Conditions

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The announcement and the Conditions of the 2021 Concertino Praga – Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians

The announcement and the Conditions of the 2021 Concertino Praga – Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians

Article 1: Announcement

  1. Czech Radio and the Academy of Classical Music hereby announce the 55th annual 2021 Concertino Praga – Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for young musicians (hereafter also simply referred to as the “Competition”). 
  2. The Concertino Praga – Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition takes place under the patronage of the European Broadcasting Union (www.ebu.ch) and the Karel Komárek Family Foundation and it is a member of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (www.emcy.org).

Article 2: The categories

The 2021 competition will be opened:

  1. in the solo performance category on the following instruments: violin, violoncello, piano, cembalo, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, saxophone and trombone.
  2. in the chamber ensemble category in the following groupings: DUO | TRIO | QUARTET | QUINTET | SEXTET. The instrumental composition of the individual groupings is arbitrary; each ensemble may only include one keyboard instrument.

Article 3: The registration deadline

The deadline for submitting registrations and delivering the competition recordings for the 1st round is 28th February 2021 for solo category and 31st March 2021 for chamber category. The organiser will confirm the receipt of the registration within ten work days.

Article 4: The competition categories, instruments and age limits

Participation in the competition is limited by age:

4.1 In the solo performance category:

  1. musicians who are not older than 16 as of the date of the Competition’s public final round, i.e. 18th September 2021, will be entitled to participate in the competition on the following instruments: violin, violoncello, piano, cembalo, accordion, harp and guitar.
  2. musicians who are not be older than 17 as of the date of the Competition’s public final round, i.e. 18th September 2021, will be entitled to participate in the competition on the following instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, saxophone and trombone.

All of the instruments in the solo performance category will be evaluated together.

4.2. In the chamber ensemble category:

musicians, whose average ages do not exceed the age of 20 as of the date of the Competition’s public final round, i.e. 17th September 2021, may perform in the ensembles ranging from duos to sextets. The oldest ensemble member must not be older than 21 as of the date of the public final competition, i.e. 17th September 2021.

With regard to all the aforementioned age limits, a Competition participant may reach the given age limit on the day of the public final round (for example, a pianist in the solo performance category may celebrate his or her 16th birthday on 18th September 2021)

Article 5: The method of registering in the competition

A candidate may personally register in the Competition’s solo performance category or may be registered by his or her legal guardian, by a registering organisation, which may be the music school where the competitor studies the given instrument, or by a radio organisation. Each organisation can enter a maximum of five candidates in the Competition regardless of the instruments which the candidates play.

An ensemble may personally register in the Competition’s chamber ensemble category or may be registered by the members’ legal guardians, by a registering organisation, which may be the music school where the competitors study their given instruments, or by a radio organisation. Each organisation can enter a maximum of five candidates in the Competition regardless of the size of the ensemble and the instruments which the candidates play.

Article 6: The form of registering in the Competition

  1. Registration is only possible using the form which can be found online on the Competition’s website: www.concertinopraga.cz.
  2. The following items must also be submitted along with the registration form:
  • recordings of the individual competition pieces in the WAV/PCM format – 16/24 bits – 44.1/48kHz,
  • a full video recording of the realisation of the competition recordings which the jury will view in the case of any doubts associated with how the competition recordings were made (this can be realised using a mobile telephone, as the jury will not take the video quality into account),
  • five different professional photographs of the competitor in print quality (at least 300 dpi), including the photographer’s name and written consent to use them,
  • complete sheet music for the competition recordings (without any personal markings),
  • a copy of the competitor’s passport or ID (in the case of foreign competitors),
    the repertoire for the Competition’s public final round in the solo performance category; concertante pieces set for competitor’s solo instrument and orchestra.

This means single or multiple-movement instrumental concertos and not individual movements from works it is possible to propose a different concert repertoire for the Competition’s public final round in the chamber ensemble category at an extent of 30 – 35 minutes. Single or multiple-movement pieces are admissible. If the ensemble wishes to choose a different repertoire for the 2nd round, the contents of this repertoire must have been stated in the registration.

