1. Which categories have been announced for the 2023 competition?
The 2023 competition will be opened
a) in the solo performance category on the following instruments: violin, violoncello, piano, cembalo, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, saxophone and trombone.
b) in the chamber ensemble category in the following groupings: DUO | TRIO | QUARTET | QUINTET | SEXTET. The instrumental composition of the individual groupings is arbitrary; each ensemble may only include one keyboard instrument.
2. What is the age limit for the competitors?
a) Participants playing the violin, violoncello, piano, cembalo, accordion, harp or guitar who are under 16 at the time of the competition’s final round (i.e. who were born on 15. 9. 2007 or thereafter) may enter the completion.
b) Participants playing the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, saxophone or trombone who are under 18 at the time of the competition’s final round (i.e. who were born on 15.9.2005 or thereafter) may enter the competition.
c) In the chamber ensemble category musicians, whose average ages do not exceed the age of 20 as of the date of the Competition’s public final round, i.e. 15th September 2023, may perform in the ensembles ranging from duos to sextets. The oldest ensemble member must not be older than 21 as of the date of the public final competition, i.e. 14th September 2023.
3. Do any limits apply to those who can register in the competition?
Only those competitors who meet the age limit for the given category and comply with all the registration parameters can register in the competition.
Competitors who have previously received the 1st – 3rd prizes in a specific category may not enter the Competition. This means that competitors who have previously received the 1st – 3rd prizes in the solo category may register for the chamber ensemble category and vice versa. It is not, however, possible to reapply for a category where a competitor has already received the laureate’s title.
4. When is the latest that I have to send in my registration?
In order to avoid any problems with submitting your complete registration, we recommend that you start uploading all the required enclosures sufficiently in advance of the registration deadline which is 31st March 2023. It will take you a number of hours to upload all the required enclosures.
5. What has to be included with the registration?
a) Recordings of the individual competition works.
We recommend that the recordings should be made using professional equipment in the appropriate facilities (for example, in association with a radio station, EBU member). Any reduced quality on the recording can unfavorably influence the way it is evaluated. (The jury may be unable to differentiate between what has been caused by the recording quality and what is the result of the artist’s performance). Therefore, please pay sufficient attention to the quality of the recording.
b) A full video recording of the realisation of the competition recordings which the jury will view in the case of any doubts associated with how the competition recordings were made (this can be realised using a mobile telephone, as the jury will not take the video quality into account),
c) Five different professional photographs of the competitor in print quality (at least 300 dpi), along with the photographer’s name and the photographer’s consent for its use. The photographs will accompany the laureates throughout the entire period of the festival, so it is important to make an effort.
d) Comprehensive sheet music for the competition recordings (be sure to remove all written notes in order to preserve the competitor’s anonymity).
e) A copy of your passport or ID.
6. How should I send in the compulsory registration enclosures?
Upon registering on www.concertinopraga.cz, each competitor will receive a code and instructions via email on how to code and save all required attachments. Expect an email within approximately 24-48 hours (if you submit your entry during the weekend, expect this time frame to be extended).
7. Does the competition include a compulsory repertoire?
No, it doesn’t. However, the organiser does publish a list of recommended works for the solo performance category every year, the performance of which will have a positive impact on the evaluation of the competition performances, may constitute one of the evaluation criteria and may be associated with special prices.
The evaluation of the competitor by the expert juries will also be influenced by the maturity of the competitor’s repertoire selection while taking into account the promotion of the works of Antonín Dvořák and other Czech composers.
The organiser will not publish a list of recommended works for the chamber category due to the great variety of musical groupings and the involved instruments. However, the organiser recommends taking the works of Czech authors into account when putting together the repertoire, as their inclusion may be one of the evaluation criteria and may be associated with special prizes from foundations involved in caring for composer’s musical legacies, as in the case of the solo performance category.
8. Where can I find a list of recommended compositions?
A list of recommended compositions is available here.
9. Can I send in a recording which I have made for a different broadcasting organisation?
The competition does not accept any recordings that are subject to any broadcasting rights of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) or any mechanical rights (IFPI).
10. Can I include an unaccompanied work for solo instrument in my competition repertoire for the solo performance category?
Yes. You can include works for solo instrument without the accompaniment of any other instrument in the competition repertoire.
11. Can I include an instrumental concerto or a movement thereof with piano accompaniment in the solo performance competition category?
Yes, you can. However, in such a case, you must also include at least one work originally composed only for solo instrument or originally accompanied by another instrument.
