RULES FOR 2017 RUSSIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL/COMPETITION
Open to piano, brass, winds, strings, and instrumental ensemble
Apply September 15-November 22
The competition will be held at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church 3605 84th Ave. SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 on December 9th, 2017.
The competition will last all day. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before your assigned performance time. No special scheduling requests; please do not enter if you will not be available all day.
You may observe other contestants as you wish, but please be courteous and only enter or leave a room between performances.
The Winners’ Concerts will be December 10th, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church.
ELIGIBLE PERFORMERS:
Residents of the U.S. and all other countries. Contestants must compete in their own age group. Contestants from Concerto group or one of the Chamber Music groups may also participate in a regular age group. Performers above age 18 and chamber music group are not required to be currently studying with a teacher. All application fees are non-refundable. Categories are listed below:
***Please note the new category divisions***
Solo Piano:
Piano A – up to 5 years – Fee $55
Piano B – up to 7 years (up to 4 minutes) – Fee $60
Piano C – 8-10 years (up to 5 minutes) – Fee $65
Piano D – 11-12 years (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $75
Piano E – 13-15 years (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $75
Piano F – 16-18 years (up to 10 minutes) – Fee $80
Piano G – 19-26 years (up to 13 minutes) – Fee $85
Piano H – 27 years and older (up to 13 minutes) Fee $85
Scriabin Elite:
(Only Scriabin pieces, one piece or movement for solo piano)
Scriabin A — 11-12 (up to 7 minutes) — Fee $75
Scriabin B — 13-15 (up to 7 minutes) –Fee $75
Scriabin C — 16-18 (up to 10 minutes) –Fee $80
Ensemble:
Concerto A – Concerto, piano, age 14-18 (one movement, up to 13 minutes) – Fee $85
Concerto B – Concerto, piano, up to age 13 (one movement, up to 13 minutes) – Fee $85
Ensemble A – Chamber Music, average age 14 and up (up to 13 minutes) – Fees $80 per member
Ensemble B – Chamber Music, average age 13 and under (up to 13 minutes) – Fees $80 per member
Solo Strings:
Strings A – Age 11-14 (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $75
Strings B – Age 15-18 (up to 10 minutes) – Fee $80
Strings C – Age 19+ (up to 13 minutes) – Fee $85
Solo Brass:
Brass A – Age 11-14 (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $75
Brass B – Age 15-18 (up to 10 minutes) – Fee $80
Brass C – Age 19+ (up to 13 minutes) – Fee $85
Solo Winds:
Winds A – Age 11-14 (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $75
Winds B – Age 15-18 (up to 10 minutes) – Fee $80
Winds C – Age 19+ (up to 13 minutes) – Fee $85
PRIZES:
First place winners will receive a trophy, second place and third place will receive a medal, and honorable mentions will receive a certificate. Up to four performers will be selected to receive $250 Scholarships. These winners will be announced at the Winter Nights concert in February 2018.
If there are fewer than three competitors registered for a category, the judge may elect not to award a prize. In any category, the judges have the right to withhold any prize or award additional prizes. All judging decisions are final and may not be contested. If there are a high number of entrants in a category, the competition coordinators may choose to divide the category into smaller groups that will be judged individually. There will be one performer to play with the Heritage Symphony of Kirkland, decided at the winners concert.
Heritage Symphony of Kirkland is Northwest’s newest professional orchestra comprised of 40+ professional musicians, and led by internationally renown conductor & artistic director, Maestro Brian Davenport. We deliver World Class artists and performances every season.
Heritage Symphony is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit www.heritagesymphony.org.
PRIZE PERFORMANCES:
Winners Concerts at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church: first and second place winners from every category will perform.
Winter Nights Benaroya Pre-Concert (TBD): performers will be selected from the first prize winners by members of the RCMFS Artistic Advisory Board at the December 10th Winners Concert. Winners of the Scriabin Elite categories not eligible for Winter Nights Concert.
Chamber Music winners may be selected to play at our 2017 Concert in the Park.
King FM Northwest Focus: performers will be selected by members of the RCMFS Artistic Advisory Board from among the first prize winners at the December 10th Winners Concert..
Winners of the Scriabin Elite categories not eligible for King FM.
Benefit events during the 2017-2018 season: selected first prize winners.
New Event: Winners of the Scriabin Elite category will perform at a special event in the spring, featuring winners’ performances alongside poetry reading.
Winners with pieces requiring two pianos are not eligible for performances at Benaroya and King FM, but concerto performers will receive a recommendation letter for Seattle Symphony Young Artists Auditions and an opportunity to perform with the Federal Way Symphony.
Prizes and adjudications sheets will be available at the registration desk shortly after completion of judging for each category. All prizes and adjudication sheets must be picked up at the competition; no materials will be mailed to participants.
*Please note that there are admission fees for audience members, including teachers and parents, at the December 10th winners concert, the Benaroya Hall Pre-Concert, and the Scriabin Elite performance. Ticket price TBA and tickets will be available at the door.
REPERTOIRE:
All music will be performed by memory, except chamber works. All selections will be works by Russian or Soviet composers in their original form. Selections for solo piano groups must be solo pieces, but non-piano groups may use concertos if they wish. Transcriptions are allowed, but must be approved by RCMFS prior to submission of entry form (example of non-acceptable piece – “Theme from Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto” for solo trumpet). Pieces must not be edited (shortened) for any reason without prior approval of RCMFS. Non-piano participants may choose accompanied or unaccompanied pieces, and must provide their own accompanist.
No warm-up instruments will be available on the day of the competition.
Please time your selection(s) carefully – this will determine how much time you are assigned on the schedule.
Teachers and/or students are responsible for presenting the judge with an original music score (no photocopies) with measures marked in the margin. (Competitors who forget their music or only have a photocopied version may play if they wish, but will not receive a judge’s evaluation or be eligible for any prize.)
No changes will be possible in the program once the application is received.
COMPETITION ETIQUETTE:
Dress Code: Please dress professionally – no athletic shoes, cargo pants, or jeans.
Hand-held video cameras are permitted; no tripods, please. No flash photography. Recordings are only permitted of your own child; please do not record other parents’ children’s performances.
Chamber performers, please bring your music stands.
SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION:
Application forms should be filled out and submitted online and payment made via PayPal using the “donate” button on the RCMFS homepage at www.russianchambermusic.org. Chamber groups may pay the entirety of the entry fee from one group member’s application or divide the entry equally between all members and pay individual portions with each member’s application form. Once you have submitted payment, there are no refunds for withdrawn entries. Do not mail entries!
The schedule and additional information will be posted at www.russianchambermusic.org approximately one week before the competition.
Please submit applications online as early as possible after September 15. Applications will only be accepted between September 15th and November 15th. The application will be available online at www.russianchambermusic.org.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CLOSE ATTENTION TO THESE RULES. IF YOU HAVE
QUESTIONS OR NEED MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Dahae Cheong,dahae.rcmfs@gmail.com