REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION
"CREATIVE COMPOSERS 2018"
INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION
"CREATIVE COMPOSERS 2018"
* We kindly ask the composers to carefully read the whole regulation, which contains detailed information. As already happened with our previous competitions, many composers write us to ask for the same things, which are clearly explained in this regulation. This is probably due to the unwillingness to read such a long regulation, which refers to 4 different competitions. However, if you read it carefully, you will find the answers to all your questions. "Participation in this contest implies acceptance of these Rules"
CONTEST RULES
1 – In this contest any music style is allowed, however it stands out from the previous editions in particular for the first two categories (A and B) which test the creativity of the composers and urge them to create new compositions, within a short time, using only the instruments indicated.
2 - This regulation is very similar to the previous one, but contains the obligation to use the instruments specified for the first two Live categories. In the third category, the composers will be able to choose the instruments that they prefer based on a list (like in the previous competitions.) Conversely, for the fourth category- which is completely different from the other three sections – the choice of the instruments is utterly free.
3 - All the music genres shall be admitted in all the contest categories, provided that the score is written in a clear way. In particular, the third and fourth category are open to: compositions for symphonic orchestra, bands, jazz orchestras, movie soundtracks, different music styles from everywhere in the world (classic, contemporary, choir and solo singers etc. etc.). The competition is open to any musical expression. From compositions written for a single instrument, to those for large orchestra.
4 - As the contest is open to all forms of musical expression, it is allowed to participate with any kind of compositions. According to latest research, there are at least 1264 music genres all over he world. All genres are admitted, and compositions may be registered for any of the 3 categories of this third edition. Special prizes, in addition to those specified in the rules, will be awarded to the most unusual and interesting music genres, with complete freedom of musical experimentation.
5 – The first three categories shall be judged live; which means that they shall be played directly before the jury by one of our orchestras. The compositions of the fourth category called "Instruments of the world" will not be played by the orchestra, but will be rather judged after the reproduction of the audio files and the display of the musical score, by evaluating the files sent by the composers, as happens in the majority of the competitions worldwide. We have added this fourth category to allow the composers to include any existing instrument, including the ethnic ones and those which are rarely used in Western orchestras. Each orchestra, even the larger ones, has its own limitations from an instrumental point of view, therefore it would be impossible to find musicians able to play any instrument, considering the countless instruments in the world.
6 – Most of the articles included in this regulation provide rules applicable to all the categories, except for some points dealing specifically with one of the four categories, which differ from one another in some aspects, such as the participation fee costs (much lower for the fourth category).
7 - EACH CATEGORY is an independent international contest, with no connection to other categories. Composers who register in 3-4 different categories are basically participating in 3-4 separate contests. There is a relation among the various competitions, but only for the numerous prizes and those who sign up for multiple categories. This novelty is interesting and has been introduced in these contests. There will be also a special prize for those who obtain the highest score, adding up the scores reached in the Live categories for which the composer has signed up. Therefore, if a composer takes part in two or three Live categories, in addition to the specific prizes of each category, he/she can win the special prizes relating to the highest score obtained by adding up the “A+B”, “A+C”, “B+C”, “A+B+C” categories (as will be better explained further on.)
8 - Each composer may also take part in different categories with the same composition, provided that it is compatible with the instruments specified; since these competitions are independent and will be judged in a different way.
9 - WHO CAN TAKE PART IN THE CONTEST
10 – All composers of the world may take part in the contest, from any Country of any continent.
11 – No is required a music diploma.
12 - There are no age limits. Young music students as well as elderly composers are admitted. As always, the jury will not know the name or age of composers, so that all musicians may have equal chances, even the youngest. We cannot exclude the possibility that somewhere in the world there may be a child prodigy, composing great music at a very young age, like Mozart did. All composers younger than 18 years must have a written and signed authorisation by their parents, or legal tutor.
13 - Compositions may have been already played in public and may appear on YouTube or other websites; they may also be recorded on CDs/DVDs. Compositions will not be admitted if they won the first prize in other contests.
14 – THE NUMBER OF PLACES IS LIMITED to max 30 composers of each registered Nation (for each category), or Independent State. No additional registrations will be accepted from Nations which already reached this number of contestants. This rule aims to allow enough time to evaluate all compositions in the best possible way, which would be impossible to do in the time frame available, if contestants are too many. This way, the Contest will be better manageable and will represent many different Nations. 30 composers of each registered Nation is the maximum number allowed for each category of the contest.
15 – THE CONTEST IS DIVIDED INTO 4 CATEGORIES, four different composition contests:
CATEGORY “A”: “LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA”
CATEGORY “B”: “LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA”
CATEGORY “C”: “LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA”
CATEGORY “D”: “INSTRUMENTS OF THE WORLD”
Now, let us see the characteristics of each category:
16 – CATEGORY "A": “LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA” (14 mandatory parts).
