Rules of the 12th Competition

Download Competition Rules

1.1. Candidates’ age

The competition is open to conductors of all nationalities under the age of 36, i.e. born no earlier than 19 December 1981. The approximate number of candidates accepted for the first round will be 60. 

1.2. Application form

Candidates can apply online at www.orquestradecadaques.com as of 30 June and no later than 8 September 2017. They must submit the following documents: 

• Scanned copy of passport or national identity papers where the date of birth is perfectly readable
• Curriculum vitae with a maximum of 450 words* and a brief biography with a maximum of 150 words* to be included in the competition catalogue
• Study certificates and as much documentation as possible accrediting the information appearing in the curriculum vitae
• Two or more letters of recommendation in one of the competition languages, or, by default, a sworn translation
• One photograph (resolution: 300DPI; size: 10 x 15 cm approx.); 

* These documents must be written in one of the languages of the competition rules: CATALAN, SPANISH or ENGLISH. 

Videos:

They are not an essential requirement but videos that meet the following characteristics will be valued:

• The candidate must be visible from different angles.
• The sound must be of acceptable quality (videos where this is not the case will not be taken into account).

The videos must be available online and the candidates must included the links leading to them in their CVs. Videos sent by email or via WeTransfer or similar channels will not be accepted 

VERY IMPORTANT: Only applications made online will be accepted. 

Candidates can only assume that application and registration has been successful when they receive express confirmation from the organization. 

If the candidate does not receive an email accepting or rejecting their application, then they should contact the organization 

1.3. Number of contestants

All applications will be reviewed in strict confidentiality by a selection committee. According to the documentation submitted by the applicants, the organisers will directly select a maximum of fifty contestants. A further ten contestants will be selected in the preliminary round. Therefore, the total number of contestants in the first round of the competition will be sixty. 

The Committee reserves the right to ask for additional information.

All applicants will receive a reply to their application before 17 September. 

1.3.1 Call to take part in the preliminary round

Applicants who have not been selected directly may apply to take part in a special preliminary round. If they pass this audition, they can enter the main competition. The preliminary round is open to a maximum of 60 contestants. 

1.3.2 Preliminary round

A maximum of ten contestants will be selected from the preliminary round, who will be added to the fifty selected directly. 

Rules Preliminary Round

1.4. Registration fee

The selected contestants will have until 30 September 2017 to pay the registration fee, send proof of payment, and send all the information requested by the organization. 

The registration fee is 350.00 euros (net of bank commissions) and must be paid by bank transfer. 

Of these €350, €200 correspond to the cost of accommodation and €150 correspond to the participation fee. If contestants prefer, they can pay only the participation fee (€150), in which case they will be responsible for finding their accommodation. 

1.4.1. Items covered by registration fee

The fee includes accommodation for all the days that the contestant is active in the competition, the trips from Barcelona to Cadaqués and Cadaqués to Barcelona in the organization coaches, the score of the work commissioned for the competition, a copy of the catalogue, and admission to the semi-finals and final in the Auditori in Barcelona. 

1.5. Accommodation

The organization will reserve accommodation for the contestants covering the days in which they actively participate in the competition, provided they have paid the full registration fee (€350). Breakfast and other meals will not be included. Per diem and travel expenses will be paid for by the contestants. 

1.6. Date of appearance

All contestants should present themselves at the time and place duly communicated by the organisers. The contestants will appear in the competition in alphabetical order, starting with a letter chosen at random by the organisers.

2.1. Parts of the competition (14 to 18 December 2017)

The Competition is divided into five rounds. All the rounds will be open to the public and the press and will be live streamed on the orchestra website. 

2.2. Number of contestants per round

There will be a maximum of sixty contestants in the first round, a maximum of twenty in the second round, a maximum of seven in the third round, a maximum of three in the fourth round or semi-final, and a maximum of two in the fifth or final round. 

2.3. Attendance by the public and recording of the competition

All the competition rounds will be open to the public and may be recorded and broadcasted by radio or television. Contestants have no right to royalties on these recordings and/or broadcastings 

2.4. Orchestra

The contestants will conduct the Chamber Ensemble of the Cadaqués Orchestra in the first round and the Cadaqués Orchestra in the rest of the rounds. 

2.5. First round (14 and 15 December)

The contestants will conduct the work detailed in section 3.1. Each participant will be allowed a maximum of 10 minutes in this round. 

2.6. Second round (16 December)

The contestants will conduct the work detailed in section 3.2. Each participant will be allowed a maximum of 15 minutes in this round. 

2.7. Third round (17 December, morning)

The contestants will conduct the works detailed in section 3.3. The jury will decide the order in which the two works will be performed. The contestants will be given a maximum of 30 minutes to perform these works. 

2.8. Fourth round or semi-final (17 December, afternoon/evening)

The contestants will conduct the work commissioned by the Competition (section 3.4.), whose score will be distributed to them on the first day of the competition. The contestants will be given a maximum of 45 minutes to perform the work. 