  1. The performer will make the recording for the 1st round at a total length of at least 20 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes at his or her own expense. Recordings lasting less than 20 minutes will be excluded from the Competition. The jury will be able to shorten any recordings which exceed 30 minutes.
  2. It is recommended that the competition repertoire should consist of a selection of different stylistic periods. The piano part may be replaced with a cembalo in the case of early music, i.e. original baroque or classical pieces.
  3. The competition repertoire for the solo performance category may also include works for solo instrument without the accompaniment of any other instrument. If the competition repertoire contains an instrumental concerto or any of its movements with piano accompaniment, the competition repertoire must also include a work originally designated only for solo instrument or originally accompanied by another instrument. An exception to this rule involves those works which are authorised to be accompanied by piano or works which have been included in the list of recommended competition works. In the case of any works not listed in the list of recommended works, it is necessary to provide the organisers with substantiation of the participant’s authorisation to perform them, either with a historical source or a reference.

Recordings of works made at public concerts must have been realised at a corresponding technical quality so that they can be used in radio broadcasts.

With regard to duos in particular, this must involve works with balanced roles for both instruments, e.g. sonatas. The performed work in the duo format of the chamber ensemble category may not involve any concertante works with the second instrument as the accompaniment.

The Competition registration also constitutes the declaration in accordance with Article 5, paragraph 11 of the Concertino Praga Statute.

Article 7: The evaluation of the performances

  1. The recordings must have been made in the period between 1st February 2020 and 28th February 2021 in solo category / 31st  March 2021 in chamber category either in a studio or during a public performance and must take the form of a live recording without any editing (this must always involve a recording of an entire single-movement piece or of an entire movement without any interruptions). Multiple-movement works must be recorded in their individual movements and each movement must constitute an independent track on the recording. The recordings must not be subject to any broadcasting rights of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) or any mechanical rights (IFPI).
  2. The evaluation of the competitors by the expert juries will also be influenced by the maturity of the selection of the competitor’s competition repertoire, while taking into account the promotion of works by Antonin Dvořák and other Czech composers.
  3. The organiser will publish a list of recommended works in the solo performance category for 2021, the performance of which will have a positive impact on the evaluation of the competition performances, may be one of the evaluation criteria and may be associated with special prizes from foundations involved in caring for the composers’ musical legacies. These prizes will be published regularly on the Competition’s website. The list of recommended works has been published in a separate document on the Competition’s website
  4. The organiser will not publish a list of recommended works for the chamber category in 2021 due to the great variety of musical groupings and the involved instruments. However, the organiser recommends taking the works of Czech authors into account when putting together the repertoire, as their inclusion may be one of the evaluation criteria and may be associated with special prizes from foundations involved in caring for composer’s musical legacies, as in the case of the solo performance category.

Article 8: The course of the Competition

The solo category:

The 1st round

  1. The recordings will be assessed by the jury by 1.4.2021.
  2. The jury will pick 25 competitors to progress to the 2nd round regardless of the instruments which the candidates play.
  3. The jury is entitled to request the participants progressing to the next round to rerecord the same repertoire for the 2nd The candidate will not be required to respond to this request. In such a case, the competition recordings from the 1st round will also be used in the 2nd
  4. The organiser will inform those who have progressed to the Competition‘s 2nd round in writing within 5 business days of the jury reaching its decision and will do so using the email address stated in the registration form.
  5. The jury may state in justified cases that the organiser will provide a candidate progressing into the 2nd round with the opportunity to record a Competition recording using Czech Radio’s production facilities and do so at the expense of the promoter. This especially involves cases where the candidate or his or her registering organisation do not have the technical facilities to make a good quality recording which meets the requirements for the use of the recordings in radio broadcasts.