An exception to this rule involves those works which are authorised to be accompanied by piano or works which have been included in the list of recommended competition works. In the case of works not listed in the list of recommended works, it is necessary to provide the organisers with proof that the participant is authorised to perform them, either with a historical source or a reference.
12. Can I include a work, where my solo performance is accompanied by an orchestra?
No. Works with orchestral accompaniment are not permitted for 1st round.
13. Can I send the competition a recording which has been made at a public concert?
Yes, you can, but please make sure that the recording has been made with the necessary technical quality so that it can be used in radio broadcasts.
14. How should I put my competition repertoire together?
It is recommended that the competition repertoire should consist of a selection of different stylistic periods, while taking the works of Antonín Dvořák and other Czech composers (see the recommended works) into account.
It is necessary to choose concertante works set for your instrument and an accompanying orchestra for the final round. This means a single or multiple-movement instrumental concerto and not merely the individual movements from a work.
15. How long should the competition recording be?
The total length of the recorded competition performance must be 20-30 minutes. Recordings lasting less than 20 minutes will be eliminated from the competition, while recordings in excess of 30 minutes may be shortened by the jury.
With regard to the live final round, the solo performances should last 20-30 minutes.
16. When will I find out, if I have progressed into the final round?
The results of the 1st round of the solo performance category and the 1st round of the chamber ensemble category will be announced by the end of May 2023.
17. How does the competition take place?
The competitors make their competition recordings and send them in with their completed on-line registration. The jury will meet and listen to all of the anonymous recordings once the registration period has been completed.
18. How many competitors can progress into the public final round?
A maximum of 4 participants can progress into the public final round.
19. How does the competition’s final round take place?
The final round of solo category takes the form of a live public concert with an orchestra associated with a live radio broadcast by Czech Radio under the auspices of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
The final round of chamber category takes the form of a live public concert a live radio broadcast by Czech Radio under the auspices of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
20. What is the Concertino Praga South Bohemian Festival?
The South Bohemian Festival is a concert cycle for the prize winners and recipients of honourable mentions, which follows directly on from the performances in the competition’s final round. The participants are accommodated at the Concertino Hotel in Jindřichův Hradec, from where they then head to the concerts in surrounding towns. The festival usually includes a total of 4 performances (Český Krumlov, Třeboň, Bechyně a Jindřichův Hradec) and several accompanying events.
21. Do I have to participate in the Concertino Praga South Bohemian Festival, if I win?
Yes. By registering for the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians you confirm that you will participate in the entire festival. You therefore cannot arrive late, leave early or send a replacement.
22. Is the competition truly anonymous?
Yes, it is. None of the jury members has any information about the competitors. The recordings are submitted under serial numbers and the jury members merely receive a repertoire list for the individual recordings. The jury will only receive any information about the performers (their name, age and nationality) after it has reached its decision on the competitors proceeding through to the final and the winners of any honourable mentions.
23. Can I play from sheet music?
Playing by memory is not a requirement and playing from sheet music during the recording is permitted. It is, however, necessary to keep in mind that the competition is intended for young musicians who want to perform professionally in the future on concert stages with an orchestra and that the final round of the competition takes place in the form of a competition performance with an orchestra as part of a large international music festival. It is therefore desirable for the competition candidates and their teachers to take into account the fact that playing from memory is considered to indicate a degree of professionalism in those instruments where concert performances usually take place without any sheet music (especially the piano, cembalo, violin, violoncello, harp and so on).
24. What parameters do the competition recordings have to have?
Recordings of the individual competition pieces in the WAV/PCM format – 16/24 bits – 44.1/48kHz.
25. Does the performance have to be recorded in a single sitting?
No. If the repertoire includes multiple-movement works, each work or movement must be recorded separately.
26. Can I modify my recordings?
No modifications, i.e. edits, are permitted. The compilation of a recording through editing constitutes a gross breach of the competition conditions and will lead to the elimination of the candidate from the competition.
27. Does the video recording have to correspond to the audio recording?
Yes. Video recordings must be made at the same time as all of the audio recordings of the competition works.
28. What are the parameters for the video recording?
The video recording may be made using a mobile telephone, as the video quality will not be taken into account. The camera must be placed in such a way that the candidate is visible from head to foot, including his/her hands. The camera angle may not change throughout the recording.
29. How old can the recordings sent to the competition be?
The recordings may have been made at any time in the period from 1st June 2022 to 31st March 2023.
30. Will the organiser provide me with a page turner, if I need one?
The organiser will provide a page turner for the 3rd round with the orchestra (the solo performance category).
