We know who’s qualified for the Competition! After tumultuous deliberations of the Qualifying Committees, which lasted for a whole month, the best ones have been chosen.
In the performance competition in September, the following ones will participate:
Piano:
Kaho Araishi
Daniel Aulak
Michał Basista
Jung Chanyeon
Kevin Chow
Darya Dadykina
Thomas Gaspard
Derek Hartman
Adrian Hodor
Carter Johnson
Otal Josquin
Francesco Maccarrone
Robert Maciejowski
Jeffery Andy Macsim
Nao Mieno
Diana Ostrolutska
Lily Phee
Zuzanna Pietrzak
Bella Schütz
Natalie Schwamová
Riito Shimata
Mikołaj Sikała
Menshikova Sofya
Kim Sunah
Aleksandra Świgut
Mateusz Tomica
Krzysztof Wierciński
Paul Williamson
Angela Szu-Hsuan Wu
Boyang Wu
Kacper Żaromski
Director of the Competition's consent to qualify more participants than was established in the rules.
Violin:
Sherzod Abdiev
Yurina Arai
Elise Bertrand
Wonbeen Chung
Manuel De Almeida-Ferrer
Sara Dragan
Helene Freytag
Karolina Górny
Matthew Hakkarainen
Qianru Elaine He
Hyeon Hong
Alena Hove
Elvin Hoxha Ganiyev
Russell Iceberg
Hyojin (Ellen) Kim
Krystof Kohout
Abigel Kralik
Issei Kurihara
Sofia Manvati
Mira Marton
Seina Matsuoka
Julia Mirzoev
Wojciech Niedziółka
Bjørg Pas
Dongyoung Jake Shim
Jakub Staszel
Aleksandra Maria Steczkowska
Șimonca-Oprița Ștefan
Adam Suska
Kristóf Tóth
Piirsalu Triinu
Eimi Wakui
Maya Wichert
Barbara Żołnierczyk
Director of the Competition's consent to qualify more participants than was established in the rules.
String quartet:
Erinys Quartet
Absalon String Quartet
AKELA
The Fluss Quartet
The Monbijou Quartet
Nerida Quartet
Neuma Quartet
Atenea Quartet
Quartet HANA
Quartet Infinito
Quartet Eos
Quiron Quartet
Turicum Quartet
Voice:
Karolina Augustyn
Aleksandra Blanik
Karolina Borodziuk
Justyna Bujak
Zuzanna Ciszewska
Colum Donovan-Paterson
Martin Filipiak
Magda Górniak
Tatiana Hajzušová
Catherine Hooper
Shanley Horvitz
Marta Huptas
Barbara Jop
Joanna Kędzior
Justyna Khil
Anna Koehler
Łukasz Kostka
Magdalena Lucjan
Aleksandra Łaska
Shaina Martinez
Ellada Mashynskaya
Stanisław Napierała
Dominika Noskiewicz
Alexandra Nowakowski
Hailing Piao
Artur Plinta
Natalia Płonka
Monika Radecka
David Roy
Swietlana Różycka
Grzegorz Rubacha
Barbara Skora
Anna Thun
Paweł Trojak
Johanna Will
Aleksandra Wittchen
Yilin Zhang
Jan Żądło
Congratulations to all qualified participants. To the artists who will not participate in this year's edition of the Competition: we thank you for your participation and strongly encourage you to watch the auditions and cheer on contestants. See you in September!
The Szymanowski Competition performing categories: Piano, Violin, String quartet, and Voice, have been opened. The repertoire is available here. In compliance with the rules, the artists perform pieces from memory. We do know that this leaves some terrified, which is why we would like to offer a few pieces of advice for developing your musical memory.
Before we move on to the subject matter, remember to make sure that, before beginning your practice, you are well-rested and hydrated, and that your room has been well-ventilated. Otherwise, you will quickly lose focus and become tired and annoyed.
A common cause of problems with musical memory is that musicians focus entirely on the musical notation, this rendering them unable to actually hear the melody.
Begin your practice with listening to the pieces while following the notes simultaneously.
Replay the piece several times. Eventually, you will not need the notes any more.
Will you now try to perform the piece from memory? If you do not succeed at the first attempt, do not give up. Practice makes perfect.
Another exercise is to play the same melody in all keys. It will fail no one. Finally, everyone will remember the piece to be played. Don’t be afraid, try to repeat a melody you’ve heard at a concert or in an ad. This exercise is amazing for developing your memory, imagination, and improvisation skills.
