EVMTA Piano Competition

When

March 2, 2024 - March 3, 2024    
All Day

Where

MCC Performing Arts Center
1520 S Longmore Street
Mesa, AZ 85202

SOLO AND DUET
COMPETITION GUIDELINES

REQUIREMENT FOR TEACHERS:
To enter students in the EVMTA Piano Competition, each teacher needs to participate with his/her studio in at least one of the following EVMTA events: Music Showcase (October), Fall Recital (November), Composers Celebration Concert (December), or Piano Ensemble (January/February). Participating students do not have to be the same students who will be enrolled at the competition. Please see the EVMTA Events page for the information and application deadlines for those events.

COMPETITION DATESaturday, March 2, 2024 (individual times TBA following receipt of all applications)
WINNERS’ RECITAL AND AWARDS CEREMONY: Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 1:30 PM
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM
LOCATION: Mesa Community College

REQUIRED REPERTOIRE: Two pieces, performed from memory, one from each category: 1. Baroque or Classical 2. Romantic or Impressionistic or Contemporary
REQUIRED REPERTOIRE FOR PIANO DUET: Compositions for ONE piano, 2 performers. Only students 12-18 are allowed to participate.

APPLICATION FEES:
Categories A & B $30.00
Categories C & D $35.00
Categories E & F $40.00
Piano Duets $40.00 per duet
Note: Registration fees are non-refundable

AWARDS FOR SOLO AND DUET PIANO COMPETITION:
Gold medal – one winner only
Silver Medal – up to two winners
Bronze Medal – up to three winners
Honorable Mention – awarded at the discretion of the judges Winners of each category will receive a medal and cash awards. Honorable mentions will not receive cash awards.

Special Awards:

• One participant from the solo division will be selected to receive a special jury award.
• One participant from the solo division will be selected to receive the Best Performance of a Piece by an Underrepresented/Indigenous Composer

Please Note: Students who compete in the solo division or in both solo and duet divisions cannot participate in the Jason Sipe Prize Performance competition. Students who are competing ONLY in the duet division will be allowed to participate in a solo category in the Jason Sipe Prize Performance competition.

REQUIRED AGE AND TIME ALLOTMENT FOR EACH CATEGORY (ages are as of 3/2/2024)

Category A — Ages 7 & under — 6 minutes
Category B — Ages 8 & 9 — 8 minutes
Category C — Ages 10 & 11 — 10 minutes
Category D — Ages 12 & 13 — 12 minutes
Category E — Ages 14 & 15 — 15 minutes
Category F — Ages 16 & 18 — 20 minutes
Piano Duet — Ages 12-18 — 8 minutes

TIME ALLOTMENT- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Entrants may not exceed the prescribed time limit.
• Performances exceeding the specified time limits may be stopped at the judges’ discretion, and exceeding the time limit may result in disqualification. Students may choose to compete in a higher category than their appropriate age.
• First place winners from the previous competition are ineligible to compete in the same age category again, but they may compete in higher-age categories.

REGISTRATION GUIDELINES

• Registration MUST be completed by teachers only.
• It is strongly recommended that teachers collect the registration fees from parents/guardians before completing the online registration process to prevent confusion.
• Each piece should be labeled with the complete title and the composer’s name in the designated area. For example: Sonata in c sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, III. Presto agitato by L.V. Beethoven.

REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS

• SOLO DIVISION: Two memorized pieces are to be presented. One work must be from the Baroque or Classical period, and the other from the Romantic through Contemporary periods.
(Note: Keyboard music from the Renaissance period is not allowed).
• PIANO DUET DIVISION: The repertoire must be ONE piece by composers of renown and/or established pedagogical composers from one of the standard time periods of music. Pieces may or may not be performed from memory.
• Multiple movements of a work may be entered as one selection.
• No cut is permitted in longer works, such as variations at the performer’s discretion.
• Compositions by underrepresented/indigenous composers are welcomed, but they must have prior approval by the chair to secure the artistic level of the program.
• Transcriptions by acclaimed composers (such as Liszt or Rachmaninoff) may be allowed after being approved by the chair. Original compositions by composers of renown are preferred.
• Pieces from method books are not allowed unless they are written by renowned composers.
• Students with PDF scores downloaded from the Internet need to have permission to use this music (please contact the chairperson). Also, they must complete the MTNA Music Release Form. No photocopies from published books are allowed.
• All scores must be checked by the competition monitor prior to the entrant’s performance. Measures must be numbered at the beginning of each line.
• No changes in repertoire are allowed after the application deadline.
• All questions concerning appropriateness of the chosen repertoire may be directed to the chairperson at ninatahbaz55@gmail.com.

