Prizes

• Semi-Finalist Prize: Selected semi-finalists will have the opportunity to rehearse and record a session at Steinway Hall Calgary with present and past members of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia UK in February 12-14, 2025. 

• Finalist Prize: Three finalists from each category will compete and perform with Mount Peak Sinfonia Canada Youth Orchestra, led by present and past members of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia UK. Final competition will be held at a Steinway-sponsored venue in Calgary on February 17, 2025.

• Grand Prize: One winner from each age category will perform solo at Carnegie Hall, New York, on March 9-10, 2025 (four winners).

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Eligibility

• The competition is open to talented pianists, in the following categories (applicants age as of December 1, 2024)

        Division I (9 years and under)

        Division II (10-13 years old)

        Division III (14-18 years old)

        Division IV (19-25 years old)​

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Important Dates & Requirements

• Submission Deadline: Audition video submissions are due by December 1, 2024. Choose any three-minute portion of a piece from the Competition Selection List below. Videos do NOT need to be memorized or performed with accompaniment. 

• Semi-Finalists Announcement: We will announce the semi-finalists by December 16, 2024.

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Application Fees

   Entry fee is $110 USD. Semi-finalists interested in traveling to Calgary will need to pay a one-time $550 USD fee to participate in both the semi-finalist recording round and the finalist concert round, if selected as a finalist. ​

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Prizes and Recognition

• One winner in each category will have a 4-minute performance opportunity at Carnegie Hall. They will be responsible for their travel costs, but there will be no additional fees to perform. Each finalist will also receive:

  • 4 audience tickets

  • A videography media link

• Certificates:

  • All semi-finalists will receive a certificate from GMAC upon acceptance.

  • ESTA will issue certificates to semi-finalists who complete their recording at the semi-final round.

  • Finalists will receive an ESTA certificate and a letter of recommendation for their musical excellence.

  • All finalists will receive a letter of recommendation from ESTA faculty after their finalist concert performance/competition.

  • All Grand Prize Winners will receive Carnegie concert organizer's certificate for their musical excellence and a letter of recommendation.

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Competition Selection List (for All Divisions)

• Luigi Boccherini: Piano Quintet in C major, Op. 57, No. 6, G. 418 - Polonaise: Allegretto sostenuto

• Boccherini: Piano Quintet No. 6 Op. 57

• Commissioned piece by Julian Winn, one movement: A Bike Ride in the Forest or The Clockmaker

• Max Bruch: Piano Quintet

• Dohnányi: Quintet in C minor, Op. 1

• Commissioned piece by British Composer Julian Winn, one movement from piano concerto: A Canadian Tale, 

• Chopin: Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 with String Quintet

• Grieg: Piano Concerto for Piano & String Quartet

• Mozart: Piano Concertos: No. 11 K413, No. 12 K414, No. 13 K415

• Haydn: Piano Concerto in D major, I. Allegro

• Saint-Saëns: Caprice-Valse – Piano and Strings

• Mozart: Piano Quartets K. 478 or 493