The 2nd round

  1. The recordings will be assessed by the jury by 30. 4. 2021. The jury will evaluate the same recordings in the second round as in the 1st The composition of the second-round jury is different to that of the first round.
  2. The jury will designate a maximum of 4 candidates to progress through to the public 3rd At the same time, the jury will designate 2 understudies for the public final round who will perform their solo repertoire in a concert on the “Talent stage” at the Dvořák Prague 2021 Festival, if they do not get the opportunity to perform in the final due to all of the jury’s 4 finalists being able to perform.
  3. The organiser will inform the candidates who have progressed to the Competition’s 3rd round in writing using the email addresses set out in the registration forms and will do so within 5 business days of the jury’s decision.
  4. The qualifying candidates will be called upon to undertake a live performance with an orchestra as part of the Dvořák Prague International Music festival which will take place on 18th September 2021.
  5. The candidate or his or her registering organisation will confirm the candidate’s intention of continuing in the Competition within 5 business days of receiving the notification of having progressed into the 3rd If any of the candidates fail to confirm their intention of doing so, another candidate will progress through to the 3rd round according to the order designated by the competition jury during the Competition’s 2nd

The public 3rd round

  1. The 3rd round will take place in the form of a public concert with an orchestra as part of the 2021 Dvořák Prague International Music Festival on 18.9.2021.
  2. The candidates are required to be physically present at the Competition venue, i.e. in Prague, at least 3 days prior to the holding of the public final round for the purpose of rehearsals with the orchestra. The same condition also applies to the designated understudies, provided it is known that any of the finalist will not be attending the 3rd round final.
  3. The candidates are guaranteed 2 rehearsals with the orchestra in a rehearsal room and a dress rehearsal at the 3rd round venue, which will be the Dvořák Hall in the Rudolfinum in Prague.
  4. The performance will be recorded by Czech Radio with the possibility of a live broadcast in both audio and audio-visual form. All of the candidates’ rights pertaining to the creation of the artistic performance have been set out in the Competition’s Statute.
  5. The Competition jury will sit directly after the completion of all the competition performances at the public concert and will decide on the winners of the prizes and any honourable mentions.
  6. The jury will announce its decision at the same public concert, where the Competition’s prize- giving ceremony will also take place on stage.
  7. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will become Competition laureates.
  8. The principles for awarding the prizes are set out in the Competition’s Statutes.

The chamber ensemble category:

The 1st round

  1. The recordings will be assessed by the jury by 30. 4. 2021.
  2. The jury will pick a maximum of 4 qualifying ensembles to proceed into the 2nd At the same time, the jury will also designate 1 chamber ensemble as an understudy for the 2nd round final, which will perform in a concert on the “Talent stage” at the Dvořák Prague 2021 Festival, if it does not get the opportunity to perform in the final due to all of the jury’s 4 chosen ensembles being able to perform.
  3. The organiser will inform the ensembles which have progressed to the Competitions public final round (the 2nd round) in writing using the email addresses set out in the registration forms and will do so within 5 business days of the jury’s decision
  4. The qualifying ensembles will be called upon to undertake a live performance as part of the Dvořák Prague International Music festival which will take place on 17th September 2021.
  5. The ensemble or its registering organisation will confirm the ensemble’s intention of continuing in the Competition within 5 business days of receiving the notification of having progressed into the 2nd public final round. If any of the candidates fail to confirm their intention of doing so, another candidate will progress through to the 2nd round final according to the order designated by the competition jury during the Competition’s 1st

The 2nd round (the final)

  1. The 2nd round will take place in the form of a public concert with an orchestra as part of the 2021 Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
  2. The ensembles are required to be physically present at the Competition venue, i.e. in Prague, at least 1 day prior to the holding of the public final 2nd round for the purpose of rehearsals in the hall. The same condition also applies to the designated replacement ensemble, provided it is known that any of the finalists will not be attending the 2nd round final.
  3. Each ensemble will be guaranteed 1 rehearsal and a dress rehearsal at the 2nd round venue, which will be the Convent of Saint Agnes in Prague.
  4. The performance will be recorded by Czech Radio with the possibility of a live broadcast in both audio and audio-visual form. All of the candidates’ rights pertaining to the creation of the artistic performance have been set out in the Competition’s Statute.
  5. The Competition jury will sit directly after the completion of all the competition performances at the public concert and will decide on the winners of the prizes and any honourable mentions.
  6. The jury will announce its decision at the same public concert. The Competition’s prize-giving ceremony will take place on stage in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum after the completion of the solo category performances on 18.9.2021.
  7. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will become Competition laureates.
  8. The principles for the awarding of the prizes are set out in the Competition’s Statutes.

