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2011
Competition Rules
The Fourth SIPF
Piano Competition, 2011, is open to pianists of any nationality. First
prize winners of any prior SIPF Piano Competition are ineligible from
competing again in the same category. Note: alterations to rules or text appear in red.
COMPETITION CATEGORIES
The Piano Competition has six categories in which participants may compete:
• youth, up to age 9
• youth, ages 10-13
• youth, ages 14-18
• amateur (including (A) and (B) sub-categories for degree holding and non-degree holding participants respectively)
• collegiate
• professional
COMPETITION ROUNDS
The 2011
competition consists of two rounds (with the exception to the Youth,
ages 9 and under, as well as Amateur categories; see 'Final Round'
below):
• a preliminary round based on submitted recordings (made anonymous to the listening committee)
• a final live competition round in Seattle, Washington on October 22 and 23, 2011, which will be open to the public
A description of each category, and its respective eligibility
requirements and rules are listed hereafter. Changes from the 2010
rules are indicated by (NEW!).
CATEGORIES
• YOUTH, AGES 9 AND UNDER
Participant must be of qualifying age on May 15, 2011.
The first and only round for this category consists of a recording of the participant performing a piece(s) of his/her choice.
The recording need not be longer than 10 minutes in length.
Participants must submit:
1) a completed Application Form
2) a Compact Disc recording of the participant's performance
3) an $80 nonrefundable application fee in a Money Order in US funds or a US bank account check
• YOUTH, AGES 10-13
Participant must be of qualifying age on May 15, 2011.
The first of two rounds consists of a recording of the participant performing a piece(s) of his/her choice.
The recording need not be longer than 12 minutes in length.
Participants must submit:
1) a completed Application Form
2) a Compact Disc recording of the participant's performance
3) a $100 nonrefundable application fee in a Money Order in US funds or a US bank account check
• YOUTH, AGES 14-18
Participant must be
of qualifying age on May 15, 2011. Participants, aged 18 on younger who
are attending, or have been accepted, in a piano-related music degree
program are considered Collegiate participants, and should apply in
that category, even if the program of studies for the participant has
not yet commenced at the time of application. (NEW!)
The first of two rounds consists of a recording of the participant performing a piece(s) of his/her choice.
The recording need not be longer than 15 minutes in length.
Participants must submit:
1)
a completed Application Form (Applicants who have turned 18 on or
before the day of completing the application may sign on behalf of
oneself)
2) a Compact Disc recording of the participant's performance
3) a $120 nonrefundable application fee in a Money Order in US funds or a US bank account check
• AMATEUR (A)
Participant, aged
19 (revised age) or older by May 15, 2011, must be studying or working
in a vocation other than music. The participant must hold an earned
degree in music with an emphasis in piano performance, but must not
have been studying or earning a living in music at any point during
2011. There is no upper age limit for this category. (Note that
‘studying’ is defined as enrollment in a degree program in the
piano-related field of music. Taking weekly lessons or coaching with an
instructor privately does not constitute ‘studying’.)
The first and only round consists of a recording of the participant performing a piece(s) of his/her choice.
The recording need not be longer than 20 minutes in length.
Participants must submit:
1) a completed Application Form (applicant must also complete degree and vocation selection in Application Part IV)
2) a Compact Disc recording of the participant's performance
3) a brief
vitae of musical experience and education (one page) for clarification
(Note that the board may recommend a change from the Amateur (A) to the
Amateur (B) category based on information contained in the vitae)
4) a $150 nonrefundable application fee in a Money Order in US funds or a US bank account check
• AMATEUR (B)
Participant, aged
19 (revised age) or older by May 15, 2011, must be studying or working
in a vocation other than music. The participant may not hold a degree
in music, and must not have been studying or earning a living in music
at any point during 2011 (although enrollment and incomplete degree
status in a music program at some point in the past is acceptable).
There is no upper age limit for this category. (Note that ‘studying’ is
defined as enrollment in a degree program in the field of music. Taking
weekly lessons or coaching with an instructor privately does not
constitute ‘studying’.)
The first and only round consists of a recording of the participant performing a piece(s) of his/her choice.
The recording need not be longer than 20 minutes in length.
Participants must submit:
1) a completed Application Form (applicant must also complete degree and vocation selection in Application Part IV)
2) a Compact Disc recording of the participant's performance
3) a $150 nonrefundable application fee in a Money Order in US funds or a US bank account check
• COLLEGIATE
Participant must be
enrolled in a college, university, or conservatory majoring in piano
performance program during the 2011-12 academic year. This enrollment
must lead to an undergraduate or graduate non-terminal degree program
in music (with a major or minor in piano), along a 4-year or 2-year
bachelor or associate degree track, master of music degree, or any
non-terminal equivalency. Participants enrolled in a terminal graduate
degree program in music (such as PhD, DMA, or DM degree programs) are
not eligible for the 'collegiate' category, and are eligible only for
the 'professional' category. There is no upper age limit for this
category.
