Institution

Concours de Genève

Full description

77th Concours de Genève: String Quartet 2023 – Competition

Type

Competition

Application deadline

April 20, 2023

Additional notes

The competition is open to all string quartets whose members are born after 29 October 1988. The cumulative age of all the members should not exceed 120 years.

Please download and read the official Competition rules carefully before submitting your application.

In order to apply, complete your muvac profile with the following data and documents:

Under Resumé: 

• Please specify academic and professional background of the quartet: studies, schools, professors, professional activities, awards and prizes.

Under Documents: 

• Scan of ID or passport of each member
• 2 different and recent colour photos in high definition
• 1 recording certificate (to be downloaded below)

Under Media:

• 2 videos recordings with the programme of the video preselection round

________

During the application process:

Write a Personal letter or submit a short presentation Video:

• A short text or video (max. one page/3 minutes) introducing your quartet and explaining why you want to participate in the Concours de Genève (if you choose the video option, add it to your profile under “Media”. )

Answer the Questionnaire:

•  Please specify all the works to be performed during the Competition.

For all questions or issues regarding registration, please contact us at the following address: application@concoursgeneve.ch

Mandatory pieces

A. Preselection Round (approx. 30 min)

-      J. Haydn: two contrasting movements from a quartet at free choice

-      Two contrasting movements from a quartet by one of the following composers:

• J. Brahms
• F. Mendelssohn
• F. Schubert
• R. Schumann

NB : Movements can be chosen freely and must not necessarily be consecutive. Works chosen for the Preselection Round can be repeated once in the following rounds.

B. Online Recital (max. 50 min): max. 16 quartets

-      W. A. Mozart or J. Haydn: One quartet at free choice  

-      One 20th century quartet from the following list: 

• H. Dutilleux: Quartet «Ainsi la nuit» 
• L. Janáček: Quartet n°1 or n°2
• G. Kurtág: Quartet Op. 1 
• G. Ligeti: Quartet n°1 or n°2
• M. Ravel: Quartet in F Major
• D. Shostakovitch: Quartet n°4 or n°6 or n°8

NB: The Online Recital may not exceed 50 minutes including entrances and exits.

 

C. Semi-Final Round in three parts: max. 6 quartets

1. Recital 1 (max. 90 min): 40% of the evaluation

-      B. Bartok: One quartet at free choice

-      Rest of the programme at free choice 

NB: The Recital may not exceed 90 minutes including entrances/exits and eventual pauses.

2. Recital 2 (max. 75 min): 40% of the evaluation

-     L. v. Beethoven: One quartet at free choice

-     One contemporary work from the following list:

• L. Berio: Sincronie (1963-64) 15’
• E. Carter: Quartet n°5 (1994-95) 21’
• F. Donatoni: La Souris sans sourire (1988) 17’
• P. Dusapin: Quartet n°5 (2004-05) 17’
• J. Harvey: Quartet n°2 (1988) 15’
• H. W. Henze: Quartet n°5 (1976) 25’
• W. Rihm: Quatuor n°13 (2011) 20’
• R. Saunders: fletch (2012) 15’
• S. Sciarrino: Sei quartetti brevi (1967-92) 17’ 

-     Rest of the programme at free choice 

NB: The Recital should not exceed 75 minutes including entrances/exits and eventual pauses.

3. Personal Artistic Project: 20% of the evaluation

-     Presentation and defense of a personal artistic project

 

D. Final Round 

-    One quartet at free choice (max. 45 min)

Short bio

Candidates are required to write a short bio when confirming participation for use in programs or booklets.