2.9. Final (18 December, evening)

The contestants will conduct the work in section 3.5.a and one of the works in section 3.5.b, which will be decided by the jury. The final will be held at the place and time indicated by the organisers. The finalists will be given one hour to rehearse with the Orchestra of Cadaqués on the day of the final.

3.1 First round:

Arnold SCHÖNBERG: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 (Universal Edition); 

3.2 Second round:

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Symphony No. 41 in C major, (Bärenreiter); 

3.3 Third round:

a) Juli GARRETA: Impressions simfòniques para orquesta de cuerda  (Tritó Edicions);
b) Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A major (Breitkopf & Härtel);

3.4 Fourth round or semi-final:

Gabriel ERKOREKA: “Tramuntana”, work commissioned for the competition. (The score will be distributed to the contestants on the opening day of the competition). This work will not be on sale or otherwise available before the opening day of the competition.

3.5 Final:

a) Gabriel ERKOREKA: work commissioned for the competition;
b) Vicent MARTÍN I SOLER: Recital and aria of L'arbore de Diana: “Perfidi! In questa guisa... - Sento che dea son io” for soprano and orquesta (Tritó Edicions);
c.1) Johannes BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, Op.56a (Breitkopf Urtext, nº 3692)
c.2) Robert SCHUMANN: Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Op.52 (Breitkopf Urtext, nº 5527)

These are the recommended editions because they are the ones used by the Orchestra. If the contestants use other editions they may encounter problems with the bar numbers and the rehearsal letters.

The scores can be ordered from:

Tritó Edicions  http://www.trito.es (comandes@trito.es)

WARNING: We inform you that Tritó Ediciones will remain closed until August 31. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Note: The use of photocopied scores during the competition is forbidden. Contestants who use photocopies will be excluded.

4.1. Prizes

The jury will give two prizes. A first prize and a second prize.

Any one of the two prizes may be declared void and the second prize may be declared ex aequo.

The second prize consists of a diploma.

The first prize consists of the opportunity to conduct at least one concert with each of the collaborating orchestras during the 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 season. 

4.2. Consultancy service

The winner of the first prize will also receive advice over a period of one year from Alfonso Aijón, founder of Ibermúsica. 

4.3. Collaborating Orchestras

The list of collaborating orchestras in the 12th Competition, 2017, will be published before 23 June 2017. 

The collaborating orchestras in the 11th Competition, 2013, were:

BBC Philharmonic (Manchester)
Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa
Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa
Joven Orquesta Nacional de España
Orquesta Ciudad de Granada
Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria
Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra
Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León
Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia
Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias
Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife
Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid
Orquestra de Cadaqués
Orquestra de València
Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya
Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès
Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla
Real Filharmonía de Galicia
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Wienner Kammerorchester

5.1. President of the jury

In the 12th competition in 2017, the president of the jury will be Gianandrea Noseda, current principal conductor of the Cadaqués Orchestra and winner of the fist prize in the 1994 competition. 

5.2. Members of the Jury

Mr. Gianandrea Noseda, (Orchestral Conductor and Chairman of the Jury);

Mr. Nicholas Kenyon (Managing Director, Barbican Centre);

Mr. Lutz Köhler (Orchestral Conductor);

Ms. Annette Mangold (Director of Artistic Planning at the Berliner Philharmoniker);

Mr. Jaime Martín (Chief Conductor of the Cadaqués Orchestra);

Mr. Jun-ichi Nihei, (Japan Arts, President -COO-)

Ms. Anu Tali, (Conductor)

and the Cadaqués Orchestra itself (with two vots). 

5.3. Votes of the jury

In the first round, the jury will be formed by Lutz Köhler, Jaime Martín and the Chamber Ensemble of Cadaqués Orchestra. Each of them will have one vote. In the second round, each member of the jury - which will be complete - will have one vote, except the Cadaqués Orchestra, with two votes. The president will exercise the casting vote in the case of any possible tie. 

5.4. Jury moderator

The artistic director of the competition, Llorenç Caballero, will also sit on the jury, acting as technical secretary without the right to vote.

5.5. Deliberations and decisions of the jury

The jury’s deliberations will be secret and its decisions will not be subject to appeal. 

5.6. During the auditions

The members of the jury have the right to interrupt the contestants during the auditions to ask any questions they wish. They also have the right to terminate the audition before the scheduled time is up. 

5.7. Changes

The organization reserves the right to modify the number of contestants in the different rounds, as well as to introduce the changes that it considers necessary for the smooth running of the competition. In case of any doubt in the interpretation of the different translations of the competition rules, the text written in Catalan will take precedence.

Participation in the competition requires the contestants’ full acceptance of and express compliance with these rules and conditions, as well as with the jury’s interpretation of the rules for the resolution of any doubts or conflicts that may arise.

Applications