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Kruschke Piano Competition

Printable Kruschke Competition Rules

Printable Kruschke Application Form

Kruschke Piano Competition Poster

COMPETITION INFORMATION  

Purpose: The Earl R. and Marilyn Ann Kruschke 2011 Prize in Piano Performance gives all entering pianists an opportunity to perform music in a competitive setting and to receive awards to be used for the recipients’ education and career in classical music.

Eligibility: The Earl R. and Marilyn Ann Kruschke 2011 Prize in Piano Performance [the Competition] is open to any talented pianist who is California high school senior and/or college-level student enrolled in California college or university.

COMPETITION DATES

Preliminary Round: Monday, January 24, 2011. Submit a five-minute unedited current video recording of your playing to Dr. Shkoda (DVD is preferred; see application materials deadline section below). For the video recording, please choose a piano solo piece or pieces that demonstrate best your technical and musical performing abilities. Clearly identify your recording by putting your name, name (s) of the composer(s) and title(s) of the piece(s) on it.

Final Round: Saturday, March 5, 2011, 12:00 PM at CSU, Chico.

Application Materials Deadline: Your completed and signed competition application accompanied by a five-minute preliminary round video recording of your playing and a $45 non-refundable competition fee has to be received by Dr. Shkoda on or beforeMonday, January 24, 2011. Make your check payable to CSU, Chico Music Department, Keyboard Fund . Please mail your application materials to Dr. Natalya Shkoda, Assistant Professor of Piano and Artistic Director of the Earl R. and Marilyn Ann Kruschke 2010 Prize in Piano Performance, Music Department, California State University, Chico, 400 West First Street, Chico, CA 95929-0805. Late, incomplete, or illegible applications will not be considered.  

Location of the Final Round: Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall, Room 134, Performing Arts Center at California State University, Chico, 400 West First Street, Chico, CA 95929-0805 (Corner of West Second Street and Normal Avenue). A 9-foot concert grand Steinway Piano is the official Competition piano.

Travel and Lodging: All travel expenses and lodging are the contestant’s responsibility.

REQUIRED REPERTOIRE

Only original compositions from a standard piano solo repertoire may be performed in any round of the Competition. Simplified versions are unacceptable. A five-minute Preliminary Round video recording should be submitted alone with the other competition application materials to Dr. Shkoda on or before Monday, January 24, 2011. The video recording (DVD is preferred) should consist of a memorized, unedited live performance of a piano solo work or works that best represent the contestant’s current performing ability and should contain the following information

  • Your name
  • Composer’s name(s)
  • Title(s) of the piece(s)

CSU, Chico piano students entering the Competition have an option to audition alive with a memorized five-minute preliminary round competition program at CSU, Chico on Monday, January 24, 2011. For more information about this option, please contact Dr. Shkoda.

If selected for the Competition’s Final Round:

  • Final Round of the Competition will take place at California State University, Chico on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 12:00 PM.
  • Finalists should perform two memorized solo pieces representing two of the following four categories- Baroque, Classical, Romantic and/or Modern. Both pieces are to be performed in their entirety and within the 15-minute time limit. Repeats are optional. Multiple movements of a work may be entered as one selection.
  • The repertoire chosen for the Preliminary Round may be repeated in the Final Round.
  • Published editions of the scores of all performed pieces must be brought to the competition’s Final Round, with starting pages marked and measures numbered. No photocopied music may be used as this will result in an automatic disqualification of the contestant.

PROCEDURES TO REMEMBER

  • Application deadline is Monday, January 24, 2011.
  • After application materials are received and screened, a pool of no more than 10 finalists will be selected. The Artistic Director of the Competition will notify the finalists of their status byMonday, February 7, 2011.
  • The Artistic Director of the Competition will determine specific performance and rehearsal times on Saturday, March 5, 2011 for each finalist and notify the finalists about those times by Monday, February 28, 2011.
  • Final Round is on Saturday, March 5, 2011, at 12:00 PM at CSU, Chico is open to the public. Finalists will perform for an invited judge or a panel of judges. Decisions of the judge(s) are final and may not be challenged. All finalists will receive the written comments from the judge(s) and may discuss their performance with the judge(s) after the winners are announced and the competition is over.

PRIZES AND AWARDS

First Prize of $2,000: Awarded by Mrs. Marilyn Ann Kruschke

Second Prize of $500: Awarded by Mr. Dustin Breshears, President of the Music Teachers' Association of California, Butte County Chapter

Special Award (Ernesto Lecuona Award): Students choosing to perform a solo piece by Ernesto Lecuona will automatically be considered for this year’s Ernesto Lecuona Award. This award is a certificate of achievement for the best performance of Lecuona.

Any tax obligation will be paid by the winner of the prize.

TEACHER'S RESPONSIBILITY

  • Each student entered must have studied with his/her current piano teacher for at least six months prior to the competition. Teachers will need to sign the Competition Application Form stating that the students they enter into the competition have studied under them for the past six months.
  • The Artistic Director of the Competition may enter students.
  • Judges of the Competition may not enter students.
  • Applications will be screened to determine that all requirements have been met. If any discrepancy is noted, disqualification may result.

CONTESTANT'S RESPONSIBILITY

  • Previous first prize winners are ineligible to compete again.
  • Contestants may not go over the prescribed time limit. Performances exceeding the specified time limits may be stopped at the judges’ discretion and can result in disqualification.
  • Contestants are expected to dress conservatively and appropriately for the
    competition and to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.

QUESTIONS/CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information about the Competition or questions about the appropriateness of a composition or a composer, please contact Dr. Natalya Shkoda, Assistant Professor of Piano and Artistic Director of the Earl R. and Marilyn Kruschke 2010 Prize in Piano Performance.

Phone: (530) 898-4043 

Email: NShkoda@csuchico.edu

Mailing Address: Dr. Natalya Shkoda, Music Department, CSU, Chico, 400 West First Street, Chico, CA 95929-0805