RULES FOR 2018 RUSSIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL/COMPETITION
Open to piano, brass, winds, strings, and instrumental ensemble
APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS PASSED
View Russian Chamber Music Competition Schedule 2018
The competition will be held all day at the Mercer Island Presbyterian Church 3605 84th Ave. SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 on December 1st, 2018.
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 2nd, beginning at 12:30pm. 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 (up to 4 minutes) – Fee $55
Piano B – 6-7 years (up to 5 minutes) – Fee $60
Piano C – 8-10 years (up to 6 minutes) – Fee $65
Piano D – 11-12 years (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $70
Piano E – 13-15 years (up to 8 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 14 minutes) Fee $85
Russian Preludes Elite:
(Up to 7 minutes)
Russian Preludes — (any prelude or two by any Russian composer) — Fee $75
10-13 age group
14-18 age group
19 age and up group
Judge will select the best performers from each age group that to perform at a Special Honors concert.
Ensemble:
Concerto A – Concerto, piano, up to age 13 (one movement, up to 13 minutes) – Fee $80
Concerto B – Concerto, piano, age 14-18 (one movement, up to 13 minutes) – Fee $85
Ensemble A – Chamber Music, average age 13 and under (up to 13 minutes) – Fees $80 per member
Ensemble B – Chamber Music, average age 14 and up (up to 13 minutes) – Fees $85 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 (February 24th, 2019)
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.
PRIZE PERFORMANCES:
Winners Concerts at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church: first and second place winners from every category will perform.
Winter Nights Benaroya Pre-Concert (February 24th, 2019): performers will be selected from the first prize winners by members of the RCMFS Artistic Advisory Board at the December 3rd Winners Concert.
Chamber Music winners may be selected to play at our 2019 Concert in the Park
King FM Northwest Focus (February 15th, 2019 8pm): performers will be selected by members of the RCMFS Artistic Advisory Board from among the first prize winners at the December 3rd Winners Concert..
Benefit events during the 2018-2019 season: selected first prize winners.
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.
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 3rd winners concert and the Benaroya Hall Pre-Concert. 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 ClickandPledge using the “Pay Application Fee” button on the application page under Competition. 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 27th. Applications will only be accepted between September 27th and November 15th. The application will be available online at www.russianchambermusic.org.