MAJ LIND -COMPETITION
RULES
APPLICATION FORM
JURY
COMPETITION COMMITTEE
CONTACT INFORMATION

SUOMEKSI

THE THIRD HELSINKI INTERNATIONAL MAJ LIND PIANO COMPETITION 2012

RULES

I

The Third Helsinki International Maj Lind Piano Competition, organized by the Sibelius Academy, will take place in Helsinki on September 13-27, 2012. The Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities born in 1982 or later.

II

Pianists wishing to enter the Competition must send an original, correctly completed and signed application to reach the Competition Secretary by May 15, 2012 at 3 pm (local time) at the latest. The address is as follows:  

The Helsinki International Maj Lind Piano Competition
Sibelius Academy
P.O. Box 86
00251 Helsinki
Finland

Address for private carriers: Töölönkatu 28, 00260 Helsinki

Applications sent by telefax or e-mail will not be accepted.

The following enclosures must accompany the signed application:

a) A copy of the applicant’s passport or Birth Certificate
b) An account of the applicant’s music studies and performing activities
c) Possible recommendations and major concert reviews
d) A DVD-video (DVD +r or –r) containing a Viennese-classical work and a virtuoso etude, played by the applicant

The DVD-video must give a clear picture of the performing event, the player’s hands and face. The DVD-video must not be edited. Works or clearly defined movements may, however, be filmed on different occasions. The DVD-video must be accompanied by details of where and when it was made. 

e) A photo (measuring at least 9 x 12 cm). The photo may also be sent as a JPG file to anna.krohn@siba.fi.

DVD-videos and application documents cannot be returned.

III

Should it prove necessary to limit the number of contestants, the Competition Committee will select the contestants on the basis of the application documents and DVD-videos. The successful applicants will be notified in a letter dated June 15, 2012 at the latest.

IV

Free accommodation in families will be provided for contestants throughout the competition. Contestants will pay their own fares to and from Helsinki. Those contestants not residing in Europe may apply for a travel grant, which may be awarded by the Competition Committee at its own discretion. The Secretariat will reserve hotel accommodations for contestants wishing to pay for their own rooms during their stay in Helsinki. Contestants requiring a visa for Finland must obtain it themselves.

V

The order of contestants will be decided by a drawing of lots at 12 o’clock noon on September 13, 2012. All contestants must be present in person at the drawing, or send a representative with a letter of authorisation. The order of performance will remain in principle the same throughout the competition; however, it may be altered in the finals for reasons of expediency.

VI COMPETITION PROCEDURE AND REPERTOIRE

The Competition has three rounds, which will be open to the public. The entire competition program must be played from memory, excluding the commissioned work performed in the second round, some demanding contemporary compositions and the piano quartet in the finals. The competitors may perform the works of the first and second rounds in any order they choose.  

FIRST ROUND: September 14-18, 2012
A maximum of 40 contestants will be accepted for the first round.

Repertoire:

1) A prelude and fugue by J.S. Bach; the contestant may also add other music composed before 1750
2) A work by Dussek, Haydn, Clementi, Mozart, Beethoven, Hummel or Schubert, lasting at least 10 minutes
3) Three etudes, one from each of the following groups:
a. Chopin
b. Liszt, Alkan, Saint-Saëns, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin; alternatively, a toccata by Czerny or Schumann
c. An etude composed in the 1900’s or 2000’s, excluding those by Scriabin or Rachmaninoff; alternatively, a toccata by Debussy, Ravel or Prokofiev
4) A freely chosen program of music composed in 1960 or later

The total duration of the repertoire for the first round must not exceed 45 minutes.

SECOND ROUND: September 20-21, 2012
A maximum of 14 contestants will be accepted for the second round.

Repertoire:

1) Either
a. One of the two works commissioned for the Competition, composed by Maija Hynninen and Matthew Whittall (duration 5–10 minutes)
or
b. A work composed by the contestant (approximately 10 minutes)
or
c. An improvisation lasting not more than 10 minutes, on a theme given to the contestant 20 minutes before the performance
2) A Sibelius program lasting at least 5 minutes
3) A program of the contestant’s own choice

The total duration of the repertoire for the second round must be not more than 60 minutes. The commissioned works will be sent, by June 15, 2012, to the applicants accepted for the competition.

FINALS:  September 23 and September 26-27, 2012
Six contestants will be accepted for the finals.

Repertoire:

1.One of the following piano quartets:

Brahms No. 2 in A major, Op. 26
Fauré No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
Mozart No. 2 in E-flat major, KV. 493
Schumann E-flat major, Op. 47  

2. One of the following concertos:

Bartók No.  3
Beethoven No. 4 or 5
Brahms No. 1 or 2
Chopin No. 1 or 2
Grieg
Liszt No. 2
Prokofiev No. 2 or 3
Rachmaninoff No. 2 or 3
Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand
Saint-Saëns No. 5
Tchaikovsky No. 1

VII

The Jury will consist of 7 persons: a chairman, five foreign members and one Finnish member.

VIII PRIZES

The other three finalists will each receive a prize of  € 5,000.

The Jury will have the right to award the prizes differently. Special prizes may also be awarded.

IX

The prizes will be awarded after the finals on September 27, 2012.

X

The organizers of the Competition will have unlimited rights to broadcast the competition performances on radio and television, to make audio and video tapes as well as films and records, and to show and distribute performance excerpts on the Internet and other data networks without restrictions with regard to time or territories. The contestants will have no right to make any claims, financial and otherwise, to any of the above-mentioned items.

XI

These rules were originally written in Finnish. Any disagreements resulting from the interpretation of the text would be resolved according to the original Finnish text. The procedure in the event of a force majeure contingency is to be decided by the Competition Committee.