Golden Era of Romantic Music
International Competition
In Commemoration of Franz Liszt's Bicentennial
Auditions for Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition have now concluded and results have been announced. To be notified when next year's competition rules become available, we invite you to sign up for our newsletter.
The Romantic era, a period in the history of Western music lasted from about 1830 to 1910, was the golden age of the virtuoso, and Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was one of the era’s greatest performers and composers. With the Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition the AFAF is joining the world-wide celebration of Liszt’s bicentennial. This competition is intended for advanced music students, will require video auditions and is open to instrumentalists and vocalists of all nationalities (piano, strings, winds, voice and chamber ensembles can participate in several age categories).Winners of the AFAF Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition will perform in a special recital at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 12, 2012 at 1:30pm. In addition, winners will have the opportunity to perform at the Liszt Museum in Weimar, Germany in August 2012.
Repertoire & Eligibility
Auditions are open to instrumentalists (piano, strings, winds), vocalists and chamber ensembles. The audition/performance repertoire for the competition is not limited to Liszt and can be drawn from the entire Romantic tradition, including Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Participants may perform one or several pieces or songs by any of the Romantic era composers (click here for a helpful list of Romantic composers). A single movement of a sonata, suite or concerto is also acceptable. If you have questions about the audition/performance repertoire, please don't hesitate to contact us. The length of the audition/performance program should not exceed 7 minutes. Winners of the competition will perform one piece, selected by the judges from the participant's audition repertoire. Auditions are open to musicians and vocalists of all nationalities and are divided into the following age categories:
A. 6-10 years of age
B. 11-14 years of age
C. 15-18 years of age
D. college students
E. amateur adults
Awards
Grand Prize
• Participation in a Winners’ Recital at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 12, 2012 at 1:30pm.
• Solo concert at the Liszt Museum in Weimar, Germany during the course of the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe in August 2012.
• $1,000 scholarship for the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2012.
1st Prize
• Participation in a Winners’ Recital at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 12, 2012 at 1:30pm.
• Participation in a special concert at the Liszt Museum in Weimar, Germany during the course of the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe in August 2012.
• $300 scholarship for the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2012.
2nd Prize
• Participation in a Winners’ Recital at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 12, 2012 at 1:30pm.
• Participation in a special concert at the Liszt Museum in Weimar, Germany during the course of the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe in August 2012.
• $200 scholarship for the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2012.
3rd Prize: Participation in a Winners’ Recital in at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in NYC during the AFAF 2011-2012 Season.
Special Prize: $300 cash prize for the best performance of a piece by Liszt.
In addition, all winners will receive commemorative certificates. Please note that multiple winners may be chosen in each age group. Other special prizes may be awarded based on judges’ recommendations.
Please note that due to the large number of very strong applications, we've scheduled a second concert for 1st and 2nd place winners, which means we now have two recital dates, April 28, 2012 at 8pm and May 12, 2012 at 1:30pm. We will be emailing everyone on or before February 1, 2012 to let them know which of the two concerts they've been assigned to.
How to apply
Applicants must submit a DVD or VHS of their audition performance, along with a completed Application Form and a non-refundable application fee
• The recording must be clearly labeled on the outside with your name.
• The length of the audition program should not exceed 7 minutes.
• The recording must be free of background noise and distortion.
• Due to the large number of submissions, audition DVD/VHS will not be returned.
Application Fees
The application fee for the Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition is $200. Checks or money orders should be made payable to AFAF (American Fine Arts Festival), P.O. Box 106, Holmdel. NJ 07733. Application fees are non-refundable.
Deadline
Auditions for Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition have now concluded and results have been announced.
More Information
For more information, please call (732) 671-2831. Please note that due to the volume of calls, we can only respond to teacher inquiries. We suggest you sign up for our email Newsletter using the form to the right so we can notify you of any updates to our schedule or any changes to competition rules.
Mailing Address
Please send all written inquiries, audition videos (VHS/DVD) and applications to: AFAF, P.O. Box 106, Holmdel, NJ 07733.