In this category only compositions with the following 14 instrumental parts shall be admitted: violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, double bass (4 strings), oboe 1, oboe 2, horn 1, horn 2, bassoon 1, bassoon 2, flute, clarinet, timpani (4).
The orchestra playing the songs before the jury shall be made up of about 20 string instruments which play the same parts in unison, in addition to the other instruments indicated, thus creating an orchestra consisting of at least 30 musicians. However, the composition must include only 14 parts.
17 – CATEGORY "B": “LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA” (5 mandatory parts).
In this category only compositions for string instruments are allowed, precisely with these 5 instrumental parts: violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, double bass (4-string).
The orchestra playing the song before the jury shall be made up of several instruments, which play the same parts in unison, thus creating an orchestra of at least 20 musicians. However the composition must include only 5 parts.
18 – CATEGORY “C”: “LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA” (from 1 to 50 parts of your choice).
19 - Compositions of this category may include maximum 50 different instrumental or vocal parts, with all possible mixed combinations. The expression “instrumental parts” especially refers to the number of musicians, considering that the same musician may sometimes play several instruments at the same time, such as percussionists. For example, if the same musician plays 4 different percussion instruments, which alternate during the song, these 4 instruments will count for one (instead of 4 different parts). Similarly, if the same musician plays the flute and the piccolo, and these instruments alternate in the track, they will count for one, instead of two. In this category is possible to partecipate also with the compositions for solo instrument (1 part), for example solo compositions for piano, harp, guitar, violin, cello, accordion etc.
2 - This regulation is very similar to the previous one, but contains the obligation to use the instruments specified for the first two Live categories. In the third category, the composers will be able to choose the instruments that they prefer based on a list (like in the previous competitions.) Conversely, for the fourth category- which is completely different from the other three sections – the choice of the instruments is utterly free.
3 - All the music genres shall be admitted in all the contest categories, provided that the score is written in a clear way. In particular, the third and fourth category are open to: compositions for symphonic orchestra, bands, jazz orchestras, movie soundtracks, different music styles from everywhere in the world (classic, contemporary, choir and solo singers etc. etc.). The competition is open to any musical expression. From compositions written for a single instrument, to those for large orchestra.
4 - As the contest is open to all forms of musical expression, it is allowed to participate with any kind of compositions. According to latest research, there are at least 1264 music genres all over he world. All genres are admitted, and compositions may be registered for any of the 3 categories of this third edition. Special prizes, in addition to those specified in the rules, will be awarded to the most unusual and interesting music genres, with complete freedom of musical experimentation.
5 – The first three categories shall be judged live; which means that they shall be played directly before the jury by one of our orchestras. The compositions of the fourth category called "Instruments of the world" will not be played by the orchestra, but will be rather judged after the reproduction of the audio files and the display of the musical score, by evaluating the files sent by the composers, as happens in the majority of the competitions worldwide. We have added this fourth category to allow the composers to include any existing instrument, including the ethnic ones and those which are rarely used in Western orchestras. Each orchestra, even the larger ones, has its own limitations from an instrumental point of view, therefore it would be impossible to find musicians able to play any instrument, considering the countless instruments in the world.
6 – Most of the articles included in this regulation provide rules applicable to all the categories, except for some points dealing specifically with one of the four categories, which differ from one another in some aspects, such as the participation fee costs (much lower for the fourth category).
7 - EACH CATEGORY is an independent international contest, with no connection to other categories. Composers who register in 3-4 different categories are basically participating in 3-4 separate contests. There is a relation among the various competitions, but only for the numerous prizes and those who sign up for multiple categories. This novelty is interesting and has been introduced in these contests. There will be also a special prize for those who obtain the highest score, adding up the scores reached in the Live categories for which the composer has signed up. Therefore, if a composer takes part in two or three Live categories, in addition to the specific prizes of each category, he/she can win the special prizes relating to the highest score obtained by adding up the “A+B”, “A+C”, “B+C”, “A+B+C” categories (as will be better explained further on.)
8 - Each composer may also take part in different categories with the same composition, provided that it is compatible with the instruments specified; since these competitions are independent and will be judged in a different way.
9 - WHO CAN TAKE PART IN THE CONTEST
10 – All composers of the world may take part in the contest, from any Country of any continent.
11 – No is required a music diploma.
12 - There are no age limits. Young music students as well as elderly composers are admitted. As always, the jury will not know the name or age of composers, so that all musicians may have equal chances, even the youngest. We cannot exclude the possibility that somewhere in the world there may be a child prodigy, composing great music at a very young age, like Mozart did. All composers younger than 18 years must have a written and signed authorisation by their parents, or legal tutor.
13 - Compositions may have been already played in public and may appear on YouTube or other websites; they may also be recorded on CDs/DVDs. Compositions will not be admitted if they won the first prize in other contests.