Article 9: The Competition’s juries

  1. The juries for the individual rounds of the Competition and the jury chairpersons will be appointed by the Competition’s directorate.
  2. The jury for the 1st round of the solo performance category will have at least 5 members and is international.
  3. The jury for the 2nd round of the solo performance category and the 1st round of the chamber ensemble category will have at least 7 members and will consist of personalities from the Czech and international music scenes, of whom a maximum of 2 will be representatives of the EBU.
  4. The jury for the final round of each category will have at least 5 members and will consist of significant personalities from the domestic and international music scene, of whom one will be a representative of the EBU. 
  5. The juries in each of the competition rounds must contain different people. The juries for the individual Competition categories may contain the same people.
  6. The jury members may not have any familial relationships with any of the competing candidates.
  7. If a jury member has taught any of the competitors, he or she must declare this relationship to the remaining members of the jury and the Competition directorate. The jury member will not be authorised to evaluate the given competitor in such a situation.
  8. The jury members for the 1st and 2nd rounds of the solo performance category and the 1st round of the chamber ensemble category may not receive any information about the Competition candidates.
  9. The juries will vote secretly and anonymously on voting slips.
  10. The juries’ meetings will not be public, with the exception of the participation of the promotor’s authorised representatives. The juries’ decisions will be final. The meetings of all juries containing international members will be held in English.

Article 10: The Competition prizes

  1. The jury in the Competition’s public final rounds may award the first, second and third prizes in the solo performance category and the chamber ensemble category. The winners of these prizes will receive the title “Laureate of the Concertino Praga competition". The jury may also award “Honourable mentions”. The jury does not have to award all the prizes. The jury will not award any prizes ex aequo (shared prizes).
  2. The jury will also award other prizes, the list of which is published on the Competition’s website and is regularly updated.
  3. Other prizes dedicated by the Competition’s partners may also be awarded at the suggestion of the Competition jury. These prizes will be presented by the jury’s chairperson and the prize donor.
  4. One of the prizes is the Audience Prize, which is awarded on the basis of the votes of the audience members in attendance at the Competition’s final public round. This prize will be awarded by a representative of the Academy of Classical Music.
  5. The 2nd and 3rd prizes in the Competition may be sponsored by public institutions or private entities. They will be presented by the jury chairperson and a representative of the prize sponsor. The prize’s name may also include the name of the natural person or the legal entity which has sponsored it.
  6. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes become the laureates of Concertino Praga.
  7. The holders of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will receive prizes in the form of financial scholarships in the amount of:
  1. a) For the solo category 
    1st prize - 5 000 EUR
    2nd prize - 2 700 EUR
    3rd prize - 1 800 EUR

    b) For the category "chamber music"
    1st prize - 5 000 EUR for chamber ensemble
    2nd prize - 2 700 EUR for chamber ensemble
    3rd prize - 1 800 EUR for chamber ensemble

The financial prizes will be paid in the form of scholarships on the basis of the submission of the Concertino Praga prize winner’s application for an appropriate educational program and will do so by direct credit to the account of the organiser or provider of the given educational program on the basis of a payment order. The prizes may also be paid out to the winners in the form of contributions towards the purchase of musical instruments after reaching an agreement with the competition directorate and after the submission of the appropriate documents associated with the purchase of the instrument in question.

Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Award - This award is given by the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation for the best interpretation of Bohuslav Martinů's work. The foundation awards one prize in the solo and chamber categories.

Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Růžičková Foundation Award - This award is given by the Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Růžičková Foundation for the best interpretation of a contemporary music. The foundation awards one prize in the solo and chamber categories.

The Karel Komárek Family Foundation Award - This award is intended for the best Czech participant in the solo category of the competition.

