Second group of International Concert Artist Competition preliminary competition performances.

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PRIZES

Rose Augustine Grand Prize:

• $10,000 Cash*
• GFA Sponsored International Concert Tour, including approximately 50 concerts throughout the United States, Canada,and Mexico.
• Naxos CD Recording
• Mel Bay Publication
• 3 year supply (52 sets a year) of D’Addario guitar strings in addition to Planet Waves guitar accessories
• Generous string package provided by Savarez
• CD and booklet design and production as well as print/digital marketing and distribution by Contrastes Records

 

2nd Prize:

• $7,000 Cash*
• 3 year supply (26 sets a year) of D’Addario guitar strings in addition to Planet Waves guitar accessories.
• Generous string package provided by Savarez
• Generous string package provided by Augustine

 

3rd Prize:

• $5,000 Cash*
• 3 year supply (26 sets a year) of D’Addario guitar strings in addition to Planet Waves guitar accessories.
• Generous string package provided by Savarez
• Generous string package provided by Augustine

 

4th Prize:

• $3,000 Cash*
• 3 year supply (26 sets a year) of D’Addario guitar strings in addition to Planet Waves guitar accessories.
• Generous string package provided by Savarez
• Generous string package provided by Augustine

*All prizes subject to mandatory 30% federal tax withholding for foreign prize-winners; US prize-winners will be issued an IRS-1099 Form.

*All donated prizes are subject to the delivery by the sponsor. GFA will do everything possible to ensure delivery of all prizes, but GFA will not be held responsible if donor does not deliver a prize as listed above.

All Semifinalists will receive a $500 Travel Stipend. Foreigners must provide receipts to avoid tax withholding.

Other prizes awarded to all Finalists will include gift certificates donated by GSP, Strings by Mail, and KLING-ON products.

 

JURY

Preliminary Round: TBA
Semifinal and Final Rounds: TBA

 

COMPETITION RULES

ELIGIBILITY

Open to competitors, who must be 18 years of age by June 1, 2020 (the year following the competition), regardless of nationality.

Required Piece: Fantasia, by Roberto Gerhard.

Competitors’ Orientation Meeting, Sunday, June 16, 8:00 p.m. This meeting is required of all competitors. This meeting will determine the performance order for the three-day Preliminary Round by means of a Lottery – numerical order draw. If you have a travel delay that prevents you from attending the meeting, you will need to provide proof upon arrival of earlier travel plans to be granted a slot in the Preliminary Round. If you have any other reason that you cannot attend the meeting, you must write to and receive a reply from the Artistic Director in advance to receive permission to have your performance order drawn by a GFA staff person in your absence. Any registered competitors who do not either receive advance permission to miss the meeting for good cause or do not have a documented travel delay will not be allowed to compete.

All competitors are required to submit their free choices for all rounds via a link on our website (to be provided after the registration deadline has closed). Any changes to your submitted program may be made until May 8, after which programs may not be altered.  Competitors who do not submit programs by this date will be disqualified, and no refund will be provided.

 

PRELIMINARY ROUND

June 17-19, 2019: performance before a panel of five (5) judges. All rounds are open to the public.

Each candidate must perform the following in the order of their choice:

1. Set Piece; a work specially composed for the competition, hereinafter referred to the “set piece”. Each registered competitor will receive the set piece on May 2 after receipt of all registration fees and materials by the declared Deadline Date.
2. A free choice program not to exceed ten (10) minutes.

The judges have the option of stopping the candidate during any of these performances. All works in all rounds are to be performed from memory with the exception of the set piece, for which memorization is optional. Should you choose to read the score, a page-turner will be permitted.

Twelve (12) competitors from this round will advance to the Semifinal Round. Announcement of the twelve competitors to advance will be made Wednesday evening at the beginning of Intermission. All decisions by the judges are final.

 

SEMIFINAL ROUND

Thursday, June 20, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm: Performance order for this round will be determined by a lottery. The twelve (12) candidates will perform before a panel of seven (7) new judges.

The repertoire for this round will be:

Maximum twenty-five (25) minutes of stage time (timed from the first note, including time between all pieces).  All competitors will play the required piece, Fantasia, by Roberto Gerhard, as part of their 25-minute program.

Pieces from previous rounds may NOT be repeated in later rounds.

Four (4) competitors from this round will advance to the Final Round. Announcement of the four (4) competitors to advance will be made Thursday evening at the beginning of Intermission.

 

FINAL ROUND

Saturday, June 22, 6:30 pm, with live webcast: Performance order for this round will be determined by a lottery. Four (4) candidates will perform before a panel of the same seven (7) judges.

Finalists will perform a free choice program along with the Set Piece.  The total performance time, including the Set Piece, must not exceed the length of the Set Piece plus the thirty (30) minute program. Players will be timed from the moment the first note is played (initial entry/tuning time will not be counted provided it is within reason), and the timer will run throughout the performance, including the time between pieces. The timer will be stopped at the end of the piece preceding the set piece, and started again immediately at the conclusion of the set piece.  Players who exceed the thirty (30) minute time limit on their free choice program will be stopped.

Pieces from previous rounds may NOT be repeated in later rounds. All decisions by the judges are final.

 

JUDGING

The judging procedures are reviewed each year by the Competition Committee, and GFA reserves the right to change the procedures outlined below at the discretion of the committee, in advance of the competition.  Any changes will be posted on this page.

The Guitar Foundation of America does not use a point system.  All judges votes are weighted equally. Judges will evaluate each competitor at their own artistic discretion, and each juror will vote their choice of the twelve (12) competitors from the Preliminary Round to move on to the Semifinal Round. All votes will be tallied and the twelve (12) competitors with the highest votes shall advance to the Semifinal Round. Should a tie result, judges will re-vote on only the tied competitors.

In the Semifinal Round, judges will evaluate each competitor in several categories. Each judge will vote their choice for four (4) finalists, all votes will be tallied and the four (4) competitors with the highest votes shall advance to the Final Round. Should a tie result, judges will re-vote on only the tied competitors.

In the Final Round, judges will evaluate each competitor in several categories. The judges will first vote for first place; then for second; then for third. No ties will be allowed in the Final Round. In the case of a tie in the initial vote, judges will re-vote on the tied competitors to determine who will advance to the higher place.

The winner of the International Concert Artist Competition will perform the Set Piece during the Winner’s Tour.

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For further information, please contact Martha Masters, Artistic Director at martha@marthamasters.com

-Martha Masters, Artistic Director, GFA International Concert Artist Competition.