Do you want a warranty of success? Additionally, take care of:
• setting a goal - choose the pieces you find the most interesting among all those in the competition material
• motivation - think about the 25,000 euros you can win coming first in the Szymanowski Competition
• visualising the goal as achieved - we don’t know how well you can do it yourself, but as for us, we can imagine you at the NOSPR stage during the awards ceremony perfectly well
• organising your work - make a schedule of when you’re going to practise and stick to it
Last but not least, do not forget about a positive attitude. You’ll make it!
You have time to apply for the Competition until 31st January 2023.
The application form is available here.
The moment so many of us have been awaiting has arrived. The performing competition is now open!
Repertoire: Piano, Violin, String quartet, Voice
Entries: 1 November 2022 to 31 January 2023
Prizes: 300 000 EUR
Final concerts: NOSPR concert hall, September 2023
The list of qualifying committee and jury members will be available by the 15th of November.
It is your chance to meet the legends of the international music arena and bring your career to a new level.
What will you spend your prize on?
The winners of the 2nd Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition in the Composition category are:
Piano:
I. Pablo Borrás (Argentina) - €3000
II. not granted
III. Hyunsu Kim (Republic of Korea) - €1000
Violin:
I. Amer Ali (Syrian Arab Republic) - €3000
II. Jinwook Jung (Republic of Korea) - €2000
III. Manolis Ekmektsoglou (Greece) - €1000
Voice:
I. Noemi Conti (Italy) - €3000
II. Alejandro Mata (Mexico) - €2000
III. Krystian Neścior (Poland) - 1000 €
String quartet:
I. Maria Vincenza Cabizza (Italy) - €4000
II. Hed Bahack (Israel) - €3000
III. Hyunsu Kim (Republic of Korea) - €2000
In addition, the Competition Director and Jury nominate 6 distinctions with financial prizes:
Piano:
Bartosz Witkowski (Poland)
Michał Janocha (Poland)
€300 each
String quartet:
Dario Michelon (Italy)
Andrea Mattevi (Italy)
€400 each
Violin:
Andrea Nassivera (Italy)
Pasquale Punzo (Italy)
€300 each
It was quite a challenge to choose the best compositions, yet the deliberations were truly inspiring. Sincere congratulations to the winners and a great thank you to all the participants.
The winning pieces are included in the repertoire of the performance competition, which will open tomorrow! We encourage you to participate in the following categories: Piano, Violin, String quartet, and Voice.
We recommend our newsletter and social media profiles to stay up to date and fully celebrate this extraordinary time.
As you know, the entries in the Composition category of the Szymanowski Competition are already being accepted and we'll keep collecting them until 30th September. We are excited to see the works submitted by each and every single one of you, and for those who feel a little dubious or are struggling with composer’s block, we’ve prepared a few tips and tricks that might help you create the masterpiece of your life. Feel free to take notes and share the article with your friends!
Young composers often try to use everything they have learnt and put all the coolest effects they have heard in one piece they’re writing. The result can be too much. Try to pick only one technical aspect and one inspiration from one piece of music at a time. Then, move on to another composition and choose another set of techniques you will focus on. Trust us, less really is more. You’d rather master one technique at once than blend them all into one work.
Yes, all musicians listen to music all day long. After all, there are more sounds, artists, musical pieces, and songs that keep us inspired than we can count. But don’t underestimate works that stand opposite to your taste, and listen more. Explore the music genres that you really don’t like. Analyse what it is that makes you dislike them and what would make them better. Then, all you need to do is to turn something you hate into something you will love. Combining this and the previous point will help you define your own unique style.
3. A little bit of stealing never hurt nobody
They say that a good composer borrows, while a great composer steals. This is as true as off it sounds. That’s how great artists used to learn their craft ages ago, and how it still works. Choose a few works that you admire, analyse them deeply and critically, and think of what makes them so good, and what you would change. Write down every thought that occurs to you, and then, basing on these notes… Try to write your own work!
Practice takes time, so why don’t you compose a small piece every day? Look for inspiration in everything you hear, or try to create a little background melody to a scene you saw while walking with your dog… Inspiration can be found anywhere. Every day is a good day to try out a new technique… So, give everything a try and keep composing. Do we have any plan freaks or daily routine fans? Great, because planning a few things here or there might be helpful! You might want to:
Perhaps you have someone who could take a look at some of your works, or even play them, and share their insight with you?
Speaking of showing your works to others… Joining a community dedicated to music composers is a brilliant way to exchange ideas, critical opinions, support, and then… improve. After all, who will understand you better than a fellow composer? There are numerous groups on the Internet and social media to choose from. Don’t be shy, go for it!
Do you know what another great idea is? Yes, you’ve guessed! Taking part in the Szymanowski Competition! We invited true masters of the music arena and the most brilliant composers to join our Qualifying Committee and Jury! Wouldn’t it be great to show them your work? Take your chance!
