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The IAO-RCO Organ Playing Competition 2018

Saturday 28th July 2018 – Thursday 2nd August 2018
Peterborough & Cambridge

A joint IAO and RCO promotion, this new competition for organists will be held during the next IAO Music Festival in Peterborough, 29 July to 2 August 2018.

The semi-finals will be held in Cambridge on Wednesday 1 August, and the final will take place in Peterborough Cathedral on Thursday 2 August.

Applicants should be no younger than 18 and no older than 26 on 1 July 2018.

Adjudicators:

Martin Baker (Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral and President of the Royal College of Organists)

Steven Grahl (Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral and President of the Incorporated Association of Organists)

Prof. Edward Higginbottom (former Director of Music, New College, Oxford)

Prizes:

1st Prize £1,000

2nd Prize £500

3rd Prize £200

With recitals available to prizewinners courtesy of:

Westminster Cathedral

Peterborough Cathedral

St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham

The Royal College of Organists

HOW TO ENTER

For the IAO-RCO Organ Playing Competition 2018, six competitors will be chosen from recordings to participate in the semi-final round. From there, three competitors will be selected to go through to the final. To enter, applicants must complete the Competition Application Form [click here to download] and return it, with appropriate proof of age, to Andrew Macintosh at andrew.macintosh@rco.org.uk

In addition, applicants should submit (on the same day the Competition Application Form is sent) a single unedited sound file (video is not required) lasting 7–10 minutes. The recording must include one of J. S. Bach’s trio movements (a chorale prelude or a movement from a trio sonata) and any other work(s) of choice. The recording should be sent to Andrew Macintosh at andrew.macintosh@rco.org.uk using a file transfer service such as wetransfer.com

The entry charge is £50, to be paid on the same day the Competition Application Form is sent. Payment should be made by phoning RCO Bookings on 020 3865 6998.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 28 February 2018 at 13:00

Recordings will be passed to the adjudication panel for shortlisting and successful applicants will be contacted no later than Friday 16 March 2018. Applicants selected to go through to the semi-final round will be offered free bed and breakfast accommodation in Peterborough from 30 July to 2 August inclusive. Unsuccessful applicants will have £25 returned to them.

REPERTOIRE

Semi-final

A balanced programme of the applicant’s choosing, lasting around 20 minutes. The programme should consist of at least three contrasting pieces and include a work or movement by François Couperin, the 350th anniversary of whose birth falls in 2018. As a guide, the repertoire should be of Diploma level.

The semi-final rounds will be played on either the organ of Sidney Sussex College, or St Catherine’s College, on Wednesday 1 August. Candidates should select a programme suitable for either instrument, and allocation of candidates to instruments will be made using a ballot. Specifications can be found here:

Sidney Sussex

https://www.sidneysussexchoir.org/chapel-instruments

St Catharine's

https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/about-us/chapel/about-chapel/chapel-organ

Arrangements for practice will be made at a later stage.

Final

A balanced programme of the applicant’s choosing, lasting around 40 minutes. Some repertoire from the semi-final round may be included. The final will be held in Peterborough Cathedral on Thursday 2 August. Arrangements for practice will be made known at a later stage.

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

Before completing the Competition Application Form, applicants should note the following Conditions of Entry:

You must be available for the period of the competition (31 July to 2 August).You should be no younger than 18 and no older than 26 on 1 July 2018.

You are required to demonstrate that you meet the age requirement by providing a PDF of a passport, ID card, driving licence, or similar when submitting the Competition Application Form.

The statement at the end of the Competition Application Form should be signed by a professional musician.

Your sound file should be sent on the same day your application is made, and the file should be clearly identifiable with your name. Please use a transfer service such as wetransfer.com, copying your upload to andrew.macintosh@rco.org.uk

The application fee of £50 is payable on the same day the application is made.

If selected, you will be required to provide (by an appointed time) a score for every piece to be performed in the same edition as you intend to use for performance.

Are you ready to apply? Please make sure you fill in all sections of the Competition Application Form, including the signed statement from a professional musician. Your recording should be submitted, and your entry payment made, on the same day. Please remember that the deadline for the receipt of applications is 13:00 on Wednesday 28 February.