Kaufman Music Center International Youth
Piano Competition - June 16-21
In June of 2015, Kaufman Music Center will hold its second International Youth Piano Competition. Open to young pianists between the ages of 7 and 17, the competition awards cash prizes and gives winners the opportunity to perform in New York's prestigious Merkin Concert Hall. The inaugural competition in 2013 was such an exciting event! 58 contestants from seven countries competed in the live semi-final round - it felt like a huge piano festival!
Semi-Final Auditions
Semi-final auditions will be held at Kaufman Music Center on selected dates between June 16 and 19, 2015.
Final Auditions
The final auditions will be held at Kaufman Music Center on selected dates between June 17 and 21, 2015.
The 2015 Winners Showcase Concert will take place at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Concert Hall on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at 2 pm.
Click here to watch the 2013 winners perform at Merkin Concert Hall.
For information, please call 212 501 3360 or email PianoCompetition@kaufmanmusiccenter.org.
Download a printable application form.
Eligibility
Junior Division 1: Ages 7–9 as of June 10, 2015
Junior Division 2: Ages 10–13 as of June 10, 2015
Senior Division: Ages 14–17 as of June 10, 2015
Cash Prizes
Junior Division 1: Ages 7-9
First Prize - $500
Second Prize - $350
Third Prize - $250
Junior Division 2: Ages 10-13
First Prize - $1000
Second Prize - $750
Third Prize - $500
Senior Division: Ages 14-17
Grand Prize - $1500
Second Prize - $1000
Third Prize - $500
Additional prizes:
Honorable Mention and Special Prizes will be awarded.
Jury
Douglas Humpherys
Chair, Piano Department, Eastman School of Music
Artistic Director, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation
Robert Shannon
Director of the Keyboard Studies, Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Founder and Director of the Cooper International Competition at Oberlin
Boaz Sharon
Chair of Piano Department, Boston University
Director of the Young Artists Piano Program at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute
Boris Slutsky
Chair of the Piano Department, Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University
Igal Kesselman
Artistic Director, Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition
Director, Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center
Application Procedures
Download a printable application form.
All application materials must be postmarked by March 1, 2015 and submitted by mail and email to:
Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition
Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street
New York, NY 10023
Be sure to fill out the application form completely, and to keep a copy of the repertoire you have submitted for your own reference.
The following documents must be submitted with your application form:
- Preliminary audition submitted via Youtube link. Must be emailed to pianocompetition@kaufmanmusiccenter.org.
- One-page biography: List current and past teachers, performances, awards and honors. A copy of the biography must be emailed to pianocompetition@kaufmanmusiccenter.org.
- Letter of recommendation: One letter of recommendation from your principal teacher.
- Proof of age must be submitted, such as birth certificate or copy of passport.
- Application fee: A $100 application fee must be submitted with your application, by check or money order payable to Kaufman Music Center, or by credit card. This fee is not refundable.
Audition and Repertoire Requirements
Please read all the rules and regulations carefully. It is your responsibility to make sure that your program complies with all requirements. Make sure to include timings of each work in your application as the time limits will be strictly observed during the competition.
Repertoire changes can be made up until May 1, 2015.
Preliminary Round: Please upload the performance to YouTube and submit the appropriate link by March 1, 2015 by email to PianoCompetition@kaufmanmusiccenter.org.
Junior Division 1: Ages 7-9
Preliminary YouTube Round: up to 10 minutes of music, contestant’s choice. Needs to include at least one fast-paced work
Semi-Final Round: up to 15 minutes
- One Baroque polyphonic work
- One virtuoso etude by Czerny, Berens, Lemoine, Loeschhorn, Chopin, Moszkowski, Lizst, etc.
- One or more pieces at the participant's discretion
Finals: up to 20 minutes
- First movement of Sonatina or Sonata from the Classical era
- One or more compositions from the Romantic era (works from semi-final round may be repeated)
- One or more pieces at the participant's discretion (works from semi-final round may be repeated)
Junior Division 2: Ages 10-13
Preliminary YouTube Round: up to 15 minutes of music, contestant’s choice. Needs to include at least one fast-paced work
Semi Final Round: up to 20 minutes
- One Baroque polyphonic work
- One virtuoso etude by Czerny, Clementi, Moszkowski, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, etc.
- One or more pieces at the participant's discretion
Finals: up to 25 minutes
- A Classical Sonata (or first movement)
- One or more compositions from the Romantic era (works from semi-final round may be repeated)
- One or more Contemporary pieces, written after 1950 (works from semi-final round may be repeated)
Senior Divison: Ages 14-17
Preliminary YouTube Round: up to 20 minutes of music, contestant’s choice. Needs to include at least one fast-paced work.
Semi Final Round: up to 25 minutes
- One Virtuoso Etude by Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Prokofiev, etc.
- One Baroque Polyphonic piece
- First Movement of Classical Sonata
- One or more pieces at the participant's discretion
Finals: up to 40 minutes
- One Classical Sonata, all movements (can be the same Sonata from which the first movement was performed in the semi-final round)
- One or more compositions from the Romantic era (works from semi-final round may be repeated)
- One Contemporary piece, written after 1950 (works from semi-final round may be repeated)
Please include the timing of each work submitted.
MEMORIZATION: All repertoire must be performed by memory.
Notification of Preliminary Round Results
Results of the preliminary round, notifying applicants if they have been accepted as candidates to the live rounds of the competition, will be mailed and emailed by early April, 2015. Candidates admitted to the live semi-final auditions will be assigned specific audition times by May 1, 2015.
Semi-Final Auditions
Semi-final auditions will be held at Kaufman Music Center on selected dates between June 16 and 19, 2015. Applicants who are passed to the Semi-Final Auditions must come to Kaufman Music Center to be heard by the jury for semi-final and final rounds. Candidates are responsible for their travel and other expenses related to the semi-final and final auditions.
Notification of Semi-Final Results
Results of the semi-final round will be announced at the end of the semi-final round, posted on Kaufman Music Center’s web site, and emailed to the contestants by the end of the last day of the semi-final round.
Final Auditions
The final auditions will be held at Kaufman Music Center on selected dates between June 17 and 21, 2015.
Winners Showcase Concert
The Winners Showcase concert will take place on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at 2 pm in Merkin Concert Hall. All winners must be present to perform in the Winners Concert, or they must forfeit their prize.
Rules
- This web site contains the most recent and accurate information about the competition, including updates that may have been made after emails and print pieces have been sent.
- All applications will be reviewed by the Competition’s artistic committee and treated as confidential.
- The committee reserves the right to request additional information from or about an applicant.
- Upon notification of acceptance to the competition, all candidates must guarantee their availability for all published dates of the competition.
- The jury reserves the right not to choose any winners.
- The decision of the jury is final.
- The competition may be broadcast live or may be recorded and videotaped for subsequent broadcast, video, or audio recording use.
- Competition winners are required to perform at the Winners Showcase Concert at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Concert Hall on Tuesday, June 23, 2015
- Competition winners must perform one of the compositions they performed at the live auditions for the Winners Concert, selected by the Artistic Committee.
- Past First Prize Winners are not permitted to compete in the same category.
Contact
212 501 3360
PianoCompetition@kaufmanmusiccenter.org
Download a printable application form.