14 – THE NUMBER OF PLACES IS LIMITED to max 30 composers of each registered Nation (for each category), or Independent State. No additional registrations will be accepted from Nations which already reached this number of contestants. This rule aims to allow enough time to evaluate all compositions in the best possible way, which would be impossible to do in the time frame available, if contestants are too many. This way, the Contest will be better manageable and will represent many different Nations. 30 composers of each registered Nation is the maximum number allowed for each category of the contest.
15 – THE CONTEST IS DIVIDED INTO 4 CATEGORIES, four different composition contests:
CATEGORY “A”: “LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA”
CATEGORY “B”: “LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA”
CATEGORY “C”: “LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA”
CATEGORY “D”: “INSTRUMENTS OF THE WORLD”
Now, let us see the characteristics of each category:
16 – CATEGORY "A": “LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA” (14 mandatory parts).
In this category only compositions with the following 14 instrumental parts shall be admitted: violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, double bass (4 strings), oboe 1, oboe 2, horn 1, horn 2, bassoon 1, bassoon 2, flute, clarinet, timpani (4).
The orchestra playing the songs before the jury shall be made up of about 20 string instruments which play the same parts in unison, in addition to the other instruments indicated, thus creating an orchestra consisting of at least 30 musicians. However, the composition must include only 14 parts.
17 – CATEGORY "B": “LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA” (5 mandatory parts).
In this category only compositions for string instruments are allowed, precisely with these 5 instrumental parts: violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, double bass (4-string).
The orchestra playing the song before the jury shall be made up of several instruments, which play the same parts in unison, thus creating an orchestra of at least 20 musicians. However the composition must include only 5 parts.
18 – CATEGORY “C”: “LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA” (from 1 to 50 parts of your choice).
19 - Compositions of this category may include maximum 50 different instrumental or vocal parts, with all possible mixed combinations. The expression “instrumental parts” especially refers to the number of musicians, considering that the same musician may sometimes play several instruments at the same time, such as percussionists. For example, if the same musician plays 4 different percussion instruments, which alternate during the song, these 4 instruments will count for one (instead of 4 different parts). Similarly, if the same musician plays the flute and the piccolo, and these instruments alternate in the track, they will count for one, instead of two. In this category is possible to partecipate also with the compositions for solo instrument (1 part), for example solo compositions for piano, harp, guitar, violin, cello, accordion etc.
LIST OF INSTRUMENTS ADMITTED IN THIS THIRD “LIVE” CATEGORY
Flute
Piccolo Alto Flute Bass Flute Oboe Oboe d'Amore English horn Clarinet in Bb-Eb-A Bass Clarinet in Bb Soprano Saxophone Alto Saxophone Tenor Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Bassoon Contrabassoon Harmonica Bagpipes Didgeridoo Horn in F/Bb Trumpet in C- Bb-Eb Trombone in Bb/F Bass Tuba in Bb Violin Viola Cello Double Bass Harp Classical Guitar Acoustic and Electric Guitar Lute (13 stringed) Sitar Pianoforte Harpsichord Celesta Organ (32 Pedals) Accordion Bandoneon |
Timpani
Snare drum Bass drum Cymbals Tambourine Triangle Xylophone Glockenspiel Tubular Bells Marimba Vibraphone Orchestral Bells Tom Tom Crotales Large Gong Medium Gong Tam-tam Sleigh Bells Bongos Congas Timbales Cabasa Castanets Hand claps Maracas Rain Stick * Other small percussion VOCAL PARTS Soprano Mezzo-soprano Contralto Countertenor Tenor Baritone Bass Choir |
20 – In case of doubts, or if you wish to add instruments that are not included in the list, please send us an email.
21 - It will be up to conductors to decide how many identical instruments will play the same part together, for example 12 violins – 6 cellos – 4 double basses, etc. Composers may also give their own suggestions about which orchestra formation they consider to be the most suitable.
22 – CATEGORY: “INSTRUMENTS OF THE WORLD”: Compositions of this category may include from 1 to 50 different instrumental or vocal parts, with all possible mixed combinations, from one single instrument or voice up to big orchestra.
23 - This category is extremely different from the other three "LIVE" categories. The main differences are: *The compositions of this category will not be played by our orchestras; *To evaluate the compositions, the judges will listen to the audio files previously sent and examine the musical score; *All the existing musical instruments can be used; *The participation cost is much lower than the other categories, because the orchestra is not included and the single parts must not be printed.
24 - Almost every point included in this Regulation also applies to the third category, except for two important aspects: 1) It is mandatory to send the audio file (which is optional for the first three categories); 2) Only themusical score must be sent, i.e. the one generally used by orchestra conductors, which includes all the instruments on the same page "without sending the single parts" of each instrument (which is, conversely, mandatory for the other categories).
