COMPETITION FORMAT

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• Preliminary Round - Online by video recordings. The selected finalists will be announced on January 1, 2024.

• Final Round - Live auditions will take place on Saturday, January 13, at the Recital Hall of Kawai Piano Gallery Houston. Competitors will perform on 9 ft Shigeru Kawai grand piano.

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AGE CATEGORIES

• Category A - 5-8* years old

• Category B - 9-13* years old

• Category C - 14-17* years old

       *As of January 13, 2024

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RULES AND REGULATIONS​

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• Application Deadline - December 29, 2023, 11:59:59 PM (CDT)

• The Online Application Form and Application Fee must be submitted simultaneously.

• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• The awards, certificates and cash prizes will ONLY be distributed IN PERSON. No postal or online prize or certificate deliveries will be arranged.

• All compositions must be performed by memory during both rounds. 

• The posted time limit should be taken into consideration by the applicants when selecting the repertoire. The applicants whose live performance exceeds the posted time limit will be stopped.

• No simplified or shortened versions of any compositions are allowed.

• All the decisions of the adjudicators are FINAL.

• Jury reserves the right to:​

  • not to award any of the prizes

  • to split a prize between several contestants

  • to stop any performance which exceeds posted time limits or does not meet professional standards

  • to disqualify any candidate who does not comply with any of Competition’s regulations, norms of social behavior, State of Texas and Federal Laws.

• First Prize Winners of 2023 Rachmaninoff Competition are not allowed to compete in 2024 in the same age category. 

• Prize Winners (except First Prize) and Honorable Mention recipients of the 2020-2023 Glissando Competitions (San Diego, CA), the 2023 Sergei Rachmaninoff Competition (Houston, TX), and the Russian Souvenir Competitions will automatically advance to the Final Round without the need for Preliminary Round video submission. Application forms and application fees are still required for these participants. 

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REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS

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• Free choice of repertoire with minimum of two (2) solo compositions of contrasting styles are required for Categories A and B.

• Free choice of repertoire plus one complete solo work by Sergei Rachmaninoff is required for Category C. 

• No ensembles, two-piano works, or piano concertos are allowed.

• Applicants can choose to perform the same or different selection for the Preliminary and Final Rounds. In both cases the time limit must not be exceeded. If different repertoire is chosen for the Final Round, it must be submitted in the Final Round Repertoire section of the Application Form, following the Preliminary Round Repertoire. 

• No repertoire changes are allowed once the application is submitted. 

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Category A: Time limit - 7 minutes maximum

Category B: Time limit - 12 minutes maximum​

Category C: Time limit - 17 minutes maximum

 

PRELIMINARY ROUND VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS

 

Please carefully review each requirement before submitting your video. 

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• Video must be recorded horizontally - if you are using a phone or tablet, please make sure you flip it on its side. Vertical screen recordings will be rejected.

• Audio must be clear and without any environmental noises or distractions. 

• No editing or enhancing of any kind is allowed for both video and audio. 

• Please record only your playing, with neither talking nor announcing the pieces.

• The program can be recorded in separate files / takes for each piece. Up to three links are allowed for submission in the Application Form.

• Recordings should be a fair representation of Contestant’s abilities - keyboard, both hands, and face (profile) must be visible at all times.

• Instrument requirements: grand piano or acoustic upright piano. No digital/electronic instruments are allowed. Piano must be fully functional and properly tuned.

• Contestants must perform the entire program from memory.

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