The Kosciuszko Foundation Wieniawski Violin Competition

November 21-22, 2020, NYC

 

 

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I. General Information

 

1. The Kosciuszko Foundation Wieniawski Violin Competition was established in 1969 to help young violinists develop concert careers and to encourage them to study the repertoire of Polish composers as well as to honor Poland’s legendary violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880).

 

2. The Competition will be held online on November 21-22, 2020, and will be live-streamed on the official KF YouTube channel.

 

3. The Competition is open to violinists of all nationalities who are striving to establish distinguished careers, and who are 16 to 26 years of age as of November 21, 2020.

 

4. The Jury of the Competition will include outstanding Polish and foreign musicians

 

5. The Competition comprises four parts: Pre-selection, based on the submitted application form and video recording, and three stages (First Stage, Second Stage, and Final Stage).

 

6. Candidates entering the Competition must submit the application form along with the required documents and video recording by July 21, 2020.

 

7. Competition Schedule:

 

Competition application deadline: July 21, 2020

Competition acceptance notification: by September 21, 2020

First Stage: Saturday, November 21

Second Stage: Sunday, November 22

Final Stage and Awards Presentation: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020.

 

8. Competition website: www.kfwieniawski.org

 

 

II. Application Requirements:

 

1. The Competition application shall include the following items:

• A completed application form

• One current professional-quality headshot (resolution 300 dpi)

• A photocopy of an official document indicating the date of birth

• Repertoire list

• A YouTube video recording

• A $50 non-refundable application fee

 

2. The application form is available on the Competition website: www.KFWieniawski.org. It must be filled out and submitted along with other specified items by July 21, 2020. Receipts of applications will be automatically generated by the system.

 

3. Late submissions or incomplete applications will not be considered.

 

 

III. Competition Schedule and Procedures

 

A. Pre-Selection Stage: Application deadline: July 21, 2020

 

1. An up to 25 minute-long, high-quality video recording containing J. S. Bach two contrasting (one slow and one fast) movements from six Sonatas and Partitas, with the exception of Chaconne, and one virtuoso piece of candidate’s choice needs to be uploaded to YouTube as a private link and submitted along with the application form. The video must be made with one camera, in one complete take and it must not be edited under any circumstances. High quality, home-made recordings are acceptable. The video must be labeled with the name of the contestant, and the repertoire should be detailed in the video description.

 

2. A maximum of 12 candidates will be admitted and invited to participate in the First Stage of the Competition. All candidates will be notified by electronic mail by September 21, 2020

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B. First Stage - Saturday, November 21, 2020; 12 contestants

 

11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT – 6 contestants

4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. EDT – 6 contestants

 

Required repertoire: selected pieces from the respective repertoire groups that include:

• At least one selection from group A 

• At least one selection from group B with the exception of Szymanowski’s Sonata

 

Total timing: 20-25 min.

 

Six (6) contestants will be admitted to the Second Stage. Results of the First Stage will be announced on the Competition website and Contestants will be notified by electronic mail.

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C. Second Stage – Sunday, November 22, 2020; 6 contestants

 

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

 

Required repertoire - selected pieces from the respective repertoire groups that include:

• At least one selection form each A, B, and C group. The selections must be different than chosen for the First Stage

• Obligatory piece: any movement of Szymanowski’s violin/piano sonata

• The Jury might request one movement of a piece of contestant’s choice from the group C

 

Total timing: 30-35 min

           

Three contestants will be admitted to the Final stage. Contestants will be notified about the results of the Second Stage by phone and electronic mail.

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D. Final Stage – Sunday, November 22, 2020; 3 contestants

 

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

 

Required repertoire - any concerto from repertoire group D

 

Total timing: 30 minutes

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Competition results will be made public as the Jury has finished its deliberations.

