her performance does not synchronize with the sound.
・The video camera’s automatic audio volume control function must not be used. This is because it reduces dynamics and nuances and often results in a recording which does not accurately represent the performance. The Video Data shall not have extremely loud (or quiet) sound volume, and shall not contain noise.
・The Video Data must NOT contain, in image or in sound, the name of the Applicant, as the Pre-Selection will be carried out anonymously.
・The Video Data may be excluded from judgment if the Video Data does not fulfil the requirements above.
Preliminary Round
The Contestant shall perform a recital program which consists of any solo pieces selected freely, with a total performance duration that exceeds 30 minutes but does not exceed 35 minutes. However, the program must include one piece or more which last(s) 10 minutes or more in total from the works of the composers listed below.
J.S.Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel
・There is no restriction on the number of pieces and duration of each piece. However, all movements must be performed in the case of selecting a piano sonata to perform.
・In the Preliminary Round, it is acceptable to perform the same pieces which were performed for the Pre-Selection.
・Pieces that include exceptional playing techniques such as inner playing or prepared piano must not be selected.
・A performance may be stopped if it exceeds 35 minutes in duration.
Semifinal Round
The Contestant shall select one piece from the list below and perform it.
Mozart
Piano Concerto in B flat major, K450
Piano Concerto in D major, K451
Piano Concerto in G major, K453
Piano Concerto in B flat major, K456
Piano Concerto in F major, K459
・The Bärenreiter edition shall be used.
Final Round
The Contestant shall perform both 1. and 2. below.
1. Select one piece from the list below.
Mozart
Piano Concerto in D minor, K466
Piano Concerto in C major, K467
Piano Concerto in E flat major, K482
Piano Concerto in C minor, K491
Piano Concerto in C major, K503
Piano Concerto in B flat major, K595
・The Bärenreiter edition shall be used.
2. Select one piece from the list below.
Beethoven
Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37
Piano Concerto No.4 in G major, op.58
Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major, op.73 “Emperor”
Chopin
Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, op.11
Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor, op.21
Schumann
Piano Concerto in A minor, op.54
Liszt
Piano Concerto No.1 in E flat major, S124
Brahms
Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, op.15
Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat major, op.83
Saint-Saëns
Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, op.22
Piano Concerto No.5 in F major, op.103 “Egyptique”
Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor, op.23
Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, op.18
Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op.30
Bartók
Piano Concerto No.3, Sz119
Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, op.16
Piano Concerto No.3 in C major, op.26
YASHIRO Akio
Piano Concerto
〈Notes about the performance〉
・All performances must be performed from memory.
・All performances shall be open to the public.
〈Note about changing the pieces〉
・If a Contestant wishes to change his/her program for the Preliminary, Semifinal and/or Final Rounds, he/she must give notice to the Secretariat in writing no later than Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (E-mail is acceptable.)