APPLICATION
7.1 The application period commences on July 5th 2021 and ends on October 18th
2021. The online registration form will be available on the Competition website (www.santanderpianocompetition.com) from the beginning of the registration
period.
7.2 To register, the applicant must:
- a) Fill out the online form and attach a digital copy of all documents which are
requested.
- b) Send an audiovisual recording, which should include the chosen repertoire
and duration of the recording as specified in section 6.2. Each work in this
recording must have been recorded in one single take, with no breaks nor
editing at all even between movements. The video may be sent by mail in
DVD format, or by indicating the URL of an online audiovisual document.
These sending methods should incur no costs for the Competition.
- c) Provide at least one recommendation letter or email issued by one or several
prestigious musicians, different from the current professor or mentor of the
applicant. These recommendation letters should be sent to the Competition
by the recommender and not by the applicant.
- d) Payment of the non-refundable registration fee of 70 €. This payment will
be made, free of charge for the Competition, by bank transfer to an account
of the Fundación Albéniz or by other means of payment that will be
communicated in due course.
7.3 Payment of the non-refundable registration fee of 70 €. This payment will
be made, free of charge for the Competition, by bank transfer to an account
of the Fundación Albéniz or by other means of payment that will be
communicated in due course. states any family tie he/she may have with any of the members of the jury, and
whether or not has he/she been a student of any of them after September 2020
(except for master classes); an affidavit stating the circumstances (time and
place) where the recording for admission to the Competition took place; a
complete, precise repertoire for all stages of the Competition; plus first and
second choice city where the candidate wishes to participate in the pre-selection
process. Digital copies of documents which the applicant should attach to the
application include: identity card or passport, academic diplomas and diplomas
from competitions, a photo, a recommendation letter or email issued specifically
for the present edition of the Competition by the current professor or mentor of
the candidate, a list of the applicant’s full personal repertoire and the
registration fee’s proof of payment.
ADMISSION
7.4 The Artistic Committee of the Fundación Albéniz will study the application forms
and the recordings and then decide which participants will be admitted. That
decision will be final.
The Committee will take into account the importance of the programmes which
have been selected for the various stages of the Competition, both from an
artistic and a virtuoso point of view.
The Committee reserves the right to grant direct admission to prize winners from
international competitions, if they are sufficiently accomplished, and also
pianists with a proven artistic career.
The result will be communicated to interested parties on February 7th, 2022.
7.5 Those pianists who are admitted to the pre-selection stage must pay 30 € for
audition fees.
7.6 Under no circumstances will this sum be refunded.
PRE-SELECTION
7.7 The following is a prerequisite to be able to participate in the Pre-selection: an
e-mail addressed to the General Secretariat of the Competition
(concursantes@albeniz.com) attaching a scanned copy of proof of payment for
the audition. This should clearly show the name and surname of the
participant.
7.8 Pre-selection auditions will take place in March/April 2022 in Madrid, Moscow,
New York and Paris.
7.9 The Competition reserves the right to modify the list of cities in the Preselection
for organizational reasons.
7.10 The Pre-selection will consist of a recital which will be open to the public in the
presence of the Pre-selection Jury (duration and repertoire as specified in
section 6.3). An audio recording of the recital will be made for the Competition
archives. Under no circumstances will the recording be made available to
participants involved in the pre-selection.
7.11 Participants will have access to a practice piano for 30 minutes before this
audition takes place.
7.12 Upon completion of the auditions in the above-mentioned cities, the Preselection
jury will select twenty participants for the first stage.
7.13 The jury will also take into account the repertoire which is being presented for
the various stages of the Competition, which will reflect the candidates’ artistic
capabilities.
7.14 Participants will be informed of the results on May 2022.
REPORT IN SANTANDER
7.15 Successful candidates must report to the General Secretariat of the Competition
in Santander, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria c/ Gamazo s/n, on July 24th,
2022.
DRAW
7.16 On the morning of July 25th, the performance order will be determined via a draw
which all participants are required to attend. This order will be respected in all
stages of the Competition, unless the jury decides otherwise for artistic reasons
for the concerts in the Final.
FIRST STAGE
20 participants
7.17 The First Stage will take place in Santander from 25th to 27th July, 2022 inclusive,
in the Sala Pereda at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria between 16.00 and
23.30 (hours subject to change). It will consist of a recital, whose duration and
repertoire are specified in section 6.4.
7.18 On the night of the 27th July, the jury will announce the names of the twelve
participants who have been selected to participate in the Semi-final.
7.19 Participants who do not reach the Semi-final will automatically receive a “First
Stage Participant” Diploma. This will be sent by mail once the competition is over.
