2025 Orchestral Audition Competition
Eligibility: The competition is open to clarinetists of all ages who are not employed full-time as salaried members of a professional symphony orchestra.
Application: Application: Deadline for the submission of application and other application materials is April 1, 2025. Watch this space for registration information.
Orchestral Audition Competition Coordinator: Calvin Falwell – [email protected]
Contest Rules
1. Application Fee: $35 USD. All applicants must be members of the ICA and submit the Competition Application. Non-members wishing to apply may join the ICA and become a member. Join now! The application fee is non-refundable. The fee can be paid at this link: https://beeid.org/5b4fb83cd67a
2. Recording Instructions: Please provide a high-quality audio recording containing the following excerpts, in the exact order. Each selection/movement should be listed as a single track, and should not contain your name. Please be aware that the quality of the recording will influence the judges. Recordings should not be edited and only continuous performances of entire works or movements are allowed.
Mozart: Concerto, K. 622, Movement I, exposition only – unaccompanied
First Clarinet Excerpts:
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 – Movement 2, Reh. F – 7 bars before Reh. G
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 – Movement 1, mm. 474-493
- Brahms: Symphony No. 3 – Movement 1, 8 bars before Reh. C – 3 bars after Reh. C
- Márquez: Danzon No. 2 – beginning to mm. 19
- Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream – scherzo, beginning to [B]
- Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf – cadenza 20-21
- Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 – Movement 3, beginning – downbeat of 1 bar before Reh. 48
- Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2 – 2 bars after Reh. 155 –3 bars after Reh. 157
- Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2 – Reh. 211 – end
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 – Movement 3, complete scherzo
A separate written and signed statement, attesting the recording is the playing of the contestant and has not been edited.
A permanent address, telephone number and e-mail address should be provided.
Judging
Judging of recordings will be conducted with no knowledge of the contestant. Do not include any identification on your audio files. There should be no speaking on the recording such as announcing of compositions.
Preliminary judging will be by recorded audition. Finalists will be chosen by the committee. Notification will be sent by May 15, 2025. The final round will be held at ClarinetFest® 2025, in Fort Wortth, Texas, July 9-13. Finalists will receive a waiver of registration fees for ClarinetFest® 2025. Travel and other expenses will be the responsibility of the contestant. Visa and travel arrangements are solely the responsibility of the contestant.
Repertoire for the final round of competition will consist of selections from the works listed above. All contestants will accept the decision of the judges as final. Past first-prize winners are not eligible to compete.
All recordings will become the property of the ICA.
Prizes
First Prize:
$1000.00 and a clarinet mouthpiece to be announced
Second Prize:
$500.00 and a clarinet mouthpiece to be announced
The International Clarinet Association assumes no tax liability that competition winners may incur through receiving prize money. Individuals are responsible for investigating applicable tax laws and reporting prize winnings to requisite government agencies. In accordance with U.S. tax law, a 30% tax on the total amount of prize winnings will be withheld and submitted to the United States Internal Revenue Service if the winner is a non-U.S. resident. Prize money will be given in the form of a U.S. check or an electronic PayPal transfer. PayPal transfers must be requested prior to the final awards ceremony on the final evening of ClarinetFest®.