2021
Terms
of the Piano Bridges International Competition for Amateur Pianists
named after Natalia Dobrovolskaya
Competition dates
24 October – 14 November 2021
Competition format
Video recordings, online
Application deadline
1 October 2021
18 and above
Participants' age
The first 50 applications will be accepted (based on the date of receiving a full set of documents).
The 1st prize winners are not allowed to take part in the Competition for the following three years.
Competition nominations
Solo
Piano Ensemble (1 or two pianos)
Categories
I
Amateur pianists who received a degree in music with a major in disciplines other than piano performance, and those who received a diploma majoring in piano performance but have not been involved in music activities as professional pianists for at least 3 years.
There will be one round for both the solo and ensemble disciplines.
II
Amateur pianists with no degree in music.
Awards
All participants receive electronic diplomas or certificates signed by the Jury members.
The first-prize winner who received the most points (from the two categories) will be given an opportunity to perform with an orchestra in St. Petersburg during the year following the year of the Competition.
All competitors have the right to participate in the Piano Bridges concert series throughout the year.
The first-prize winner who received the most points (from the two categories) will be given an opportunity to perform with an orchestra in St. Petersburg during the year following the year of the Competition.
All competitors have the right to participate in the Piano Bridges concert series throughout the year.
30,000 RUB
Gifts from the Competition partners
A solo performance at a Russian-Italian festival in St. Petersburg
Natalia Dobrovolskaya Award (Audience Award) — 10,000 RUB
PianoLink Special Prize
The PianoLink Special Prize will be awarded to the candidate whose performance is evaluated as exceptionally praiseworthy by the Artistic Director of the PianoLink International Amateurs Competition (Milan, Italy). The winner will be granted free participation in the next edition of the PianoLink Competition.
The PianoLink Special Prize will be awarded to the candidate whose performance is evaluated as exceptionally praiseworthy by the Artistic Director of the PianoLink International Amateurs Competition (Milan, Italy). The winner will be granted free participation in the next edition of the PianoLink Competition.
Max. resolution
1920 x 1080
Video and programme requirements
Video duration
up to 20 minutes
File types
MPEG-4 and MOV (video codecs H.264 and MPEG-4, audio codec AAC)
MPEG-2 PS (video codec MPEG-2, audio codec MP2)
Piano Ensemble
Contestants are free to choose their own programme which must consist of at least two music pieces.
It must include a classical piano repertoire only. It is allowed to perform one transcription. Pieces of popular or jazz music as well as competitors' own works are not allowed.
In case of doubt, please consult with the Organizing Committee.
Solo
Contestants are free to choose their own programme which must consist of at least two music pieces.
The programme must include a classical piano repertoire only. Pieces of popular or jazz music as well as competitors' own works are not allowed.
In case of doubt, please consult with the Organizing Committee.
For the closing concert and to decide the Audience Award winner, the jury will select the piece(s) from the programmes of the solo and ensemble disciplines with a total length of not more than 10 minutes. Contestants should consider this while compiling their programmes.
Contestants are free to choose their own programme which must consist of at least two music pieces.
It must include a classical piano repertoire only. It is allowed to perform one transcription. Pieces of popular or jazz music as well as competitors' own works are not allowed.
In case of doubt, please consult with the Organizing Committee.
Solo
Contestants are free to choose their own programme which must consist of at least two music pieces.
The programme must include a classical piano repertoire only. Pieces of popular or jazz music as well as competitors' own works are not allowed.
In case of doubt, please consult with the Organizing Committee.
For the closing concert and to decide the Audience Award winner, the jury will select the piece(s) from the programmes of the solo and ensemble disciplines with a total length of not more than 10 minutes. Contestants should consider this while compiling their programmes.
In each discipline, the whole programme must be recorded uninterruptedly in one take and it must represent a single file. The recording must be made specially for the 2021 Competition. No editing or cropping of the video including cutting out of pauses at the beginning or end, or between pieces is allowed.
Videos must be stored in the Google Drive cloud storage only, and have free access.
Other cloud storage services (e.g. iCloud, Dropbox, etc.), as well as YouTube and other similar video hosting services are not allowed. Contestants from the countries with no access to Google Drive can send their videos to the Organizing Committee in any suitable way.
Upright pianos or electronic keyboards are not allowed.
Recordings of concert performances or their fragments are not accepted.