SEMI-FINAL
12 participants
7.20 The Semi-final will be held between 29th July and 1st August inclusive, in the Sala
Pereda at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria between 16.00 and 22.30 (hours
subject to change). It will consist of two performances, a recital and a chamber
music performance with the members of the Cuarteto Casals. The duration and
repertoire of the above are specified in sections 6.5 and 6.6.
7.21 Each participant will perform in the two sections of the Semi-final on different
days.
7.22 Before the chamber music performance takes place, each participant will attend
two rehearsals of a maximum of 35 minutes’ duration each with the members of
the Cuarteto Casals. One rehearsal will take place on July 28 th and another on
the morning of the participant’s performance.
7.23 On the night of August 1st, the jury will announce the winner of the Special Award
to the Best Chamber Music Performer, as well as the names of the six
participants who have been selected to participate in the Final, and their
performing order.
7.24 Participants who do not reach the final will automatically receive a Semi-finalist
Diploma. This will be sent by mail once the competition is over.
FINAL
6 participants
7.25 The Final will take place on 3rd and 4th August and it is included in the programme
of the 71st Santander International Festival. Each finalist will perform the piano
concerto they chose in their application form.
7.26 Before the performance takes place, each finalist will have a meeting on 2nd
August with the conductor (duration to be determined). Each finalist will have a
first rehearsal with the orchestra which will last for a maximum of 50 minutes on
2nd August and a dress rehearsal of the same duration on the morning of his/her
performance.
CLOSING GALA AND AWARDS CEREMONY
7.27 The names of the winners will be announced at the closing gala and awards
ceremony, which will take place in the Sala Argenta at the Palacio de Festivales
on August 5th.
7.28 The six finalists and the winner of the Special Award to the Best Chamber Music
Performer are required to personally receive their awards at the gala; otherwise,
they will lose their rights to the awards.
7.29 Each finalist will prepare a short work or an extract of a work of their choice
which will last for a maximum of 4 minutes and will make it known to the General
Secretariat of the Competition. The participants who come first, second or third,
will play this piece at the awards ceremony, as a gesture to the audience.
8.1 The jury of the Santander International Piano Competition is composed of
prestigious music personalities from all over the world. The aim of the jury is to
decide which participants go through to the various stages of the competition
and also award the prizes.
8.2 The jury has two different compositions. During the pre-selection, the jury is
composed of a president and two jury members, as stated in section 3.2. During
the competition in Santander, the jury is composed of a president, two vice
presidents and six jury members as stated in section 3.1.*
8.3 The Fundación Albéniz is the body organising the Competition. The Chair of the
Foundation and the Piano Competition, Paloma O'Shea, will attend, without
voting rights, the final jury session for the pre-selection stage, the Santander
jury’s constitutive session and the final jury session.
8.4 The Secretary General of the Competition is Pilar Pertusa, who is the secretary
to the jury. His role is to provide support to the jury when counting votes and
whenever assistance is required. His role is to also minute meetings.
8.5 If necessary, the Competition may modify the composition of the jury and
number of members in the jury.
8.6 The fact of becoming a jury member entails full acceptance of the rules of the
Competition.
8.7 The members of jury who have a student or relative among the participants, as
stated in the communication mentioned in section 8.25, will abstain to vote for
him or her. Jury members will not abstain or cast blank or void votes in any
other case.
8.8 The jury's decisions are final.
Pre-selection Jury
8.9 The president of the pre-selection jury will manage and supervise the progress
of sessions and shall vote.
8.10 The three members of the pre-selection jury will be present at each of the
auditions which are scheduled to take place in Madrid, Moscow, New York and
Paris.
8.11 If due to force majeure, a member of the pre-selection jury is unable to attend
any of the auditions or voting sessions, his/her vote will be made up for by the
President. If the President is unable to attend, one of the jury members will make
up for his/her vote as per the order which appears in section 3.2.
VOTING
8.12 At the end of the auditions each day, each jury member will receive a ballot paper
which features the names of the competitors who have been heard on that
particular day. The jury member will vote “YES” for a candidate who he/she
believes is good enough to go through to the First Stage of the Competition and
“NO”, otherwise.
8.13 Each jury member shall sign his/her ballot paper and hand it into a representative
of the Competition who will keep them all in a sealed envelope until the final
meeting takes place.
FINAL MEETING
8.14 The purpose of the final meeting of the pre-selection jury is to select a maximum
of 20 participants who will take part in the First Stage of the Santander Piano
Competition. Five reserve candidates will also be selected.
