I. GENERAL
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 16th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, originally planned to take place in 2020, has been postponed. It will take place from 31 March to 3 May, 2021, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The Competition will be conducted in a new, hybrid format:
• Stages I and II will be prerecorded in March 2021 and live streamed on the Internet from 1 April.
• Stage III (finals) will be conducted in Tel Aviv from 29 April to 3 May, 2021. Rehearsals will commence on 27 April 2021.
• If COVID-19 situation and regulations will not allow live concerts on those dates, the final stage will be postponed to a later date.
• Arrival date to Tel Aviv will be decided based on the COVID-19 situation. In case of regulatory requirements of isolation, the finalists will have to arrive 10 to 14 days in advance. The Competition will provide accommodation and practice facilities accordingly.
• Specific instructions and recommendations regarding arrival dates and flight ticket purchase will be published later.
• The Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities.
• Applicants must be between 18 and 32 years of age, within the calendar year of the original Competition (2020).
All applications have been submitted via – GETACCEPTD.COM; according to the instructions given in “How to Apply”.
• All complete applications were screened by the Screening Committee.
• Candidates who studied with a Jury member (not including Master Classes) after 1 August 2019 were not accepted to the Competition.
• Candidates accepted to the 16th Competition in 2020 were all invited to compete in 2021 regardless of their age.
• All stages of the Competition will be open to the public.
II. RECORDING AND FILMING – STAGE I and STAGE II
• Recording and filming of the recitals (stage I and Stage II) will be conducted during March 2021 in 5 locations:
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• New York, USA
• London, UK
• Potsdam, Germany
• Beijing, China
• Specific dates for each location will be published once all competitors have notified the Competition management about their preferences.
• The Competition management will hire highly professional staff and equipment to achieve the best possible audio and video results for all competitors in all the venues.
• Each competitor will perform the recital of stage I on the first day followed by the recital of stage II on the next day.
• Recitals will be performed as a live concert, but with no audience in the hall. No stops, additional takes or amendments will be allowed.
III. REPERTOIRE
STAGE I Recital (All competitors)
Duration of performance: 35-40 minutes
STAGE II Recital (16 competitors)
Duration of performance: 50-60 minutes
The Competitor may choose the repertoire and decide the playing order of the recital program in Stages I and II, but must include, either in Stage I and/or in Stage II, each of the following:
• A CLASSICAL work
• A ROMANTIC work
• One of the three commissioned pieces written by Israeli composers.
Duration of each piece: 8 – 10 minutes.
STAGE III Finals (6 competitors)
A) CHAMBER MUSIC – Quintets for Piano & Strings
The Competitor must choose one of the following:
Borodin Quintet in C minor
Brahms Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
Dohnanyi Quintet in C minor, Op. 1
Dvořák Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81
Schumann Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44
Shostakovich Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
B) Classical CONCERTO
Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th anniversary
The Competitor must choose one of the following:
Beethoven
Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73
C) Grand CONCERTO
The Competitor must choose one of the following:
Bartók Concerto No. 2 or No. 3
Brahms Concerto No. 1 or No. 2
Chopin Concerto No. 1 or No. 2
Grieg Concerto in A minor
Liszt Concerto No. 1 or No. 2
Prokofiev Concerto No. 2 or No. 3
Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2 or No. 3
Ravel Concerto in G major
Schumann Concerto in A minor
Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1
NOTES:
• The Competitor shall choose editions that adhere to the original text.
• All pieces must be performed from memory, except for the Chamber Music.
• The Competitor shall play only those pieces which she/he has stated on the online
Application Form. No changes will be permitted after 1 March 2020.
• Accurate timings of all pieces chosen must be indicated on the online Application Form.
• The Competitor must ensure that the time limits stipulated for Stages I and II in the
Competition Rules, shall not be exceeded.
• Competitors who adhere to the given time limits will not be interrupted.
• The pieces may be performed with or without repeats, at the Competitor’s discretion.
• No work shall be repeated at any stage of the Competition.