The first of two rounds consists of a recording of the participant performing a piece(s) of his/her choice.
The recording need not be longer than 20 minutes in length.
Participants must submit:
1) a completed Application Form
2) a Compact Disc recording of the participant's performance
3) a $150 nonrefundable application fee in a Money Order in US funds or a US bank account check
• PROFESSIONAL
Participants must
hold the minimum of a Master of Music degree or its equivalent by the
final round of the 2011 competition. This category also includes
participants who may be enrolled in a terminal graduate degree music
program (such as PhD, DM, or DMA degree programs) during the 2011-12
academic year, or have considerable professional performing experience.
Such performance credentials may include such things as membership in a
professional management company, a significant number of annual concert
engagements, or other similar criteria. The participant must be either
studying or living as a professional musician and/or music teacher
during 2011. There is no upper age limit for this category.
The first of two rounds consists of a recording of the participant performing a piece(s) of his/her choice.
The recording need not be longer than 20 minutes in length.
Participants must submit:
1) a completed Application Form
2) a Compact Disc recording of the participant's performance
3) a brief vitae of musical experience and education (one page) for clarification
4) a $150 nonrefundable application fee in a Money Order in US funds or a US bank account check
COMPETITION FORMAT
The 2011 piano
competition consists of two rounds*: (1) a preliminary round based on
recordings submitted by the participant; and (2) a final live
competition round in Seattle, Washington, on October 22 and 23, 2011. The
final round is open to the public and will be held at Benaroya Hall,
and the exact date for the final round will be released in February
2011 has been released.
*Exception:
Youth, Ages 9 and under, as well as Amateur categories; the competition
is considered ‘semi-competitive’ for these to groups, composed only of
a single recorded round.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
• REPERTOIRE
There are no
program requirements of solo classical repertoire in any category, with
the exception that no works requiring any sort of preparation or
amplification of the piano will be admitted for either the preliminary
or final round. No jazz, new age, free improvisation, or pop music of
any kind is acceptable. Works performed must be complete movements (no
cuts or excerpts allowed). Examples include the entire first movement
of Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata, Op. 53 or all ten variations of
Mozart's entire set, "Unser dummer Pöbel meint", K. 455. Miniatures,
including etudes, scherzi, dances, and the like, may be chosen singly,
completely, or among a subset of selected favorites and need not be
presented entirely in their cyclic form. Portions of movements, such as
only the prelude of a prelude and fugue by J. S. Bach, or the
exposition section of a sonata by Mozart, are not acceptable. All works
performed must be solo works. Chamber music, works for
4-hands/2-pianos, or concerti are also not admissible. Participants
need not, and should not, include scores with preliminary round
submissions or during the final round of the competition.
• RECORDING
It is to the
participant's benefit to provide a recording of high quality.
Recordings with too much background noise or distortion make it
difficult for adjudicators to render a fair judgment of technical and
artistic qualities. However, recordings need not be professionally
edited. Audio recordings may only be submitted in Compact Disc format.
No audio tape, MiniDisc, video tape, DVD, DAT tape, or any other format
will be accepted. Each participant must ensure that the CD format is
recorded in such a way as to be playable on standard players, and,
therefore, one must avoid formats such as .mp4, .wmv, .mpg, and the
like that are playable only on special multi-platform players or
computers.
All recordings must
be free of damage or defects. Measures should be taken to reduce the
chances of recording damage during transit. The organizers take no
responsibility for lost or damaged recordings. Participants should
therefore retain copies of all materials sent to the SIPF Piano
Competition, 2011. Recorded performances must be performed entirely
from memory. Participants (legal guardians of participants in the case
of children under the age of 18) must sign the statement found on the
application form that the recorded pieces were performed from memory.
Exception: Note that Amateur (B) participants are released from this
requirement.
Lastly, each CD submitted must be free of any marks or writing. No track list or description of contents should be included in or on the recording or jewel case.
Recordings and other submitted materials will not be returned.
• PRELIMINARY ROUND PROCEDURES
All submitted
recordings are randomly numbered and made anonymous to the listening
committee, which will be assembled from a pool of artist teachers.
These committees will not be assembled until after all applications
have been collected in order to facilitate fair and unbiased
adjudication (such as might occur when assigning a juror to a category
in which a former or current student may be participating). Preliminary
round participants will be selected by the listening committee to
compete in the final live round to the general public in Seattle,
Washington during October 22 and 23, 2011 (at an exact date to be announced in
February, 2011). Selected finalists will be notified shortly after June July
15, 2011. At that time, these selected participants must declare their
intent to continue to the live final round in Seattle in October, 2011.