8.15 The final meeting will take place in Madrid after the auditions are over.
8.16 At the beginning of the meeting, jury members will receive the ballot papers
which they completed during the various pre-selection auditions and will have
an allotted period of time to review these and, where appropriate, make
alterations.
8.17 After reviewing the ballot papers, they will be handed to the secretary to the
jury, who will count the votes with the president.
8.18 The president will immediately inform the other members of the pre-selection
jury what the results of each vote count are.
8.19 Candidates who have received a negative vote from most of the jury members
(two negative votes), will be automatically eliminated from the final selection.
8.20 If 20 candidates have received unanimous positive votes (3 positive votes), they
will be selected to go to Santander. If there are over 20, each jury member will
draw up and sign a list containing the names of 20 candidates selected among
the ones who have received unanimous positive votes, and the 20 candidates
with the most votes will be selected.
8.21 If, on the other hand, there are less than 20 candidates who have received a
unanimous positive vote (three positive votes), the number will be made up via
a new voting session —according to the method outlined in the previous
section— where jury members vote between candidates who received two
positive votes.
8.22 Only if there is a tie between several candidates will the jury vote again between
the candidates who have tied.
8.23 The 3 reserve candidates, who will be called in order of preference, will be those
candidates who have achieved the next greatest number of votes after the
participants who have already been selected to go through to the First Stage.
Santander Jury
THE CONSTITUTIVE MEETING OF THE JURY
8.24 The Constitutive Meeting of the jury will take place on July 25th at 12.00 pm in
the Hotel Real in Santander. During this meeting, the secretary to the jury will
report on the outcome of the pre-selection.
8.25 If a jury member realizes one of the competitors is a relative up to the fourth
degree or has taught him/her after September 2020 (excluding master classes)
he must make this known in the constitutive meeting of the jury.
8.26 During the constitutive meeting of the jury, or at the start of the semi-final and
final, any jury member may propose amendments or additions to these
regulations which refer to the modus operandi of the jury. These will only come
into force if two thirds of the jury members approve them.
OBLIGATIONS OF JURY MEMBERS
8.27 Jury members undertake to attend all auditions and meetings related to the first
stage, semi-final and final as well as the closing gala and awards ceremony, and
any meetings which may be held during the competition period.
8.28 Only in the case of force majeure may fewer members of the jury attend
auditions or meetings and this must be authorized by the Competition
Management.
8.29 Jury members undertake to vote, sign ballot papers and the minutes of meetings;
they must not give their opinions about the participants verbally or by gesture or
applaud; nor must they have contact with the participants or people who are
associated with them. They must not attend chamber group or orchestral
rehearsals.
8.30 The content of meetings will remain secret and must not be revealed before or
after the Competition takes place. This condition is also applicable to any
member of the organization who, in the course of their duties, may have contact
with members of the jury.
8.31 The jury, via the method indicated below, will award the following prizes: First
Prize, “Santander Grand Prix” Distinction (if applicable), Second Prize, Third Prize,
Finalists’ Prizes and Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer.
8.32 The jury may not declare these prizes void except as stipulated in section 8.59;
nor may cash prizes be divided between several competitors.
8.33 Apart from the Audience Award, the "Santander Grand Prix" Distinction and the
Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer, competition prizes are not
cumulative.
THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENTS OF THE JURY
8.34 The president of the jury shall oversee the progress of meetings and shall vote.
In the situations outlined in the following sections, he will have a casting vote if
there is a tie.
8.35 The vice presidents shall vote like the rest of the members of the jury. If the
President is absent due to force majeure, his functions, including the casting vote
if there is a tie, shall be undertaken by one of the vice presidents in alphabetical
order.
8.36 It is also an obligation of the president to fill in for the vote abstention of a jury
member who has any student or relative among the participants. The vote cast
by the President for such a participant will be counted twice. In this way the tally
sheet of each participant will still add up to the same number of cast votes.
If in any of the voting sessions more than one participant should have a professor
or a relative in the jury, the votes for these abstentions should be filled in by the
president and by the two vice presidents. The president will duplicate the value
of his vote for the participant who has performed first and, if necessary, the two
vice presidents, in alphabetical order, will duplicate their votes for the other
participants, following their order of performance.*
8.37 If, having attended the relevant auditions, a jury member cannot be present due
to force majeure, he/she can send his vote in writing to the president, who will
fill out the ballot paper on behalf of the absent jury member.
8.38 If by reason of force majeure a jury member is unable to be present at an
audition, his/her absence will be countered by the president’s vote being
doubled.
8.39 The president shall immediately inform the jury members of the result of each
voting and counting session. The participants will always be named according to
the playing order which has been stipulated during the competition and never
according to the number of votes obtained.