Question
Answer on application

PRESELECTION ROUND #1: Haydn (two contrasted movements)

Please specify all the details of the two chosen movements (title, opus number, key)

Question
Answer on application

PRESELECTION ROUND #2: Brahms/Mendelssohn/Schubert/Schumann (two contrasted movements)

Please specify all the details of the two chosen movements (title, opus number, key)

Question
Answer on application

ONLINE RECITAL #1: Haydn/Mozart quartet

Please specify all the details of the chosen quartet (composer, title, opus number, key, movements)

Multiple Choice
Answer on application

ONLINE RECITAL #2: 20th century quartet

• H. Dutilleux: Quartet «Ainsi la nuit»
• L. Janáček: Quartet n°1
• L. Janáček: Quartet n°2
• G. Ligeti: Quartet n°1
• G. Ligeti: Quartet n°2
• M. Ravel: Quartet in F Major
• D. Shostakovitch: Quartet n°4
• D. Shostakovitch: Quartet n°6
• D. Shostakovitch: Quartet n°8

Multiple Choice
Answer on application

RECITAL 1 #1: Bartók quartet

• B. Bartók: Quartet n°1
• B. Bartók: Quartet n°2
• B. Bartók: Quartet n°3
• B. Bartók: Quartet n°4
• B. Bartók: Quartet n°5
• B. Bartók: Quartet n°6

Question
Answer on application

RECITAL 1 #2: Quartet at free choice

Please specify all the details of the chosen quartet (composer, title, opus number, key, movements)

Question
Answer on application

RECITAL 1 #3: Quartet at free choice

Please specify all the details of the chosen quartet (composer, title, opus number, key, movements)

Question
Answer on application

RECITAL 1 #4: Quartet at free choice (optional)

Please specify all the details of the chosen quartet (composer, title, opus number, key, movements)

Multiple Choice
Answer on application

RECITAL 2 #1: Beethoven quartet

• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°1 in F major, Op. 18 n°1
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°2 in G major, Op. 18 n°2
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°3 in D major, Op. 18 n°3
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°4 in C minor, Op. 18 n°4
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°5 in A major, Op. 18 n°5
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°6 in B flat major, Op. 18 n°6
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°7 in F major, Op. 59 n°1
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°8 in E minor, Op. 59 n°2
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°9 in C major, Op. 59 n°3
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°10 in E flat major, Op. 74
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°11 in F minor, Op. 95
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°12 in E flat major, Op. 127
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°13 in B flat major, Op. 130
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°15 in A minor, Op. 132
• L.v. Beethoven: Grand Fugue, Op. 133
• L.v. Beethoven: Quartet n°16 in F major, Op. 135

Multiple Choice
Answer on application

RECITAL 2 #2: Contemporary work

• L. Berio: Sincronie
• E. Carter: Quartet n°5
• F. Donatoni: La Souris sans sourire
• P. Dusapin: Quartet n°5
• J. Harvey: Quartet n°2
• H. W. Henze: Quartet n°5
• W. Rihm: Quatuor n°13
• R. Saunders: fletch
• S. Sciarrino: Sei quartetti brevi

Question
Answer on application

RECITAL 2 #3: Quartet at free choice

Please specify all the details of the chosen quartet (composer, title, opus number, key, movements)

Question
Answer on application

RECITAL 2 #4: Quartet at free choice (optional)

Please specify all the details of the chosen quartet (composer, title, opus number, key, movements)

Question
Answer on application

FINAL ROUND: Quartet at free choice

Please specify all the details of the chosen quartet (composer, title, opus number, key, movements)

A short presentation text introducing your quartet and explaining why you want to participate in the Concours de Genève. If you have chosen to provide a short video presentation (max. 3 minutes), please write "Video" below and upload your video file under the Media section.

Required document(s)

• Scan of passport or ID card: Scan of ID or passport of each member
• Portrait photo: 2 different and recent colour photos in high definition
• Recording certificate
• Place of birth

Video

Video(s) are required for pre-selection purposes (details below).

PRESELECTION ROUND - VIDEO RECORDINGS (approx. 30 min.)

Recording must be anonymous. Please do not include your quartet's name in the video nor any distinctive sign such as your school logo for example. 

-      J. Haydn: two contrasting movements from a quartet at free choice

-      Two contrasting movements from a quartet by one of the following composers:

• J. Brahms
• F. Mendelssohn
• F. Schubert
• R. Schumann

NB : Movements can be chosen freely and must not necessarily be consecutive. Quartets must provide separate recordings for each piece and may either record the two contrasted movements in one take or separately. If they record the two movements separately, they must assemble them in one file.

2 Downloads

• Recording certificate PDF
• Competition rules PDF