COMPETITION
Entrants will perform for a panel of three judges. It is left to the discretion of the judges to make decisions on the awards. Decisions of the judges are final and may not be challenged. Chairperson(s) of the competition may enter students, but judges of the competition may NOT enter students. No video or audio recording is allowed at the competition. Winners’ recital may be recorded.

TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

• Each student entered must have studied with the current teacher entering him/her for at least six months prior to the competition.
• Each teacher must abide by all requirements and deadlines. Non-compliance will result in disqualification.
• All questions/inquiries should come from the teachers only.
• Participating teachers, students, and their parents should respect the judges and organizers of the competition and allow the competition to run smoothly. If there are any complaints, they can be delivered in a written form.
• Gold Medal winners will perform one piece selected by the judges at the Winners’ Recital. No change is allowed by teachers.
• Participating teachers are expected to volunteer their time to the competition or furnish a substitute volunteer if they are not available. They will receive a sign-up form for volunteering from the chair prior to the competition.
Teachers must not identify themselves, nor their students, to the judges at any time. Doing so will result in disqualification for that student. Names of the teacher and/or the student must not be found on the music. All such identifying marks must be completely covered.

TEACHER’S ELIGIBILITY – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Non-EVMTA members can participate in this competition by paying a teacher’s fee of $35.00 per each student or duet enrolled (not to exceed the maximum amount of $150.00 for any number of students enrolled). A student of a non- member teacher will pay a competition fee increased by an additional $5.00 per category.

If you are a Current EVMTA member who did not fulfill the mandatory Fall event participation, please contact the competition chair before enrolling students.

PRELIMINARY ROUND:
If the number of applicants requires preliminary auditions, they will be held via video recordings. We encourage applicants to prepare their videos before the application deadline in case preliminary auditions are necessary. See the Guidelines for Video and Score Submissions.

Teachers will be notified by Friday, February 4, 2024, whether or not their students are required to participate in a preliminary round. The video/score submission deadline is Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 11:59 PM. The results of the preliminary round will be announced one week prior to the competition’s date, and the comments will be emailed to teachers after the competition.

GUIDELINES FOR VIDEO AND SCORE SUBMISSION:

• The video must be recorded in ONE take and must NOT involve any audio or visual editing. The two pieces should be performed back-to-back.
• Recordings made with a professional camcorder and microphones are highly recommended. The use of iPhones or similar quality devices that reproduce good quality sound is also acceptable.
• Submissions must NOT be publicized before the competition results are announced.
• Only recordings made on acoustic pianos (upright or grand) are accepted. The competitor’s face, hands, and feet must be clearly visible in the video at all times.
• Include composers and full titles of the pieces (opus, catalog numbers, etc.) in the description of the video on YouTube. Do NOT include the name of the performer or teacher.
• No speaking and warmup are allowed in the video.
• To ensure the quality and consistency of the videos among entrants, set up the camera from the audience’s perspective, limit background noise, and make sure the performance space is well lit.
• Record the video first, then upload it to YouTube under “unlisted” option. Recording within the YouTube app may cause compression of the file and reduced sound quality.
• The YouTube channel must NOT reveal the applicant’s identity and/or their teacher’s name.
• Send the YouTube link and the digital score of the pieces for each student to ninatahbaz55@gmail.com by Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 11:59 PM. In the subject bar of the email include the following information: [Teacher’s name], [Student’s name], [Category].
The score for pieces must be compiled in one pdf file and in the same order of performance. Further information regarding updating the title of the videos and getting them ready for the preliminary adjudication will be emailed to the teachers after the submission deadline.

For any questions or more information, please send an email to ninatahbaz55@gmail.com

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED

Click Here for the EVMTA Event Cancellation Policy

EVMTA Piano Competition