8.40 In voting sessions, there are to be no discussions or explanations of the reasons
behind each vote. Exception to this rule is made in section 8.58, regarding the
final voting.
VOTING FIRST STAGE
8.41 The jury will meet to vote for the first stage on the night of July 27th.
8.42 Each member will receive a ballot paper which contains the names of the 20
participants. He should write "YES" next to the names of those participants whose performance in the first stage deserves to go through to the semi-final
and write "NO" if otherwise.
8.43 The President, with the secretary’s assistance, will collect the signed ballots,
count the votes and note these down on the tally sheet.
8.44 The 12 participants with the highest number of "YES" votes will go through to
the Semi-final.
8.45 If the participants in the last positions tie, voting will take place again between
them.
8.46 If there is another tie between the candidates for the last few places available,
the President shall exercise his casting vote, which will be decisive.
8.47 Once voting has taken place and the minutes have been drafted and signed, the
president of the jury will immediately announce the results in a ceremony which
will be open to the public.
VOTING OF THE SPECIAL AWARD TO THE BEST CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMER
AND THAT OF THE SEMI-FINAL
8.48 The jury will meet to vote for the Special Award to the Best Chamber Music
Performer and the Semi-final on the night of August 1st.
8.49 Beforehand, after the last Chamber Music stage, the President of the Jury, with
the secretary’s assistance, will have already met with the Cuarteto Casals to ask
for their opinion regarding the Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer. This
opinion will not be binding and will be kept secret, except for its communication
to the Jury.
8.50 The voting for the Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer will be
preceded by the President verbally informing the Jury of the opinion expressed
by the Cuarteto Casals. Each member of the Jury will then receive a ballot paper
with the names of the 12 semi-finalists and will write “YES” next to the one who,
in his/her opinion, should receive the Special Award to the Best Chamber Music
Performer.
8.51 The President, with the secretary’s assistance, shall count the votes and reflect
it on the tally sheet.
8.52 The contestant with the higher number of “YES” votes will automatically be given
the Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer.
8.53 In the event of a tie, another similar voting will be held, taking only into account
the tied competitors.
8.54 In the event of another tie, the President of the Jury shall exercise his casting
vote, which shall be decisive.
8.55 This will be followed by the Semi-final voting, which will be conducted in the
same way as the First Stage voting (articles 8.42 to 8.46).
8.56 Once voting has taken place and the minutes have been drafted and signed, the
President of the jury will immediately announce the name of the winner of the
Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer and those of the finalists.
VOTING FOR THE FINAL AND ALLOCATION OF AWARDS
8.57 On the morning of August 5th, the jury will meet to vote for the Final and for the
allocation of awards.
Resolution re awarding of First Prize
8.58 At the start of the meeting, the president will allow any member of the jury who
so wishes to explain their points of view, in a time slot decided at the discretion
of the president.
8.59 Then, each jury member will receive a ballot paper on which they should answer
"YES" or "NO" to the following question: should the first prize be awarded? The
first prize will be declared void only if all the members of the jury vote "NO".
Otherwise, the jury is obliged to award the prize.
Voting for the Final and Allocation of Awards
8.60 Subsequently, each jury member will receive a ballot paper which features the
names of the six finalists and they should write "YES" next to the names of the
candidate who, in his/her opinion, deserves the first prize.
8.61 The president, with the aid of the secretary, will count the votes and these will
be noted down on the tally sheet.
8.62 The First Prize will be automatically allocated to the participant with the most
“YES” votes.
8.63 If the First Prize-winner has received positive votes from all jury members he/she
will also be awarded the “Santander Grand Prix” Distinction.
8.64 If there is a tie between some of the participants, jury members will vote in a
similar way between those participants.
8.65 If there is another tie, the President of the jury shall exercise his casting vote,
which will be decisive.
8.66 Once the first prize is assigned, the jury will award firstly the second prize and
then the third prize according to analogous procedures.
8.67 If the first prize is not awarded, the second and third prizes will be awarded
according to analogous procedures.
8.68 In any event, the finalists who have not obtained any of the major prizes will
automatically be awarded a “Finalist prize”.
8.69 The outcome of these voting sessions will be kept secret until they are revealed
at the appropriate time at the closing gala and awards ceremony which will take
place on the afternoon of August 5th.
8.70 Audience members will vote for the winner of the Audience Award. They will
need to have attended at least one of the two concerts at the final stage. The
count will take place before a notary and the name of the winner will be
announced at the Closing Gala and Awards Ceremony.
9.1 By registering for the Competition, participants accept the competition rules and
any regulations and standards which are related to these in full.