 

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IV. Repertoire Groups

 

 

 Group A: 

 Wieniawski:   2 caprices from Op.  10 and 18

                        Variations on an Original Theme Op. 15                12'

                        Souvenir de Moskou Op. 6                                        7'49”

                        Scherzo Tarantelle Op. 16                                          4'40”

                        Kujawiak in A Minor                                                    3'27

                        Legende Op. 17                                                          7'42”

                        Polonaise Op. 4 in D Major                                        5'

                        Polonaise Op.21 in A Major                                       8'

                        Fantasie brillante “Faust” Op.20                             16'50”

 

    Group B: 

    Penderecki:   Capriccio for solo violin                                           3'45”

                                   Cadenza for solo violin                                            6'47”

                           La Folia for solo violin                                            11'20”

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    Lutosławski:   Subito for violin and piano                                     5'30”

 

            Bacewicz:      Sonata #2 for solo violin                                          9'5

                           Sonata da Camera for violin and piano               10'53”

                           Sonata # 4 for violin and piano                             15'30

 

            Szymanowski:   One of the three “Myths” Op.  30

                               La Fountaine D'Arethuse                                    5'19”

                               Narcisse                                                                6'47”

                               Dryades Et Pan                                                     7'27'

 

                               Notturno e Tarantella Op. 28                    5'12” and 5'51”

 

                               Sonata in D Minor Op. 9  

                                                                       1st mov.                               9'03”

                                                                2nd mov.                             6'23”

                                                                3rd mov.                              5'13”

 

Group C:

Mozart:          Concerto #3 in G Major, K.216

                               Concerto # 4 in D Major, K.218

                               Concerto # 5 in A Major, K.219

 

        Beethoven:   Sonata in Eflat Major, Op.12 # 3

                               Sonata in A Minor, Op. 23

                               Sonata in A Major, Op. 30 # 1

 

 

       Group D: 

Wieniawski:   Concerto in D minor Op. 22                          25'

                               Concerto in F# minor, Op.14                         28'20”

        

        Szymanowski   Concerto # 1, Op. 35                                    23'40”

                                 Concerto #2, Op. 61                                     20'

 

         Karlowicz        Concerto in A Major, Op. 8                          28’

 

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V. Prizes and Awards

 

• First Prize: $5,000

• Second Prize: $3,000

• Third Prize: $1,000

• Special Award for the First Prize winner -  a performance with "The Jackson Symphony Orchestra" under the direction of Music Director, Maestro Matthew Aubin

• Special Award of $500 for the best interpretation of a work by Krzysztof Penderecki offered by Hanna Lachert

 

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VI. Additional Rules

 

1. Participants are responsible for securing their own piano accompanist and a venue for a broadcast. 

2. There are no requirements with respect to specifications of participant’s equipment for live-streaming, however high internet speed and most optimal equipment (microphone, webcam, lighting, etc.) and setup are advised to secure high-quality broadcast.

3. The Foundation will provide an optimal video conferencing software with a live-streaming feature to broadcast the Competition.

4. The Foundation will make it possible for Competition participants to connect for internet rehearsals prior to the auditions.

5. The order of the participants’ performances will be determined by drawing.

6. For organization and program-related reasons, the Artistic Director will have the right to change the sequence of a day’s performances.

7. The Competition Jury has full discretion in awarding and distributing Competition prizes. All Jury decisions are final and are not subject to appeal.

8. The members of the Jury will abstain from voting for his/her relatives or students of the last three years should they be Competition participants. Jury members will not abstain or cast blank or void votes in any other case.

9. Competition results will be made public following the Final stage as soon as the Jury has finished its deliberations.

10. The First Prize winner will perform, if requested, a recital without remuneration for the benefit of the Foundation at a mutually agreed date.

11. The Foundation maintains a copyright of all video, audio, and photographs taken during the competition period and retains legal usage rights of video, audio, and photographs.

12. Each Competition participant will sign Consent and Release Form giving the Foundation the right to use the contestant’s name, image, and performance in the Foundation’s print publications and on online platforms for educational and promotional purposes related to the Foundation’s mission.

13. The Foundation reserves the right to make any changes to the overall Competition structure as it sees fit including changing number and dates of the Competition stages and editing rules and regulations.

14. The Foundation shall not be liable for the unexpected elements of live streaming including but not limited to internet outage, and any unavoidable and unforeseen technical problems. Should such problems occur during a participant's audition, the jury will decide on how to proceed.