British Contemporary Piano Competition

The British Contemporary Piano Competition will be held in early November 2013 at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK.

Founded by Phillip Mead, the British Contemporary Piano Competition was set up to provide a major international competition for the performance of contemporary piano music. Open to pianists of all nationalities aged 18-35 (one month before the competition), this provides an invaluable opportunity to gain significant exposure for top-level players wishing to specialise in this demanding area of repertoire.

Format and Repertoire

There will be 3 rounds held over 3 days (Thursday-Saturday). Copies of all works must be provided for the adjudicators.

Round 1
Total playing time: 20 minutes
A total number of ten competitiors will go through to round two

The competitor must perform two works:

1) A work or movement from the piano works of Bartók, Bax, Copland, Hindemith, Ireland, Ives, Janáček, Nielsen, Stravinsky or Schoenberg.

2) A work choesn by the competitor, published or unpublished, composed since 1980

Round 2
Total playing time: 20 minutes

The competitor must perform
:
1) One of the following:
Berio Sequenza IV (Universal)
Carter Sonata - first movement only (Mercury)
Crumb Processional* (Peters)
Finnissy Any solo piano work (Oxford)
Ligeti Études for piano - own choice selection (Schott)
Messiaen Any solo work (Leduc, Universal, Durand)
Rzewski Any piano work (Zen-on Piano Library)
Sciarrino One of the Sonatas (Ricordi)
Stockhausen Piano Piece 9 or 10 (Universal)
Tippett One of the Piano Sonatas (or movement) (Schott)
Ustwolskaya One of the Sonatas (Sikorski)
Xenakis Mists (Salabert)

* Competitors choosing this work should not take the ossia which necessitates playing on the inside of the piano.

2) A work or works chosen by the competitor, published or unpublished, composed since 2000. This must be different repertoire from that performed in Round 1.

Round 3
Total playing time: 45 minutes

The competitors must perform the following works:
A) Jonathan Harvey's Tombeau de Messiaen for Piano and Digital Audio Tape (Faber)
B) Own choice programme of works composed since 1980 which must include at least one by a British composer. One of the works may have been performed in an earlier round.

Prizes

First Prize: Cash Prize, engagements, recording

Second Prize: Cash Prize

Third Prize: Cash Prize

Adjudicators

Clive Williamson, John Constable, Rolf Hind

Register your interest by e-mailing BCPC@surrey.ac.uk