9.2 When a participant fails to comply with any of the rules, he/she may be excluded
at any stage in the competition.
9.3 By applying for the Competition, participants commit themselves to free of any
professional or artistic obligations the following dates: July 24th to August 5th
2022 inclusive.
9.4 If any of the information which appears in the documentation is found to be
false, the participant may automatically be disqualified.
9.5 Any documentation which is submitted by the participant for application
purposes is confidential and shall be treated with the utmost discretion. Under
no circumstances will it be returned.
9.6 During the period of time the pianists are involved in the competition in
Santander, they are not allowed to leave the competition area without the prior
consent of the management.
9.7 Any disrespectful behaviour by the participants within the Competition entails
the disqualification of the participant and the loss of any acquired rights.
9.8 Participants will dress for their performances in appropriate concert attire.
REPERTOIRE
9.9 When applicants select their repertoire, they will scrupulously adhere to the
requirements and instructions which are laid out in sections 6.1 to 6.7. Special
care must be taken not to exceed the maximum duration stipulated.
9.10 There will be no changes to the repertoire in any of the programmes.
9.11 The works must have been published by a recognized publisher with an
international scope.
9.12 Participants must provide copies of scores of unusual works which they include
in their programmes when requested by the Competition.
9.13 Original compositions by the pianist cannot be included.
9.14 All works must be played from memory, with the exception of chamber works.
ORGANIZATION
9.15 The competition will provide participants with a return air ticket to Santander
from an airport located near to the participants' place of study or place of
residence, which has been stipulated on the registration form.
9.16 Participants will be accommodated at the Residencia “Ángeles Custodios” and
this cost will be covered by the Fundación Albéniz. They will each be
accommodated in a single room with an en-suite bathroom. All participants will
be accommodated from 24th to 27th July. Participants in the semi-final will be
accommodated from 28th July to 1st August inclusive and finalists, as well as the
winner of the Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer, from 2nd to
5th August inclusive.
9.17 Upon arrival in Santander, all participants will receive as an advance payment for
the prizes an amount equivalent to the First Stage Participant Diploma, subject
to the tax legislation in force.
9.18 Cash prizes will be taxable according to the tax legislation in force in Spain.
9.19 Cash prizes will be paid by bank transfer to the bank account each participant
has indicated.
9.20 The repertoire of the CD under Naxos label offered as part of the First Prize will
be agreed upon by Fundación Albéniz, Naxos and the pianist awarded with the
First Prize.
9.21 The Audience Award will be awarded at the Closing Gala and Awards ceremony.
The coordination of transporting this and any corresponding costs of transport
and insurance will be covered by the winner of the award. The competition will
provide free storage for the award on its premises from the moment it is
awarded until it is collected and transported to its onward destination.
9.22 Participants in the First stage will have access to pianos for practice for a
minimum of four hours a day from 25th to 27th July inclusive. This also applies to
participants in the Semi-final from 28th July until 1st August inclusive. Finalists will
have a practice piano from 2nd to 5th August inclusive.
9.23 Before the first stage, the semi-final and the final, each participant may choose
one of the official competition pianos for his/her performance.
9.24 The official competition pianos are Steinway and Yamaha.
TOURS, CONCERTS AND WAIVING RIGHTS
9.25 Concert tours, which the Competition offers to the first three prize-winners, as
well as the concert offered to the winner of the Special Award to the Best
Chamber Music Performer, will be settled and coordinated by the management
of the Competition. Management will also negotiate fees and other conditions
with the organizers of the concerts which form part of the concert tours. On
applying to the Competition, the participant, and the concert agents who may
act on his/her behalf, accept all conditions which apply to the concert tours.
9.26 All ceremonies and auditions which pertain to the Competition may be recorded
and broadcast live or at a future date, via various media including radio,
television and the internet. By participating, the participant waives in favour of
the Fundación Albéniz the rights derived from his/her participation in the various
stages of the competition, the preliminary auditions, closing gala and awards
ceremony and in all concerts organised by the Competition or the Fundación
Albéniz. In particular, the participant waives the right to fixation, reproduction,
public communication and distribution as well as the use of his/her image and
name. Similarly, the participant accepts that the above performances can be
recorded in any audio or video format and broadcast on the internet or by any
other medium, by radio and/ or television - be it live or recorded, or edited for
audio or video by a magnetic, optical or computer device for commercial or
archival purposes. These waivers will be in effect for the maximum time
stipulated in the Real Decreto Legislativo Español 1/1996, which contains the
revised text for the Law of Intellectual Property Rights, and other related
legislation.