DATES OF THE COMPETITION – HOW TO SEND COMPOSITIONS
EXTENSION OF THE DEADLINE
Due to major organisational reasons, the competition dates will be postponed for about 30 days. This decision will give the composers more time for the delivery of the material, so that the latter, especially the last participants, will not be forced to send their works hurriedly. As already specified in the contest rules, "The organisation reserves the right to add or partly modify this regulation (obviously, excluding the prizes, that can not be modified)". We are sorry for this change of the dates, which is happening for the first time, of the 5 competitions organized by us. Therefore, (in addition to the others), even the registration deadline has been postponed until Sunday 29 July, instead of Friday 29 June. * All the dates currently reported in the contest rules have been already updated, and the new extension has been indicated. However, this extension will not affect the competition in any way, but will help us complete the procedures in the best way. "There will be no other changes to these dates.”
25 – CLOSING DATE FOR REGISTRATIONS: Sunday 29 July 2018. We remind what was previously mentioned: no more than 30 registrations for each Nation or Independent State will be accepted. For some Nations, therefore, the possibility to register may be over much before this date.
26 - COMPOSITIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY Sunday 5 August 2018. It is possible to submit a limited number of works: composers may participate in any of the 4 categories, even all of them or just one,with a maximum number of 10 compositions for each category. With the first basic registration it is possible to begin with one composition, and further ones may be added until Sunday 29 July 2018. At wish, it is also possible to register many pieces at the same moment.
27 – To enter in the competition it is necessary to send by email the first basic registration, which can be done immediately. Simply by sending the “Registration form”, also just partially filled in (see explanations on the “Registration” page and on the form itself).
28 - By Sunday 5 August 2018 it is necessary to send: 1) The PDF file for each registered composition, including score and all separate parts for “LIVE” categories … only the score without separate parts for “Instruments of the world” category; 2) the registration form, completely filled in; 3) an audio file, optional for “LIVE” categories … obligatory for “Instruments of the world” category; the audio file of the composition can be in mp3 or midi or wav format (preferably compressed, zip or rar), that can be made also with virtual instruments.
29 - All compositions participating in our contest, of the LIVE categories, will be played by our orchestras and judged in a real, not virtual way. This is why it is not obligatory to submit an audio file (for LIVE categories), because the jury will hear compositions being played directly by our orchestras. The audio file, in case it is attached with the rest of the material, will be anyway useful for the conductor and musicians to have an idea of the piece before rehearsals. We suggest that you should also send an audio file, with virtual instruments, realised with the musical notation software that you commonly use, obviously with the exception of handwritten compositions.
30 - For the instrumental compositions intended for Duos or Trios, it is enough to send the score, without the single parts, to help the musicians interpret the tracks.
31 - Composers younger than 18 years must download the “Registration Form” and also fill in the “Authorisation for young composers”, which must be signed by parents or the legal tutor.
32 - All .pdf files must be attached to emails, and not linked from external websites. They may be sent separately or in a .zip or .rar compressed folder. If your email account does not allow too many attachments, we suggest you open a Gmail account, which gives you up to 25 MB attachments in every mail.
33 - You are kindly requested to always use the same email address to communicate with us, so those who wish to create a new email address are advised to do so before contacting us. External websites, such as Google Drive, WeTransfer or the likes, may be used only to submit audio files in case they are too heavy to be attached. Audio files may be compressed too, only .mp3 or .midi or .wav format be accepted.
34 - Composers who wish to submit more than one compositionare not obliged to send them all together, they may also send them at different moments, until Sunday 5 August 2018. We suggest to start sending compositions one by one, not all at the last moment, if possible, so as to allow our orchestras to receive some of the material already before the closing of registrations.
35 - All the required material has to be sent by email, and only a few exceptions will be allowed. “No mail deliveries will be accepted” unless authorized by the contest management”. As an exception, however,composers who write their compositions by hand and might have to scan too many sheets are allowed to send a hard copy by regular mail. All required material must arrive at our Association by Sunday 5 August 2018 Those who use the ordinary mail are required to check delivery times from their country to Italy or Spain. Please keep in mind that ordinary mail deliveries may be subject to custom expenses, which we will have to ask composers to refund us. Those who can send their material by email will avoid these problems.All material sent by regular mail will not be returned.
36 - Before sending anything by regular mail, send an email to the management to ask for authorization and for the exact delivery address. After shipping the material, composers are required to tell us the tracking number so that we can trace the delivery online. We do not assume any liability for material that does not get delivered or that is delivered too late after the deadline. We will not send any document that might be required by customs offices. In case the required material is not delivered on time, incomplete compositions will not be admitted in the contest. No expenses will be refunded for compositions that are not admitted to compete for whatever reason.
37 - The compositions must not be anonymous, as several contests often require. The administrative office itself will make them anonymous before sending them to the conductors, the orchestra and the jury, who will not know the names of the participants until the end of the Contest. The composer's name may appear only on the first page of the score, not on all pages of the composition. It is allowed to use an art name, instead of the real name (the art name must be specified in the registration form).