Czech Radio prize

The winner of the first prize will receive either
1) the opportunity to record their own CD in the Czech Radio studios. The recording will be released in a run of 200 CDs (by mutual agreement), of which the radio organisation which sent the candidate to the competition will receive 20; Czech Radio reserves the right to receive 30 copies for the promotion of the competition. The recording and release of this non-commercial CD is designed to support the most successful candidate, who can use the recording for promotional purposes.

or

2) the opportunity to record in the Czech Radio studios with the option of the non-commercial use of all forms, all technical means and for all methods of promotion, whereby Czech Radio will secure the purchase of any protected works.

The selection of these two options will be at the discretion of the first prize winner.

The recording may not be used for any commercial purpose without the written consent of Czech Radio (the conclusion of a licencing contract). Czech Radio will be the issuer of the CD and the holder of rights of the audio recording’s creator. Czech Radio reserves the right to use this recording for its promotional purposes and for radio broadcasts.

Article 11: The South Bohemian Concertino Praga Festival

The laureates of the Concertino Praga – Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians are obliged to participate in the South Bohemian Concertino Praga Festival in September 2021.

Article 12: The Concertino Praga prizes

The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will become laureates of the Concertino Praga.

Article 13: The radio broadcasts during the course of the Concertino Praga

  1. The final round will be broadcast live by Czech Radio - Vltava. The organiser will do everything to ensure that this concert is broadcast live in the form of a video broadcast and in the Euroradio season via the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) during the course of 2021/2022.
  2. Czech Radio – Vltava will broadcast the concerts from the South Bohemian festival either live or as recordings.
  3. The organiser will provide the EBU with a pink offer of the recordings of those candidates who have been awarded the first, second and third prizes. The EBU will receive this offer within one month of the end of the jury’s deliberations.
  4. The organiser will also offer the EBU broadcasts of all the concerts, both live and as recordings. The radio organisations which have participated in the competition will bear a moral obligation to broadcast the audio recordings.

Article 14: Compensation for costs

The organiser will provide compensation for the following costs:

1. the transport and accommodation costs for the laureates and their escorts in Prague and to the South Bohemian Concertino Praga festival, but only in the case of transport and accommodation organised by the organiser. The organiser will not cover any costs for travel or accommodation which the laurate and his or her escort arrange themselves.

A Czech Radio employee will be responsible for the participants from the Czech Republic throughout the period of the aforementioned events. The accompaniment of a legal guardian is permitted, but the legal guardian must meet any associated costs.

1. The organiser will only pay the transport costs to and from the Czech Republic for the Competition laureates and their escorts.

In the case of the chamber ensembles, the organiser will only pay the aforementioned costs for an escort, if none of the members of the ensemble are of age. Being of age is taken to mean 18 years of age. If any of the ensemble members are of age, they will assume responsibility for the underage members of the ensemble on the basis of authorisation to do so from the legal guardians of those ensemble members who are still minors.

2. The winners and participants at the concerts in the Competition will not receive an honorarium from the organiser. Similarly, no honorarium will be paid to the organisation which registered them in the competition.

3. A candidate’s escort may either be his or her legal guardian or a delegate from the organisation which has registered the candidate in the Competition. If the escort is not the candidate’s legal guardian, the legal guardian’s verified consent for the escort will be required.

Article 15: The concluding provisions

  1. By submitting a recording to the Competition, the competitor or the organisation which has registered the candidate in the Competition has provided consent for the further use of the recording by Czech Radio and the members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), especially for its use in radio broadcasts and for the further promotion of the competition (for example, the inclusion of the recordings on the websites of Czech Radio and the Academy of Classical Music). By submitting the registration to the Concertino Praga competition, the organisation and the competitor have also stated their full agreement with the Competition’s Statute and these Competition Conditions.
  2. The Competitors who received the 1st - 3rd prize during the 54th year of the Competition in 2020 cannot enter the solo category for 2021.
  3. The recovery of any prizes through the courts has been ruled out.
  4. The Competition’s organiser reserves the right to change the Competition’s rules.
  5. The Competition conditions have been drawn up in Czech and in English. The Czech version will be decisive in the case of any disputed interpretation.
  6. The Competition Conditions are available online at www.concertinopraga.cz and www.akademieklasickehudby.cz.
  7. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) are available online: www.concertinopraga.cz/faq