Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need
to submit a recording with my application?
No, we do
not have an initial round judging recorded music. Our auditions are live in
Does the competition recommend any hotels in New York?
There are a great many hotels in New York City that are either in mid-town Manhattan or near public transit such
as the subway. Many of these have special weekend and/or internet rates that you will find on the internet.
We do not have a list of preferred hotels. The internet rates tend to be lower than any rates we could negotiate for a
block of rooms.
Where do I go on the date and near the time of my audition?
All
auditions, semi-finals and finals are at the same location: Steinway Hall,109th West 57th Street
in New York City. Please come to Steinway Hall at least 30 minutes
before your scheduled audition. You will come to the second floor
(the stairs are immediately before you as you enter the building at 109 West 57th Street)
and turn to your right. Please check in upon your arrival with the organizing committee
person whose desk is usually a few feet down the corridor. There are facilities
for changing into your performance clothes and the committee person will take charge
of your street clothes while you perform. Valuables such as purses, etc. should be given
to Beverly, the Competition Director, and she will take them into the performance room with you.
Will
I have time to practice before the audition?
We shall have at least one warm-up room with a piano to assure each competitor
15 minutes of warm-up time just before their audition time. On occasion, there are
other practice opportunities at Steinway Hall but these are assigned primarily to increase
the warm-up time just before the audition from 15 to 30 minutes. Therefore you should
contact anyone you know in New York area who may be able to get you practice time. Anyone
who will be coming to New York from overseas and has no contacts in the New York area
should contact the Director (by email) and we shall try to find a practice location.
What
is the format of the audition?
You
select the first piece from your repertoire to play to start the
audition. After a minute or two or three, the judges will ask to
hear anything they choose from your submitted repertoire. It
could be the 2nd movement of a Sonata as likely as the 1st. Then they'll
request a third piece, and so on.
Do I
play to same repertoire in all three rounds: audition, semi-finals and finals?
You are responsible for your entire submitted repertoire during the auditions
and the semi-finals. Usually during the semi-finals, the judges will ask
for pieces from your submitted repertoire that they did not hear in the
auditions. In the Finals you may design
a program using pieces from your submitted repertoire or any other
piece(s) you have by memory. That is, the Finals offer an opportunity for
you to showcase your musicianship in the way you think best.
May I change my repertoire? What is the last date I may
make the change?
Competitors may change repertoire at any time, right up to the day of the
audition. However, the competition director must approve any change as being
within the rules. IT IS BEST TO INFORM THE DIRECTOR BY EMAIL AS SOON AS YOU KNOW YOU WISH TO CHANGE THE REPERTOIRE.
May I request a specific time and date for my audition?
You are welcome to request a specific date and the competition will try to
accommodate you. It is best to describe why you need special attention. Note
that the Friday date on the second weekend is reserved primarily for
competitors who need to fly into
Must one bring copies of the music in the audition
program? If so, how many? Original
music or Xerox?
If you have chosen a piece that may not be familiar to all the judges, please
bring a copy. For example, the judges usually know the eighteenth and
nineteenth century repertoire, and the better-known twentieth century pieces.
But should you choose a twentieth or twenty-first century piece that might not
be familiar, please bring a copy, either printed or a photocopy. Of course, you
are most welcome to bring music for your warm-up; during the actual audition,
all pieces must be memorized.
When will we receive our notification
of the semi-finalists?
The jury will select semi-finalists from those entrants who audition on Saturday and Sunday,
October 14 and 15, on the evening of October 15. We shall immediately start informing all
the entrants from that first weekend whether or not they have to return to Steinway Hall on Saturday, October
21. Semi-finalists will be told their performance times so that they
may make their travel and lodging arrangements. Anyone not selected
will know that their weekend of October 21 and 22 is free. If you are an entrant auditioning
on October 14 and 15 and have not heard from us by the evening of Monday, October 16,
please call 908-654-1036 since that will mean that we have not been able to reach you.
At what time on the second Saturday, October 21, will we receive our notification
of the finalists?
The semi-finals on the second Saturday are 20 minutes of your submitted program
as requested by the judges. We will scheduled times so that those entrants who
must travel to New York from places as distant as Rochester, Boston and
Washington, DC are scheduled last. The judges in past years have been kind
enough to allow us to schedule such long-distance travellers
late in the afternoon. It is possible that the finalists will not be known
until 6 pm, possibly a little later.
When do the finals begin on the second Sunday, October 22?
The Finals on the second Sunday are 30 minute public recitals of a program of
your choice. We cannot confirm the starting time yet but expect that the Finals
will begin around 1:00 p.m. After the performances, we recognize the judges and
announce the winners immediately after the judges' conference. We ask the
finalists and the winners to remain following the announcement for photographs
with the judges.
Who are the judges and what will they know about me?
The judges will not be identified until the announcement of winners at the end of the finals
on October 21. At no time during the competition will your name or affiliation be shared with
the judges. You will be introduced by number -- all the judges will know about you is your
repertoire.
Shortly after the finals, we shall put the names and short biographies of the winners and the
judges on the website. You may see the 2004 announcements on the current website.
Will I get a copy of the judges' comments?
The judges are usually pleased to share their comments with you. We will send the original
comment sheets to you after deleting the judge's name. We keep a
copy so if you have not received the comments by mid-November, please get in touch with us and
we shall send you a copy.
What are the Cash Prizes for the Prize Winners and are any expenses reimbursed?
The cash prizes are usually $2,000 for First, $1,600 for Second, $1,200 for Third
and $800 for Fourth. A special prize of $500 will be given for the best performance of a major work by a 20th or 21st Century American Composer
All semi-finalists receive $100 up to $250 (depending on the distance they have to return for the
semi-finals) for expenses for the semi-finals day,
and finalists another $150 for expenses on the finals day; that is, all finalists,
including the prize winners, receive a minimum of $250 toward their expenses.
When and where is the Winners Recital?
The Winners Recital will be at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, November 25, 2006.
On-stage rehearsals will be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Each winner will be assigned a rehearsal time.
Enter through the Carnegie Hall Stage Door at 161 West 56th Street and check in with Security a few minutes
before your rehearsal time. Take the elevator to the Weill Hall back stage. Security may allow one or two family members or friends to accompany you
backstage, but they will not be allowed in the Hall.
Anyone who wishes to take photographs on Carnegie Hall premises
must get a photographer's permission pass from Carnegie Hall management during
this rehearsal time. We shall arrange with Carnegie Hall to make an archival audio recording of the
performance. You must get written approval from Carnegie Hall for any dissemination of this recording
on a website or by any other means.
How does one get tickets to the Winners Recital?
The competition will provide each winner with complimentary tickets for immediate family members and up to four friends.
Others will have to purchase tickets either from the competition director, from the Carnegie Hall Box Office (212-956-4070) or
through the Carnegie Hall website www.carnegiehall.org
after October 22. The tickets are priced at $15.00 to minimize costs to families and friends.
When will we have information about the winners of the
competition and biographies of the judges?
We will post the names and short biographies of the winners along with the
names and biographies of the judges on this website before the end of October.
The program for the Winners Recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall will
be also be posted.