38 - NOTE: If you write an Art Name in the registration form, we will report it in the result of the competition on the website instead of your actual name. If you want your real name to be revealed, you should not fill in the "Art Name" field.
39 - The compositions may be computer written or hand written, as long as they're easily readable.
40 - ATTENTION: all this required material may be sent later, by email or by regular mail, after the registration. In order for the registration to be confirmed, it is necessary to email the “Registration form” available on the “Registrations” page.
41 - Saturday 13 October 2018 will display the names of the semifinalists that will include 1 composer for every Nation and for every category “that is, the first-placed of every registered Nation”, plus many composers chosen among the best of each category (independently from their Nationality).
42 - The First National Place shall not be awarded if the jury’s opinion is not positive. This rule has been added to avoid the inevitable First National Place to inadequate compositions. In the past, in fact, some Nations were represented only by one composer, who automatically qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition and eventually won in the corresponding National category (sometimes even in all the categories of the competition.) To stop it happening again, in this edition, only those compositions which have scored at least 80/100 will get to the semi-final.
43 – In addition to the national category, this rule applies also to all the other compositions. Basically, "All the compositions" which score at least 80/100 will get to the semi-final, regardless of the Nationality, therefore it is impossible to determine the actual number of the composers who will pass this first selection. Please, remember that if a composer presents different compositions in the same category, they may all get to the semi-final, provided that they attain the pass mark; similarly, they may be all excluded. In the absence of at least 50 compositions beyond the minimum threshold, the best tracks below a score of 80/100 will qualify for the semi-final, until at least 50 semi-finalists are found. However, it is just an unlikely assumption, since many more compositions will surely pass the first selection.
44 - The first selection of the competition includes an evaluation both at National and International level, followed by the award of a score. Then all the compositions which have attained the minimum score of 80/100 will be selected and get to the semi-final, and eventually each Nation will be individually considered to proclaim the first National place. Therefore, some compositions may come in first in the National category with a score lower than the one assigned to the other semi-finalists. For example: the highest score attained by some Nations may be 80/100, while some compositions presented by other Nations may obtain a score of 90/100 and, in spite of this, have not come in first place in their National category. As a result, if you rank first in your National category, you should be satisfied with this result, but this does not mean that you are better than those who did not come in first in their corresponding National categories. If, within the same National category, two or more compositions share the same highest score, the composers will be joint winners. In addition to the top place in the National category, each composer may get to the semi-finals with other compositions. On the occasion of the semi-final, the title of the Compositions and the name of the relating composers who have passed the first selection will be reported on the website. The titles of the compositions shall be written only if not all the compositions submitted by the composer have passed the selection test. Conversely, if only the name of the composer has been written, it means that all his/her compositions (from 1 to 10) have passed the selection test with the minimum score required.
45 - Sunday 16 December 2018, the titles of the 30 (or more) compositions able to get to the Final will be published for each category. The 30 compositions that have attained the highest score - chosen among all the semi-finalists regardless of the Nationality - will qualify for the final stage of the competition: this means that there will be no difference between the winners in each national category and the other participants. If multiple compositions have attained the same score, more than 30 compositions will be able to qualify for the final. Any composer may get to the final with more compositions, among those registered for the competition. Therefore, the final will be based on the number of compositions regardless of the number of composers.
46 – The composition of the panel of judges is partially different for each of the three votes (semi-finalists, finalists, winners), since, in addition to the International Jury, the major professors of the orchestras involved in the competition will also express their opinion. Therefore, the score of the first vote may change after the following ones.
47 - The name of the Winners will be published on the Internet website Saturday 26 January 2019. In this contest, the judges will benefit from more time to avoid any hasty evaluation.
48 - AWARD CEREMONY: Within about two - three months after the publication of the name of the winners, the award concert will take place and feature an international orchestra chosen among our partners.
ALL DATES
Registrations deadline: Sunday 29 July 2018
Registrations deadline for additional compositions: Sunday 29 July 2018
Sending compositions within: Sunday 5 August 2018
Semifinalists publication: Saturday 13 October 2018
Finalists publication: Sunday 16 December 2018
Winners publication: Saturday 26 January 2019
Award Ceremony: within May 2019
THE PRIZES FOR EACH CATEGORY
49 - Cash prizes will be paid in Euro or any other national currency on request, basing on current exchange rates from Euro. All US Dollar references have been calculated according to EUR/USD exchange rates at the moment of the publishing of these rules.