The winning works will be released on CDs and included in the repertoire for the further Competition categories. Besides the cash prize, obviously 😉
Composition Category ends on 30th September!
NOSPR, the main organizer of the Competition, is currently at the Japan tournèe! The event was inaugurated by a press conference, during which the Szymanowski Competition received tremendous attention! We are really happy about the success of the Competition in such distant corners of the globe. The event was highlighted by the performance of a Japanese superstar - Hayato Sumino Cateen, and a chamber concert of the extraordinary NOSPR musicians. The Competition gained a lot of interest from our Japanese friends, which makes us extremely happy and proud.
Meanwhile, we root for NOSPR during the tournèe. Follow their photo-reports on NOSPR’s social media.
Don’t forget the first Competition Category - Composition is coming to an end. You can submit your work only until the 30th of September!
Fot. Maciej Komorowski
We are expanding the jury of the Composition category of the 2nd edition of the Szymanowski Competition!
An Estonian composer has joined the jury. Drawing inspiration from Gregorian chant, oriental melodies, spectral music, and the avant-garde experiments of IRCAM, she creates compositions that perfectly reflect the cultural richness of her country of origin.
Currently, she is a professor of composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and art director of the Estonian Music Days. The artist has been honoured with the Estonian Order of the White Star and French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
One and only - Helena Tulve! You will find more information on the composer on the Competition page / Composition / Jury.
We have been waiting for this day for a very long time, and we are truly excited to share this news with you - we are opening entries for the Composition category!
The 2nd edition of the Szymanowski Competition is the opportunity for the most talented young musicians to gain fame and attractive awards. The total cash prize sum is €300,000! Entries for the Composition category close on 30th September and the results will be revealed in the month of the 140th anniversary of Karol Szymanowski’s birthday. In November, we open entries for the performers in the following categories: Piano, Violin, String Quartet, and Voice. The winning piece in the composition category will become a part of the repertoire for the performers. But first, let us remind you the age limits. Artists born in the following years may participate in the 2nd part of the Competition:
Piano, Violin, String Quartet: 1991 - 2006
Voice:
ladies: 1991 - 2003
gentlemen: 1988 - 2003
Final auditions will be held in the Concert Hall of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice. It was designed by an extraordinary specialist in the domain of acoustics, Yasuhisa Toyota from Nagata Acoustics. Certainly, the experience of performing in such a place will remain unforgettable for long years - after all, it was for a reason that the NPRSO seat was included in the prestigious European Concert Hall Organization ECHO - an association that unites the finest music centres in Europe.
Composers, you can apply here:https://szymanowski-competition.appassimo.com/
Good luck!
This is the second time the PWM Edition has become a strategic partner of the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition. The publishing house will ensure state-of-the-art editing for the pieces awarded in the composition competition and provide official sheet music for the performance categories of the Competition.
For composers, having their pieces published by the PWM is not only a sign of recognition, but also a way of reaching musicians worldwide. In October, the scores awarded by the composition competition jury will be passed on to the PWM editors, who will prepare special editions for the works to become part of the performance disciplines of the Competition.
For musicians, high-quality sheet music is not only a source of knowledge, but it also commonly becomes an invaluable partner in stage performances. The PWM catalogue offers Karol Szymanowski’s compositions, as well as books and other materials, which are going to facilitate preparations for the Competition even further.
The cooperation between the PWM and the Karol Szymanowski Music Competition began as early as during the first edition of the Competition in 2018. This time, the PWM’s participation encompasses even more areas and ensures additional benefits for the participants.
It is as soon as in 100 days that scores will be accepted in the Composition discipline of the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition. The second edition of the competition is bound to open up even more opportunities for its participants. In addition to high financial prizes, the laureates are given a chance to lend special momentum to their career. We await your entries from 1st July to 30th September!
The Szymanowski Competition is a unique opportunity for young artists from all over the world. It is a chance for young composers to present their work to a jury composed of leading figures of the world of music, compete for prize money totalling nearly €30,000 and make their mark on the international scene. Winning compositions will be included in the programme of the performance competition the following year, recorded and published by the PWM Edition.
The works will be assessed in two stages – at the first stage, the scores will be evaluated by a qualifying committee made up of composers and performers, including experts in contemporary performing techniques. They are going to select the pieces to be assessed by the main jury.
Composers from everywhere around the world can apply, providing they are below 40 years of age. We await pieces in one of the four disciplines: piano, violin (solo or with piano), voice (solo or with piano), and string quartet. Every participant may submit more than one composition, thus increasing their chance of winning. Pieces for voice may use text in any language of the composer’s choice.
Entries for the composition competition are accepted from 1st July until 30th September 2022 through the online application form to be made available on our website.