Failure to appear will result in the ineligibility of any prize.
Selected finalists who are unable or choose not to appear at the final
round must notify the SIPF board in writing (e-mails are acceptable) by
August 1, 2011.
• APPLICATION DEADLINE
All preliminary
round submission and applications must be postmarked by May 15, 2011 June 30, 2011.
For those submitting applications near the deadline, please ensure that
one’s application is complete. Incomplete applications or improper
submittals (such as writing on the CD, incomplete contact information)
may result in delay, or possibly the participant’s ineligibility.
FINAL ROUND
•REPERTOIRE AND PROGRAM GUIDELINES
The following time
limits are imposed for finalists notified to compete on October 22 and 23, 2011
in Seattle. The participant’s final round program may be different
than, or identical to that submitted on the preliminary round
recording. Finalists must declare their final round program strictly
within the time limits outlined above in writing by August 1, 2011
(e-mail preferred), complete with opus/catalog number and movement
information (where applicable) with timing. This timing must be
accurate and strictly within the final round limits listed below. If
the performer exceeds his or her time, he/she may be stopped during the
live final round performance. Absolutely no alteration to the submitted
repertoire list of the final round may be made at any time once the
participant has remitted his or her acceptance. The final round program
must adhere to the same standards and requirements of that listed above
in ‘REPERTOIRE’.
• CATEGORY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
◊ YOUTH, AGES 9 OR LESS
6-10
unranked winners from the preliminary round will be chosen to make a
debut performance at Benaroya Hall in the evening of October 23, 2011.
Each participant's program must be 6 minutes or less in length
◊ YOUTH, AGES 10-13
Up to 6 finalists will be chosen to compete live at Benaroya Hall on the morning of October 22, 2011.
Each participant's program must be 10 minutes or less in length
◊ YOUTH, AGES 14-18
Up to 6 finalists will be chosen to compete live at Benaroya Hall in the late morning and early afternoon of October 22, 2011.
Each participant's program must be 12 minutes or less in length
◊ AMATEUR
Up to 6
unranked winners from the preliminary round will be chosen to make a
debut performance at Benaroya Hall during the evening of October 23, 2011.
Each participant's program must be 15 minutes or less in length
◊ COLLEGIATE
Up to 6 finalists will be chosen to compete live at Benaroya Hall in the early to mid afternoon on October 22, 2011.
Each participant's program must be 15 minutes or less in length
◊ PROFESSIONAL
Up to 6 finalists will be chosen to compete live at Benaroya Hall during the late afternoon of October 22, 2011.
Each participant's program must be 15 minutes or less in length
• FINAL ROUND PROCEDURES
No finalist will be
required to perform earlier than their assigned time in the case of a
last minute cancelation or absence. The performance order within each
category will be randomly determined. Absolutely no accommodation will
be made to any request to alter the order once announced. All finalists
(with the exception of Youth, ages 9 and under, and Amateur category participants) must appear at his or her respective award ceremony in Illsley Ball
Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall in the evening of October 22, at
which time prizes will be announced. Likewise, all finalists must be
prepared to stay through the end of the festival weekend in the case
that he or she will be asked to perform in the winners’ concert. Any
act of dishonesty will result in the immediate disqualification of the
participant from any competitive or performance opportunities during
the SIPF.
• PRACTICE
Finalists will be
assigned practice time prior to the competition to those who request
such accommodation for non-local finalists only. Due to the limited
availability of instruments, we cannot guarantee more than one hour of
practice time in total. A brief warm-up will be possible in the
dressing room of the performance hall immediately prior to the
participant's start time.
• JUDGES' DECISIONS
The final round
will be judged by five internationally trained artists musicians and
pedagogues (see JURY). The jurors are not permitted to evaluate a
current or former student of his or her own. In such situations, a
nonpartisan juror will be selected to substitute in a given category,
or vote in the case of a tie. The decision of the jury on both the
preliminary round and final round is final and not subject to question,
review, or appeal. All participants must agree to waive any and all
claims of liability (see ‘APPLICATION’ section V.).
Preliminary round
participants will not receive any written commentary. Finalists will
have the opportunity to speak with jurors after the announcement of
awards during the evenings following competitive events of the SIPF.
• TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION
Finalists must be
prepared to travel to Seattle, Washington, USA at his or her own
expense. The organizers do not provide housing, but a list of housing
choices, including host families, will be provided upon request. The
organizers offer no guarantee that they will be able to fulfill a host
family stay request. Non US residents are responsible for obtaining a
visa, if necessary, to participate in the final round.
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