50 - THE PRIZES FOR EACH CATEGORY “LIVE” WILL BE THE FOLLOWING
“Live Chamber Orchestra - Live String Orchestra - Live Free Orchestra”
51 - First-prize winner “of each category Live”: *€ 5,000 cash (about $ 6,000);
*The composition will be presented and played by our orchestra during the award ceremony;
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website;
*The composer will have the chance to play his/her own instrument or sing his/her part in the award ceremony concert;
*If the composer is also a conductor, her or she may at wish conduct the orchestra during the execution of his or her piece, during the award ceremony, after previous rehearsals;
*Publishing of the composition at our publishing house “Ravel Music Publisher”, with all rights reserved and percentage on sales for the composer;
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
52 - Second-prize winner “of each category Live”: *€ 2,000 cash (about $ 2,400);
*The composition will be presented and played by our orchestra during the award ceremony;
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website;
*The composer will have the chance to play his/her own instrument or sing his/her part in the award ceremony concert;
*If the composer is also a conductor, her or she may at wish conduct the orchestra during the execution of his or her piece, during the award ceremony, after previous rehearsals;
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
53 - Third-place winner “of each category Live”: *€ 1,000 cash (about $ 1,200);
*The composition will be presented and played by our orchestra during the award ceremony;
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website;
*The composer will have the chance to play his/her own instrument or sing his/her part in the award ceremony concert;
*If the composer is also a conductor, her or she may at wish conduct the orchestra during the execution of his or her piece, during the award ceremony, after previous rehearsals;
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
54 - Fourth-place winner “of each category Live”: *€ 500 cash ($ 600);
*The composition will be “perhaps” presented and played by our orchestra during the award ceremony;
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
55 - Fifth-place winner “of each category Live”: *€ 250 cash ($ 300);
*The composition will be “perhaps” presented and played by our orchestra during the award ceremony;
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
56 - The compositions which have ranked fourth and fifth will be performed by the orchestra, during the award ceremony, "only if there is time enough to add them to the concert repertoire." This will depend on the length of the top three tracks in the three "LIVE" categories. If these nine compositions are not particularly long, the compositions which have ranked fourth and fifth will be included in the repertoire as well.
57 - FOR CATEGORY “C”: “LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA” (from 1 to 50 parts)
There are other additional prizes for different instrumental combinations (for those who have not received one of the first five prizes):
58 - * Best instrumental/vocal group with over 12 parts: *€ 500 cash
59 - * Best instrumental/vocal group with over 4 parts: *€ 500 cash
60 - * Best Quartet (instrumental/vocal): *€ 250 cash
61 - * Best Trio (instrumental/vocal): *€ 250 cash
62 - * Best Duo (instrumental/vocal): *€ 250 cash
63 - * Best composition for Solo Instrument: *€ 250 cash
OTHER SPECIAL AWARDS "for those composers who have signed up for two or three Live categories"
If, for example, a composer takes part both in category A (Live Chamber Orchestra) and in category B (Live String Orchestra), then he/she shall obtain a score assigned by the jury in the two categories. Adding up the score obtained by his/her best composition in category A and his/her best composition in category B, the total score of the two categories is calculated. The best composers shall be entitled to the following prizes relating to the sum of the score of two or three Live categories (“A+B”, “A+C”, “B+C”, “A+B+C”.) Basically, three prizes shall be awarded for each combination of multiple Live categories, for a total of other 12 special prizes; in addition to those in each category.
* LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA + LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA
* LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA + LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA
* LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA + LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA
* LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA + LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA + LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA
First ranked "for the sum of each Live combination": *€ 1,000 cash
Second ranked "for the sum of each Live combination": *€ 500 cash
Third ranked "for the sum of each Live combination": *€ 250 cash
64 - THE PRIZES FOR THE CATEGORY: “INSTRUMENTS OF THE WORLD”
“Compositions from 1 to 100 different parts”
65 - *The compositions of this category will not be played by our orchestras.
*All the existing musical instruments can be used.
66 - First-prize winner: *€ 2,500 cash (about $ 3,000);
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website (audio file);
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
67 - Second-prize winner: *€ 1,000 cash ($ 1,200);
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website (audio file);
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
68 - Third-place winner: *€ 500 cash ($ 600);
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website (audio file);
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
69 - Fourth-place winner: *€ 250 cash ($ 300);
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website (audio file);
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
70 - Fifth-place winner: *€ 100 cash ($ 120);
*The composition will be uploaded on YouTube and our website (audio file);
*A participation certificate with the position reached in the contest ranking.
71 – In order to make it more interesting for the audience to listen to the composition, all the winners in this category - from the first to the fifth place - can also make a video, even with a sequence of images, instead of a simple black screen. Upon request of the composers, we can realise and edit the video clips with the images provided by the composers or chosen by us.
72 – Please, remember that the certificates of attendance of each category of the competition, bearing an indication of the ranking and the evaluation of the jury, shall be delivered to all the participants who will request it, even if they have not won in any category. They will be sent via e-mail to all the composers who have requested it after the end of the competition. The certificates will be sent within two months after the request submitted by the composer.
73 - THE BEST COMPOSER OF EACH NATION will receive a certificate attesting his “First Place in the Composition Contest for the Nation ???”. This aims to promote the composers who have been judged the best of their Nation: it's a prestige award, for the composer's artistic resume and personal satisfaction.Numerous minor prizes and Special Mentions will also be awarded to compositions that don't make it to the finals.