Recordings of concert performances or their fragments are not accepted.
We strongly recommend using proper recording equipment or turning to a professional for help. The quality of the video recording should be as high as possible (especially the audio track). The sound quality holds more importance than the image quality (which is important mainly for the competitor's identification).
It is essential to use manual fine-tuning, and you must not apply automatic volume control. It must be remembered that the technical quality of the recording and the level and condition of the musical instrument are important factors that will help to gain an adequate impression of the performer's creative potential.
All videos must be filmed with both the pianist's face and hands in the frame. There is no dress code, but your attire should demonstrate respect for the music and the audience. The same video will be used for both the auditions and the closing concert.
It is essential to use manual fine-tuning, and you must not apply automatic volume control. It must be remembered that the technical quality of the recording and the level and condition of the musical instrument are important factors that will help to gain an adequate impression of the performer's creative potential.
All videos must be filmed with both the pianist's face and hands in the frame. There is no dress code, but your attire should demonstrate respect for the music and the audience. The same video will be used for both the auditions and the closing concert.
All videos will be checked for any editing or modifications. If any such interference is found, the application will be declined without the right of its resubmission. Signing the application form, the competitor guarantees that they have not altered the recording and that is was made specifically for this year's edition.
We accept payments via:
- PayPal
- Sberbank Online
- YooMoney (Yandex)
- PayPal
- Sberbank Online
- YooMoney (Yandex)
To participate in the Сompetition, you need to fill in the application form on this website and attach the following:
- Digital photograph
- Photo of your signature
- Link with free access to the video on Google Drive
- Confirmation of payment of the entry fee in the amount of €50, or $55
Сompetition terms
24 October
Each day, starting from the 25th of October, video recordings of 5 contestants together with their photographs and short music biographies will be published in the public domain (in alphabetic order starting from the letter "М").
Official online opening of the Competition.
During the opening concert, video performances of prizewinners of previous years will be shown.
During the opening concert, video performances of prizewinners of previous years will be shown.
25 October - 13 November
The names of not more than 10 prizewinners (max. 5) will be announced without mentioning their place (will be announced at/during the closing concert).
14 November
Audience voting
The winner of the Audience Award will be chosen from the 10 prizewinners. The procedure for selecting the audience jury members will be announced on the day of the Competition opening.
The winner of the Audience Award will be chosen from the 10 prizewinners. The procedure for selecting the audience jury members will be announced on the day of the Competition opening.
Final Online Concert
The results of the audience vote and the Jury's decision on the distribution of places are announced.
The results of the audience vote and the Jury's decision on the distribution of places are announced.
Official Closing of the Competition
Judging
The Juror does not assign scores to the contestant if the latter is their student. Close relatives of a juror are not allowed to take part in the Competition.
The places and prizes are assigned strictly in accordance with the contestants' mean scores. The prizes are non-divisible. The decisions about the special prizes and diplomas are made based on the Jury's vote. In case of an equal number of votes, the Jury President's vote is decisive.
Each jury member gives written feedback on every contestant's performance, with comments on each piece. The feedback will be sent to all contestants within three months after the Competition.
The Organizing Committee kindly ask the participants to respect the jurors' privacy and not to contact them in order to get further comments or consultations. Acceptance of this point is essential for the application admission.
The places and prizes are assigned strictly in accordance with the contestants' mean scores. The prizes are non-divisible. The decisions about the special prizes and diplomas are made based on the Jury's vote. In case of an equal number of votes, the Jury President's vote is decisive.
Each jury member gives written feedback on every contestant's performance, with comments on each piece. The feedback will be sent to all contestants within three months after the Competition.
The Organizing Committee kindly ask the participants to respect the jurors' privacy and not to contact them in order to get further comments or consultations. Acceptance of this point is essential for the application admission.
Conclusion
The Organizing Committee is responsible for compliance with these terms. Contestants' appeals will be considered by the Organizing Committee. The Jury's decisions are final and non-negotiable.
These terms are prepared in Russian and English. In case of any discrepancy, the Russian version shall prevail.
All rights to the video recordings pass to the Organizing Committee. Signing the application, participants give assent to that.
These terms are prepared in Russian and English. In case of any discrepancy, the Russian version shall prevail.
All rights to the video recordings pass to the Organizing Committee. Signing the application, participants give assent to that.
