FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. When will I be notified about the results of the preliminary round?
A. A review of preliminary round video recordings will be made throughout the months of June and July when we can organize jurors for a live moderated event (to protect the identities of performers). Participants will be notified of their status shortly on or after August 1, including those who did not pass the preliminary stage. We ask for your patience during this time before results are distributed.
Q. How do I upload my audio? I do not see a link.
A. Since 2019, we are asking for links to your YouTube videos directly on the application form. If you missed that part, you may write to us at info@seattlepianocompetition.org and ask to have your application updated. It is important to first host your video on a reliable platform easily accessible in the USA without any special permissions and obtain a link to that video.
Q. We are mailing our submission via UPS. They tell us that we need a physical address, not a PO Box number. Is there any other address I can send my package to?
A. Since 2015, the SIPF now accepts online registration only. Performance footage in the form of video links are accepted on the application form. There should no longer be a need to mail physical materials. However, the SIPF does allow participants to follow up with a mailed physical documents if that is necessary. The only address to which participants may send is: SIPF, P.O. Box 3035, Issaquah, WA 98027-0136. Note that couriers like UPS do not deliver to a PO Box number. As long as any materials are postmarked by the deadline of the competition, it may arrive after the electronic form has been submitted.
Q. When is the final round of the competition?
A. The final round of the 2022 Seattle International Piano Competition takes place during a streaming event on October 8-9. Finalists will be required to submit a final round program video by September 20. This final round must be a dedicated video recording comprised of continuous footage according to our specifications. There will be no physical event, so participants will not need to travel or obtain visas. Participants can expect notification shortly after August 1.
Q. To whom should I make my check payable?
A. Since 2015, the SIPF no longer accepts checks. The electronic application form has visa or master card integration. You should be able to pay through your credit card at the end of the application process.
Q. Do I have to play the same music in the final round as the preliminary video?
A. No. The participant is free to change repertoire from that which he or she submitted through preliminary recordings. Participants are free, also, to use the same musical selections if they wish. However, the final round program will need to be a dedicated new recording solely for the purpose of the 2022 Seattle International Piano Competition and made between August and the deadline of September 20. More information about that will be distributed directly to finalists shortly after August 1. There is no penalty or judgement for against having the same or different repertoire. In fact, the final round judges are different from the preliminary listening committee. If you are invited to submit a final round video by September 20, the jurors will not know what you submitted on your preliminary video.
Q. My son is 18 and will be enrolled in a conservatory in the Fall. Should he apply for the Youth category, or Collegiate?
A. Although there may be an apparent overlap in ages between the Youth (14-18) and Collegiate categories, since the 2011 rules, we have made a distinction that if the participant will be enrolled in a college program in piano studies for the future academic year, that participant should nonetheless enroll as a Youth (14-18) participant.
Q. I am a pianist, age 32, interested in entering the Seattle competition in 2022 as a professional. Is there any age limit?
A. No, there are no age limits for your category. Some categories do have a minimum age, which you can find under the rules on the Competition page; though, of course, youth categories do have a maximum age.
Q. I am interested in entering your competition. I am 39 years old, I am finishing my MM Degree and I will continue as a DMA student in Piano Performance this fall. I would like to know if I am able to apply for the Professional Artist Category at the Piano Competition.
A. Professional participants have either an earned masters degree (or its equivalent) and are working in the field, or are currently in a terminal music degree program. However, the qualifying date is that during which one applies to the competition. Your status at that time of application will determine your eligibility. So, if your completion of studies takes place on or before this date, you may apply as a Professional Artist or Collegiate Artist, depending.
Q. I see special prizes for awards like, “Best Performance of a work by Debussy.” Should I include a piece like that on my preliminary recording?
A. Our preliminary committees will not take those works into consideration, except in the case of Outstanding Amateurs and Youth, Ages 9 and Under, for whom the preliminary represents their one and only round of participation. For all others, the first is a qualifying round only to determine which participants will be invited as finalists and which are semi-finalists (alternates). The special awards of note, such as the one you mention, are special prizes that the final round jury will award among the six to eight selected participants during the final round. So, you need not worry about this for the preliminary recording.