74 - COPYRIGHT PROTECTION: All rights will be preserved, even if the composer didn't contact the SIAE or other copyright authorities himself to preserve the rights of his creations; we guarantee protection from all possible future abuse of the rights.
75 - DURATION OF SINGLE PIECES / RULES FOR COMPOSITION CONSISTING OF DIFFERENT PIECE
76 - Each composition, regardless of the category, must be no shorter than 1 minutes and no longer than 7 minutes (exceptions will be made for minor differences).
77 - In order not to exclude interesting compositions with a duration exceeding 7 minutes, these compositions will be allowed provided that they are registered as additional compositions. If a piece is 8-14 minutes long, it will be required to register 2 compositions, which will actually be one composition with double duration. In case the duration exceeds 14-15 minutes, it will be required to register 3 compositions etc.
78 - The same rule applies also to the compositions which consist of different tracks, like suites or sonatas. In this case, the total length of the composition will be considered instead of the number of tracks, based on multiples of 7 minutes, as happens with single compositions. Therefore, regardless of the number of tracks, only the length is taken into account. For example, if a suite, made up of a certain number of tracks, has a total length of about 15-20 minutes, it will be required to register 3 compositions; similarly, a sonata with a length of about 30-35 minutes it will be required to register 5 compositions, and so on.
79 - Important: in order to assess the approximate duration and specially for the orchestra to play the composition in the right tempo, write the metronome tempo next to the title according to your preference.
CHOIR AND VOCAL SOLO PARTS
80 - Instrumental parts may include also vocal parts (both solo that choral). Composers may even write a composition for choir only, or together with other instruments. If the number of parts is limited, it is possible to send just the general score, without separate parts.
REGISTRATION FEE
81 - The payment of the fee can be made online on the “Registrations” page, after choosing the category, with credit card, debit card or PayPal. You will also find the association's bank coordinates for payment through bank transfer. If a composer wants to register for more categories, can pay by bank transfer the total amount relating to all the categories, followed by an e-mail with all the relevant details. If wants to pay online, will have to make separate payments for each category.
82 - The registration fee is valid for one composition (for one category). Composers may register at most 10 compostions (for each category).
83 - Please remember that composers may register at a first moment by emailing the registration form available on the “Registration” page (just partially filled in). Compositions and all the rest may be sent at a later moment, by email or regular mail, within Sunday 5 August 2018. This way, composers will have all the time they need for new compositions, with the certainty of being admitted to the contest. Please note that registration is open only to the first 30 contestants from each Nation or Independent Country.
84 - All registered composers, even if they presented one piece only, may add more until Sunday 29 July 2018. Composers who registered at least one composition, may register more later other compositions, with the certainty that they'll be accepted, even if the registrations for their Nation should be over.
DELAYED PAYMENT OPPORTUNITY (Expired Term)
85 - Composers who sign up before April 10th 2018 are given the chance to pay only a small part of the registration fee at the moment of the registration. You will receive a notification about when to pay the rest of the fee, in any case not before April 30th 2018. After filling out your registration module, you will be given a deadline for the completion of the payment, and you will have the chance to pay the full fee immediately or just a part of it. Composers who register after April 10th 2018, on the contrary, will be required to pay the full fee within the specified deadline.
86 - This system allows composers who don't want to or are not able to immediately complete the payment to pay just about 30-35% of the fee at the moment of their registration. This way, they will have the chance to reserve their place in the contest before the availability for their Nation is over. The possibility of making deferred payments applies only to the first basic registration, and is excluded for any additional composition. If the composer wants to immediately register various compositions, has the faculty to pay only about 30-35% for the first composition and the full cost of the others. Obviously, the composer may also decide to pay the whole amount.
87 - If the rest of the payment is not completed, the composer will be excluded from the contest and the first part of the fee will not be refunded. If many composers choose this registration method, available places might be filled up pretty quickly.
88 - THE REGISTRATION FEE IS THE SAME FOR ALL THE LIVE CATEGORIES
“LIVE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA” - “LIVE STRING ORCHESTRA” - “LIVE FREE ORCHESTRA”
THE COST FOR EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES IS: € 80 (about $ 93 “USD Dollar”)
"With the faculty to immediately make a deferred payment of € 30 and the remaining part at the end of April 2018."
89 - The registration fee for each additional composition after the first one is: € 20 (about $ 23).
90 - For instance: if a composer registers 3 compositions, he will pay € 120 (80 Euros for the basic registration, plus 40 Euros for the 2 additional compositions).
91 - REGISTRATION FEE FOR CATEGORY “INSTRUMENTS OF THE WORLD”
92 - THE COST FOR THIS CATEGORY IS: € 40 (about $ 46 “USD Dollar”)
93 - "With the faculty to immediately make a deferred payment of € 15 and the remaining part at the end of April 2018."
