2009 Competition Rules and Regulations »

ELIGIBILITY

1. The 2009 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition is open to pianists of any nationality born between March 28, 1974 and March 28, 1991.

2. The Competition is not open to previous first prize winners of the Senior Divisions of the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition or the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition.

3. Admission to the Competition will be granted by a distinguished selection committee to approximately twenty-five (25) applicants on the basis of audition CDs.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

1. The 2009 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition will be held from March 28 to April 5, 2009.  All events from March 28 to April 4 will take place on the California State University, San Bernardino – Palm Desert Campus in the Indian Wells Theater.  Master Classes will take place there as well on April 4, 2009.  Concerto finals with orchestra will be held on April 5 at the McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert.

2. Contestants are financially responsible for their travel to and from Palm Desert.

3. Competitors must arrive by Friday, March 27, 2009.  Competitors should plan to stay for the duration of the competition and must not have any other professional commitments during this time.

4. In some cases, foreign competitors will need visas. Applicants should consult the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

5. All contestants must give credit for all awards won in the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition in all future publicity.

6. The competition reserves the right, without payment of fees, to record and distribute recordings for media and other purposes, including the Internet, and to televise, broadcast, film, record, videotape, photograph or live stream all stages of the competition, all prize performances and concerts.

7. By applying to the competition, applicants agree to abide by all the rules and regulations of the VWIPC competition.

8. The Competition reserves the right to make necessary changes as circumstances dictate.

HOUSING/TRANSPORT/PRACTICE

1. Each contestant will be offered host-family lodging, local transportation and reasonable access to a practice piano.

2. Housing will be provided free of charge to each accepted contestant for the duration of the competition.

3. Contestants who decline host-family housing will be responsible for their own lodging and transportation, with limited piano practice time.

RULES FOR APPLICATION

1. The Application Deadline for the 2009 Senior Competition is October 15, 2008.

2. The Application Form may be found on-line at www.vwipc.org.  The application and .jpg photo may be submitted electronically.  

3. All applications must be electronically prepared or typed; hand-written applications will not be processed.

4. KEEP COPIES OF ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS.  Acknowledgement of your application will be sent to you by email.  If you do not hear from us within ten working days, contact us immediately.

5. Required Supporting Materials to be mailed are:

6. • Proof of age (photocopy of birth certificate or passport - DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS)

   • A non-refundable application fee of US $135.00

   • A preliminary audition CD, accompanied by a list of the included repertoire

   • List of competition repertoire to be performed on site

   • Biographical material

   • Two recent 5x7 (13x18cm) head shot photos with name lightly printed in block letters on reverse side, plus a jpg photo on a CD or sent by email

The required supplemental materials, Cover Pages, and fee payment must be received by October 15, 2008. Send materials to:

            Virginia Waring Int'l Piano Competition
            73-710 Fred Waring Dr.,  # 201           
            Palm Desert, CA  92260   
            USA

PRELIMINARY AUDITION CD

1. Applicants may choose preliminary audition repertoire different from the works they plan to perform on site.

2. Each applicant should listen to his or her CD to confirm its quality and completeness.

3. Applicants will be known to the screening judges by an assigned number only. 

4. All contestants will be chosen based exclusively from the audition CD, without regard to prior awards, education, age, nationality or gender.

5. The audition CD for the competition, including master classes, must include a minimum of 50 minutes of diverse solo repertoire including one etude that demonstrates the pianist’s technical dexterity. The etude must be chosen from the Etudes of Chopin, Debussy, Ligeti, Liszt, Rachmaninoff or Scriabin. The preliminary audition solo repertoire must be chosen from at least three of the following categories:

6. • Baroque

   • Classical Sonata (complete)

   • Major Romantic Work or Group

   • French or Spanish Impressionism

7. • Works written after 1920

REPERTOIRE & COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Once an applicant has been accepted into the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, he or she must be prepared to compete in all categories of the Competition. Competitors who withdraw at any time during the Competition will forfeit all prizes and awards.

• NO REPERTOIRE CHANGES ARE ALLOWED.  Repertoire should be carefully considered before the application is submitted.

• Judges will know each competitor ONLY by a randomly selected number.

• Each competitor must prepare a 75 minute solo program.  Solo repertoire for the Competition must include works from at least three categories, including all those categories not submitted on the audition CD.  (All periods of repertoire must be presented, whether on the CD or in the solo program.)  Particular repertoire should be identified for each round of the solo competition.  Finalists may repeat some repertoire from earlier rounds.

• Each competitor must prepare the first movement of ONE Piano Quintet from among the works of Brahms, Franck or Schumann.

• Each competitor must prepare EITHER the Second or Third Sonata by Ernst Krenek.

• Each competitor must prepare ONE complete concerto, to be chosen from the following

• • Beethoven Concerto #5 in E flat (Emperor), opus 73

  • Chopin Concerto #2 in f minor, opus 21

  • Prokofiev Concerto #3 in C major, opus 26

  • Rachmaninoff Concerto #3 in d minor, opus 30

  • Schumann Concerto in a minor, opus 54

  • Tchaikovsky Concerto #1 in b flat minor, opus 23

• The VWIPC reserves the right to impose time limits on any portion of the Competition.

• Judges may request any portion of the music and terminate the audition at any time.

• Solo and concerto repertoire must be performed by memory and must be prepared in their entirety.  The Krenek Sonata may (or may not) be peformed with sheet music. Judges may request only portions of some works if the repertoire exceeds the time limits.

• Contestants must use official Competition accompanists.  Appropriate rehearsal time will be arranged by the VWIPC.

• One published score of each work to be performed must be provided for judges.  No photocopies are allowed.

• All decisions of the judges will be final.  Written comments from the adjudicators will be mailed to all contestants following the Competition.

• All rounds of the Competition and master classes will be open to the public.

Solo Round I:    All competitors will perform a 20 minute solo program.

Solo Round II – Semi-Finals:     Approximately seven pianists will be selected to compete in the Semi-final round, performing 45 minute solo programs including the Krenek Sonata of their choice.

Solo Round III – Finals:  Three finalists will be selected to present 45 minute programs.  Prizes, including the Krenek prize, will be awarded.

Chamber Music:  Twelve pianists from Solo Round I will be selected to perform the first movement of the Quintet of their choice (from the list given above) with a professional string quartet.  A chamber music prize will be awarded.

Concerto Round I:  All competitors will perform the concerto of their choice (from the list given above) with second piano accompaniment.  Appropriate cuts must be made if the work exceeds the 20 minute time limit.

Concerto Round II - Finals:  Three finalists will be selected to perform full concerti with orchestra.  Prizes will be awarded.