• The Competitor may add an encore of not more than 3 minutes in all stages of the Competition. The duration of the optional encore is in addition to the given time frames
IV. PRIZES
• All prizes will be awarded unless the Jury unanimously decides not to award one or more of the prizes.
• In case of a tie, the Jury may decide to split a prize between two competitors.
• All decisions of the Jury shall be final and cannot be appealed
• All prize money is subject to tax under Israeli taxation laws.
Additional prizes, as well as engagements offered to the prizewinners, will be announced on the Competition website and in the Competition program.
V. CONCERTS AND RECORDING ENGAGEMENTS
a) The Arthur Rubinstein Society or its assignees or licensees will organize concerts and recordings for the winners of the Competition.
b) During the three years following the Competition, winners may be required to give one concert a year, free of charge, for the Arthur Rubinstein Society.
c) The Society and its assignees or licensees, at their own discretion, will also have the prerogative to sign recording and/or concert representation agreements with any of the competitors and/or winners during the three-year period following the date of the Competition.
d) Immediately after the Competition, winners may be invited to play concerts in different venues in Israel. Competitors are asked not to plan any concerts until
10 June 2020.
e) During the three years following the Competition, winners may accept other engagements with prior consultation with the Arthur Rubinstein Society or its assignees or licensees.
f) Competitors, who have been exclusively represented by official and/or commercial management prior to the Competition, are requested to inform the Arthur Rubinstein Society about such agreements.
g) A list of engagements will be published in the Competition program. Scheduling of these engagements will take into account any prior commitments of the winners.
VI. COPYRIGHT
Full copyright is held by the Arthur Rubinstein Society and/or its assignees and licensees.
All stages of the Competition may be broadcast and streamed live and may be recorded and videotaped for subsequent broadcast, video, DVD, audio recording or equivalent or any other format/media use. It is anticipated that CD recordings of selected Competition performances will be commercially produced, that a documentary of the Competition incorporating selected performances will be produced for television, and that the Competition will be made available on the internet and /or an equivalent media. Camera crews may photograph all Competition events.
Neither the Arthur Rubinstein Society nor its assignees or licensees may be held liable for any payments to pianists arising out of materials derived from Competition performances.
VII. FLIGHTS
The Arthur Rubinstein Society will reimburse up to USD500 to each Competitor, to partly cover his/her flight ticket.
VIII. ACCOMMODATION AND PRACTICE
Each Competitor will be provided with hotel accommodation on a half-board basis, from two days prior to the commencement of Stage III through the period of his/her participation in the Competition. Each hotel room will be equipped with a practice piano.
IX. HOW TO APPLY
1. All applications must be submitted online, via https://app.getacceptd.com/arims
2. Application period: 1 April 2019 – 1 October 2019.
3. All documents must be submitted in English. If the original is in a different language,
an English translation must be attached to the original.
4. Only complete applications will be considered.
5. All documents listed below (a – k) must be uploaded through the online application.
6. Confirmation of receipt of the online application is immediate.
7. Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance to the Competition will be sent to the applicants by email.
8. Copies of the Israeli compositions will be sent to competitors.
Requisite documents
a. Birth certificate or any other official document establishing the age of the applicant.
b. Biography (curriculum vitae) which should include details of musical activity.
c. List of performances, solo and with orchestras, including names of orchestras, conductors, venues and dates.
d. Articles, reviews, press releases etc.
e. List of awards received in national and international competitions, including relevant documents.
f. Certificate of studies, including names of teachers.
g. Letter/s of recommendation from applicant’s current or most recent institution of musical studies or teachers.
h. Letters from musicians of international standing, specifically recommending participation in the Competition.
i. A high-resolution photograph.
j. Registration fee: a non-refundable fee of USD150.
k. Important! A formal document from the tax authorities of the country of the applicant’s residence, confirming that he/she pays taxes there. All prizes and/or earnings are subject to taxation in accordance with the Israeli Tax regulations.
The English version of the Rules and Regulations is the binding text.