94 - The registration fee for each additional composition after the first one is: € 10 (about $ 11).
95 - For instance: if a composer registers 3 compositions, he will pay € 60 (40 Euros for the basic registration, plus 20 Euros for the 2 additional compositions).
96 - REGISTRATION FORM
97 - The form is available on the Registration page (after choosing the category), in .doc format, so as to be easy to fill in with any text editor. Many parts of the form are optional in the first registration, but they have to be fully completed by Sunday 5 August 2018, after which no changes will be allowed. This means that the registration form has to be submitted twice: once at the moment of the registration, and once at any other moment before the deadline. The form is always the same, with the only difference that the second time it will have to be fully completed. Those who register close to the deadline, provided that there are still places available, will have to submit just one form, directly filling it in all its parts. Those who have already filled in the form in all its parts, without adding any other composition or making any change, shall not need to send it again.
98 - At the end of the Registration Form there is the part to be completed by composers younger than 18 years, other composers will not consider this part. After completing the form, please send it as an email attachment in .doc or .pdf format (no .jpg or other formats).
99 - IMPORTANT: it is not required to do the payment immediately, and also not to attach scores and other papers, as the first step consists only in submitting the Registration Form. Within two days we will send an email to confirm the registration. If no confirmation email is received after three days, please email us again because we might not have received your message. We always reply to everybody, but we cannot always make it daily. If you don't hear back from us, not even after the second time you write to us, it means that there is some problem. First of all check your spam folder, then make sure that your email account is working correctly and that the memory available is not full. Sometimes our replies to your messages are automatically sent back to us with the notification that there is some problem in the account of the receiver. In that case, try writing to us from a different email address. Our replies are usually in English or Italian, please excuse possible mistakes on our part when writing in English.
ADDITIONAL COMPOSITIONS
100 - In our previous competitions, it was mandatory to send the Form for the additional compositions in addition to those already registered. Conversely, for this competition "composers do not need to send any form" in case of additional compositions. Therefore, they must make the payment, as required, online from the "Registration" page or by bank transfer, and send us an e-mail to confirm the request and the payment made. The details relating to the additional compositions (titles, duration, etc.) shall be reported on the Final Form, which shall include all the compositions submitted.
CHANGES TO PARTS ALREADY SENT
101 - We advise composers to thoroughly check all their parts before submitting them. In the last edition, many composers sent their instrumental parts in a hurry, and later spotted several mistakes, which forced them to send again corrected parts. In this edition, for “LIVE” category, we will print out scores immediately after receiving them. In case composers request us to reprint some parts, to correct later found mistakes, we will have to ask for a little contribution for our printing expenses and the additional time spent on this.
THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEST JURY
102 - The Jury includes musicians of international renown. Among its members there are several top level conductors and musicians. Several Jury members are part of the board of the Ravel Philharmonic Orchestra; they can be viewed on the website of the orchestra, on www.ravelphilharmonicorchestra.com
103 - Many different orchestras will rehearse and evaluate compositions, so as to manage to prepare hundreds of compositions from all over the world. These orchestras will start rehearsing in May 2018, even though compositions registered by then will be only a few; so as to have more time to prepare all pieces, which will arrive week by week. Orchestras will therefore work for about 8 months to be ready to determine winners for each category in the best possible way.
104 - The decisions of the Panel of judges are incontestable.
105 - Further explanations
106 - In case composers register several different pieces in different categories, they may go to semifinals and finals of more than one category, and they may win more than one prize.
107 - During the evaluation period, the compositions will not be recorded. It would be too difficult to record hundreds of songs for thousands of hours. Furthermore, the jury usually stops the performance at some points to listen again to some passages. The composers who wish to record their tracks may ask for information on "Recordings or Customised Concerts", our services available for a charge.
108 - Any other rule in addition to what is written here corresponds to the normal rules of every contest.
109 - The Management reserves the right to partially emend these rules, but only with possible changes of little relevance. The prizes mentioned above will not vary from what was written on this page.
110 - Participation in this contest implies acceptance of these rules.
111 - Novara (Italy) Court is in charge of possible litigation issues.
112 - After carefully reading these rules, composers interested may go to the page "Registrations"
REFLECTION
The experience that we have gained after many competitions has helped us understand that some composers find it difficult to accept the exclusion from the semi-final/ final step of the competition, or from the award ceremony. There is no point in remembering that not everyone can win, or sometimes the compositions of an inexperienced student may be preferred over those of skilled artist. Or stressing that, among hundreds of participants from all over the world, only few composers will be able to achieve the desired goal. Therefore, let us remember that, by taking part in the competition, you will automatically accept every point of this Regulation, being aware that you might be excluded even from the first selection.
The main members of the jury
Orchestras cooperating with us
Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
New Europe Orchestra
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Orchestra Simfonică București
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Composers interested may go to the page "Registrations"
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