Štěpán Rak Guitar Competition
Invitation
The Embassy of the Czech Republic in The Netherlands, the Czech Center in Rotterdam and Guitar@Work invite all young amateur guitar players to participate in the competition dedicated to the Czech classical guitar composer Štěpán Rak (1945), who has produced major works for guitar, innovating the instrument’s technique. The purposes of this project are to promote:
- a contemporary repertoire for guitar,
- Štěpán Rak’s compositions for guitar,
- new instrumental techniques for guitar,
- a bridge between members of an international community of young guitar players,
- a reflection of the Czech identity based on a specific contemporary Czech cultural expression,
- an introduction of young guitar players to Štěpán Rak’s guitar repertoire,
- a joyful environment for guitar players to play to their strengths,
The Štěpán Rak Guitar Competition is meant for young amateur guitar players, (18 years of age and younger). It is an open Competition Concert and on that same day a selection of guitarrists will be invited to perform at the Gala Concert at the Residence of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in The Netherlands Jana Reinišová. A medal will be awarded for First (gold), Second (silver) and Third (bronce) places for each category (A- advanced, B- intermediate and C- beginners). Winners will be invited for the Gala Concert and all participants will receive a certificate awarding their performance at the Competition Concert. The jury will be composed of a member of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Netherlands, Mariel Peñaloza Moreno (Guitar@Work, MDMC, RvC), PhD, and of one distinguished (guitar) player. The performances will be judged on the following criteria: technical skills, musical interpretation, fluency, dynamic usage, accuracy and stage skills.
The competition will take place on Monday 8th May 2017 at 18:30 hrs. at the Malcolm Davies Auditorium (MDA) of the International School of The Hague (Wijndalerduin 1, 2554 BX Den Haag). Registration will be open until 15th April 2017. This competition concert is open to the public but requires registration at info@pm3ge.com. On that same evening the jury will make a selection of the participants that will be invited for the Gala Concert taking place on May 10th 2017 at the Ambassador’s residence of the Czech Republic with Mr. Stepan Rak as a special guest that evening.
Participants must perform a composition by Štěpán Rak for solo guitar of not more than 1 minute for Levels B and C and not more than 2 minutes for level A. It can be a fragment of a larger composition. In accordance with the Code of Fair Practice candidates must produce original copies of all pieces to be performed at the competition, even if the pieces have been memorized, handwritten or typeset. Original transcriptions are accepted. Candidates must provide three photocopies of the composition (or fragment) to be performed as a reference for the jury. Where music has been downloaded, candidates must bring proof of purchase or the web link accessed for the jury’s reference.
For more information, requests about scores, and registration for the Competition (performer and public) please send an e-mail to Guitar@Work at info@pm3ge.com.