31. Will the organiser of the South Bohemian Festival provide me with a professional piano accompanist, if I am competing in the solo performance category and I am not a pianist?
Yes. Piano accompaniment is provided for the young performers on solo instruments at the South Bohemian Festival.
32. Who will be in the expert jury?
The jury will be different in every round of the competition. It always consists of renowned instrumentalists from the Czech Republic and abroad, conductors, music teachers or representatives of the European Broadcasting Union. You can find more information in the Jury section.
33. How will the jury evaluate the candidates?
The candidates’ artistic performances will be evaluated regardless of the candidates’ age or chosen instrument.
The first round will take place completely anonymously and the jury will evaluate the competitors purely on the basis of their submitted recordings.
Four competitors will be selected to progress into the final round along with 2 understudies for the public final round in the solo category and 1 understudy in the chamber category. If the understudies do not perform in the final due to the availability of all four finalists selected by the jury, they will perform their solo repertoires in a concert on the “Talent Stage” at the 2023 Dvořák Prague Festival.
The final round of the solo category will take place in the form of a public concert on 16th September 2023 as part of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
The final round of the chamber category will take place in the form of a public concert on 15th September 2023 as part of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
34. When will the final results be announced?
The announcement of the results and the prize-giving ceremony will take place immediately after the completion of the final round of the competition in solo category under the auspices of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
35. Is there a “registration fee”?
No registration fee is required for participation in the competition.
36. Will the organiser cover any costs for me and my escort?
If a competitor progresses into the final round, the competition organiser will cover any essential accommodation costs in Prague. This will especially involve:
a) accommodation with full board in Prague and Jindřichův Hradec,
b) bus, train or plane travel to and from Prague,
c) transport to and from Jindřichův Hradec,
d) local transport from the hotel to the rehearsals and the public final round under the auspices of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
The costs associated with making the recordings sent to the competition will be borne by the competitor or by the registering organisation (for example, Czech Radio) which made them.
37. What prizes can I win?
Financial scholarships
The prizes in the form of scholarships are awarded at the following amounts thanks to the Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF):
1st prize - 5 000 EUR
2nd prize - 2 800 EUR
3rd prize - 1 700 EUR
First grade honorable mention - 700 EUR
Prizes are awarded in the form of special-purpose scholarships for participation in master classes or study stays, or in the form of a contribution for the purchase of a musical instrument. So you will not receive a check or cash or an account; the organizer will pay for you for the chosen master class (or part of it), or contribute to a new musical instrument.
The prize for the absolute winner
Czech Radio will record and release a profile Cd for the absolute winner.
Concert opportunities
The organiser will secure the laureates’ participation at the South Bohemian Concertino Praga Festival and at any other concerts according to the options available to the organiser.
Special prizes
The organisers will award special prizes for exceptional performances of the recommended works or works by Czech composers. Other possible prizes for the successful participants in the competition are regularly posted online at www.concertinopraga.cz.
38. What is the timetable for the competition’s 56th year?
31. 3. 2023 - the closing date for registration for solo category
12. 5. 2023 evaluation of the first round of competition
15. 9. 2023 - the public final round in of chamber category in
16. 9. 2023 - the public final round of solo category in the Dvořák Hall at the Rudolfinum, the official prize-giving ceremony
18. 9. 2023 Český Krumlov, the château, the Masquerade Hall
19. 9. 2023 Tábor, Klokoty
20. 9. 2023 Bechyně, the château, the Vok Hall
22. 9. 2023 Jindřichův Hradec, the château, the Knight’s Hall
Other accompanying events will also take place under the auspices of the South Bohemian Concertino Praga Festival.
39. As this involves a radio competition, will Czech Radio publicly broadcast my recordings?
Yes. The finalists’ recordings will be included in Czech Radio broadcasts. In addition, the final round will also be recorded by Czech Radio with the option of a live broadcast in both audio and audio-visual form. All of the concerts at the South Bohemian Festival will be recorded and broadcast either live or as recordings.
All of the candidates’ rights with regard to the creation of the artistic performance and the use thereof are set out in the competition’s Statute.
40. Who organises the competition?
The competition organisers are Czech Radio and the Academy of Classical Music.
41. Whom can I contact, if I am unsure about anything?
If you are unsure about anything, do not hesitate to contact Mrs Simona Hopfingerová (simona.hopfingerova@rozhlas.cz, +420 603 169 317). She will be happy to answer any questions you may have.