Call For Applications: Musica Viva National Chamber Music Championships 2020
To celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2020, Musica Viva Australia is introducing a National Chamber Music Championship (NCMC) for secondary-school-aged students with support from Creative Victoria and in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM).
The annual championship will give secondary students from all over Australia the opportunity to experience the joy of making chamber music. Open to ensembles of between three and eight performers, the competition will enable 12 groups representing at least six states and territories to travel to Victoria for a finals weekend livestreamed from Melbourne Recital Centre from 4 – 6 September 2020.
A national teachers’ conference running alongside the finals weekend in partnership with aMuse will focus on ways to support music in teaching practice.
At the core of NCMC is an emphasis on the lifelong enrichment, personal satisfaction and social connections created by chamber music and encourages broad participation. Ensembles of any configuration are encouraged to apply, including one-to-a-part vocal groups, ensuring opportunities for those without access to instruments and specialist teachers.
Renowned violinist, chamber musician, teacher and former Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concertmaster, Wilma Smith, continues as Musica Viva’s Artistic Director of Competitions after the successful delivery of the 2018 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.
Alongside cash prizes for first ($5,000), second ($4,000) and third ($2,500) places, additional prizes will be awarded to deserving applicants of all levels, including those who do not reach the semifinals. The ANAM prize for a deserving string quartet will offer a week’s coaching at the institution and a performance in their unique portable venue, Quartetthaus, including travel costs.
Important dates:
First Round Entries Open: 29 January 2020/ First Round Entries Close: 21 May 2020
Semi Finals & Finals weekend: 4 – 6 September 2020
Prizes
First Prize: $5,000/ Second Prize: $4,000/ Third Prize: $2,500
ANAM Prize: A week’s coaching at the Australian National Academy of Music, including travel costs. Other prizes will be awarded to deserving applicants of all levels who do not reach the Semi Final stage.
Instrumentation & repertoire entry requirements
– Three to eight players who are full-time secondary school (or home school equivalent) students. Players do
not all need to be from the same school.
– Any combination of instruments, including voice.
– One player/singer per part, no conductor.
– Repertoire should be ‘classical’ in style (no jazz, musical theatre or pop music).
– Performance time of 4 – 12 minutes of an entire work, or one or more movements from a larger single
work.
Competition outline
First Round (video): Ensembles submit a video of their performance, filmed in front of a live audience of 15+ people.
Semi Finals: 12 groups, from at least six states and territories, will be selected for the Semi Finals at Melbourne Recital Centre during the finals weekend.
Grand Final: Six groups will be selected from the semi-finalists to perform in the Grand Final at Melbourne Recital Centre at the culmination of the finals weekend.
Travel subsidies will be available to selected groups requiring extra assistance in attending the Finals Weekend to perform.
More information
