RULES

Given the current historical contingency that borders us within the household, the #StayHome International Piano Competition has been thought for the Internet users and audiences. It is a competition entirely held online, for which participants prepare and perform from their place of confinement. The jury members, in turn, evaluate each round live, joining a video-conference, while the performances are streamed. The #StayHome International Piano Competition is organized by AmiCa (Associazione musicale internazionale del Calatino), an organization based in Sicily that leads high-profile artistic activities, including AmiCaFest, an International Piano Festival that takes place every summer between Grammichele – famous in the world for its one of a kind hexagonal main square – and Catania, Vincenzo Bellini’s city of birth.

GENERAL RULES

1. The #StayHome International Piano Competition (hereafter referred to as “Competition”) will be held between June 17 and 20, 2020.
2. Applications will be accepted from April 10, 2020 until May 30, 2020 at midnight (EST) (Extended to June 2, 2020).
3. The Competition is open to pianists of any age and from all countries.
4. The Competition will take place on the Internet by pre-recorded video submission (see “Video Recording” section for details).
5. The Competition consists of a Pre-Screening selection (offline) and three rounds (Preliminary, Semifinal, and Final), streamed online:
   • Among all video recordings submitted, up to 80 competitors will be admitted to the Preliminary Round.
   • Up to 12 competitors will be admitted to the Semifinal Round.
   • Up to 6 competitors will be admitted to the Final Round.
6. Results of the Pre-Screening selection will be announced on June 1, and results for Preliminary, Semifinal and Final rounds will be announced after the last performance of each.
7. Competitors will be evaluated by two different Juries: one for Pre-Screening and one for Preliminary, Semifinal, and Final Rounds.
8. Jury members who are currently teaching (or have taught in the past 2 years) a competitor, will have to abstain from assessing his/her performance(s).
9. All video recordings submitted will be streamed online at a certain date and time, while jury members from different corners of the world watch and listen in videoconference.
10. All compositions must be performed from memory.
11. If requested by the jury members, the competitor will have to provide a PDF file of specific compositions.
12. By participating in the Competition, competitors give to the Organization all rights to audio and video recordings of any round with no financial compensation.
13. The Competition Organization reserves the right to make changes to all information posted on the Competition’s official website if need be.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

In order to qualify for the Competition, prospective competitors have to fill out the Application Form and pay the Application Fee (€60.00) by midnight (EST) of May 30, 2020 (Extended to June 2, 2020). Incomplete applications will not be considered. The Application Fee is non-refundable.

Applications must include:

1. A biography in English of no more than 1,000 characters.
2. A high-resolution professional picture (at least 300 dpi, max 5 MB).
3. List of Competition Repertoire.
4. One (1) downloadable video link for Pre-Screening selection. If selected, competitors must send three (3) additional downloadable video links for the Preliminary, Semifinal and Final rounds (see “Video Recordings” section for details) by June 8, 2020 (Extended to June 10, 2020).

A copy of the receipt of the Application Fee payment (€60.00) must be sent to info@stayhomecompetition.com.

VIDEO RECORDINGS

1. Competitors must send one (1) downloadable video link for Pre-Screening selection by May 30, 2020 (Extended to June 2, 2020). If selected, competitors must send three (3) additional downloadable video links for the Preliminary, Semifinal and Final rounds by June 8, 2020 (Extended to June 10, 2020).
2. The Organization needs to be able to download the original files in order to upload and stream them during the Competitions days. WeTransfer, DropBox, Box, Google Drive, or similar are strongly suggested. YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc., links will not be accepted.
3. The videos must be unpublished and must have been recorded during the quarantine time (between April 10 and June 10, 2020). To ensure that the recording has been made specifically for the Competition, competitors have to say “Stay Home Piano Competition” at the beginning of each video.
4. Recordings can take place at home or anywhere the competitor has access to a decent piano. Recordings on upright pianos are accepted.
5. Duration of the files cannot exceed the one requested for each category (10 minutes for Pre-Screening selection and Preliminary Round, 25 minutes for Semifinal Round, and 45 minutes for Final Round). The total performance time has to include pauses between pieces. Files that exceed the allotted time will not be accepted.
6. Edited video recordings will not be accepted. The videos must be taken in one shot (one single video per round), no interruptions during the performance are permitted.
7. All compositions must be performed in whole and from memory.
8. Videos must be made by one fixed camera and must show the musician in full view.
9. Repeats will be left to the discretion of the competitor.

REPERTOIRE

• Pre-Screening Selection:

Two virtuoso etudes of competitor’s choice of no more than 10 minutes in duration.

• Preliminary Round (up to 80 competitors selected):

Two virtuoso etudes of competitor’s choice of no more than 10 minutes in duration. They can be the same sent for Pre-Screening Selection.

• Semifinal Round (up to 12 competitors selected):

A solo program of competitor’s choice of no more than 25 minutes in duration. The program cannot include works submitted for the Preliminary Round.

• Final Round (up to 6 competitors selected):

A solo program of competitor’s choice of no more than 45 minutes in duration. The program cannot include works submitted for the Preliminary and Semifinal Rounds.

TIMELINE