Rules and Regulations

The competition is open to string quartets of all nationalities whose members are under the age of 35 on September 5, 2010.

First and second prize winners of any previous Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) are ineligible to apply.

Quartets may compete in the Banff International String Quartet Competition a maximum of two times only. Quartets that have already competed twice in BISQC are excluded from participation. (For the purposes of this rule, a quartet will be considered the same quartet if 50 percent of the personnel are returning.)

Applicants must send the application form completed in English or French to The Banff Centre, together with:

a) proof of date of birth for each quartet member

b) a non-refundable application fee of CAD $175. Foreign drafts or international money orders must be in Canadian currency, and made payable to “The Banff Centre.” Payment may also be made by Visa or Mastercard

c) a resume of the quartet’s history

d) a brief description of each member’s training and experience

e) two letters of recommendation

f) and a CD recorded after January 1, 2009, containing:

Two contrasting movements of a quartet by Haydn from Opus 20, 33, 50, 64, 76 or 77;
or
two contrasting movements from one of the ten celebrated Mozart quartets (K. 387, K. 421, K. 428, K. 458, K. 464, K. 465, K. 499, K. 575, K. 589, K. 590;
or
two contrasting movements from one of Beethoven’s Opus 18 quartets.

Two contrasting movements from a quartet from the romantic or nationalist repertoire of the 19th century, or the Debussy Quartet or the Ravel Quartet. Quartets by Schubert or Beethoven will not be accepted in this round.

A complete quartet from the 20th century, from the following list:

Bela Bartók, String Quartets No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6
Leoš Janácek, String Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata”
Leoš Janácek, String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”
Arnold Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30
Arnold Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37
Alexander Zemlinsky, String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19
Alexander Zemlinsky, String Quartet No. 4, Op. 25
Alban Berg, Lyric Suite
Alban Berg, String Quartet, Op. 3
Paul Hindemith, String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22
Paul Hindemith, String Quartet No. 5, Op. 32

The recording should be of professional quality. The CD must be recorded in real time and must not be edited or altered in any way. The Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) reserves the right to disqualify studio enhanced or modified recordings or recordings which are not of professional quality. Cassette tapes will not be accepted. All recordings MUST be clearly labeled with quartet name and repertoire, identified by track. The competition reserves the right to disqualify any applicant that does not submit a recording of professional quality.

Applications, together with all required supporting documents and application fee, must be postmarked no later than March 1, 2010, and received by BISQC by March 10, 2010. Applicants are encouraged to use a reputable courier service to facilitate proper tracking and delivery of application.

All applications will be pre-screened by The Banff International String Quartet Competition prior to the preliminary jury adjudication process. Any application not meeting the highest standards will not be forwarded to the preliminary jury for consideration.

The preliminary jury members will audition unidentified copies of the applicants’ recordings. No more than 10 quartets will be selected to attend the competition. Those invited will be required to submit a recent, high-quality, colour photograph of professional quality in high-resolution digital format for use in the souvenir program and in competition publicity. (This may be included with the application.)

Quartets chosen to be contestants in the 10th BISQC will be advised by April 20, 2010, by email and phone.

The 10 quartets chosen to compete in BISQC are required to be in Banff from Saturday, August 28, 2010, through to Monday, September 6, 2010.

Contestants shall not communicate with jury members during the competition, nor shall any other person communicate with the jury members on behalf of any competitor. Violation of this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the competition.

The decisions of the preliminary jury and the competition jury shall be final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the decisions of either group.

The quartet’s competition repertoire list shall include a minimum of seven works which they are prepared to perform during the competition. The repertoire list may, but does not have to, include the same works as those on the recording accompanying the application form.

Each quartet invited to Banff will perform in the first four rounds and if selected, will perform for a fifth time during the Final Round.

The competition format and required repertoire is as follows:

ROUND 1 - Recital Round (August 30, 31)

Quartets will perform one complete Haydn quartet from this list:
Joseph Haydn, String Quartet, Opus 20, 33, 50, 64, 76, or 77

followed by one complete quartet from the following list:
Bela Bartók, Quartets No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6
Leoš Janácek, String Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata”
Leoš Janácek, String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”
Arnold Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30
Arnold Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37
Alexander Zemlinsky, String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19
Alexander Zemlinsky, String Quartet No. 4, Op. 25
Alban Berg, Lyric Suite
Alban Berg, String Quartet, Op. 3
Paul Hindemith, String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22
Paul Hindemith, String Quartet No. 5, Op. 32

Ensembles will be asked to perform in recital format. Ensembles may leave the stage briefly between works.

ROUND 2 - Canadian Commission Round (September 1)
A new quartet by Canadian composer Ana Sokolovic, co-commissioned by The Banff Centre and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This new work will be available to quartets that successfully pass the preliminary screening round and accept the invitation to participate in the 10th Banff International String Quartet Competition. Score and parts will be sent to the 10 competing quartets after April 20, 2010.

ROUND 3 - Romantic Round (September 2)
A complete quartet from the romantic or nationalist repertoire of the 19th century, or the Debussy Quartet or the Ravel Quartet. Quartets by Schubert or Beethoven will not be accepted in this round.

DAY OFF, September 3

ROUND 4 - Beethoven or Schubert Round (September 4)
One complete Beethoven or Schubert quartet from the following list:
Beethoven, Opus 59 (No. 1, 2, or 3)
Beethoven, Opus 74
Beethoven, Opus 95
Beethoven, Opus 127
Beethoven, Opus 131
Beethoven, Opus 132
Beethoven, Opus 135
Schubert, D.804 “Rosamunde”
Schubert, D.810 “Death and the Maiden”
Schubert, D.887 “G Major”

Following the Beethoven or Schubert Round, the jury will select three ensembles to advance to the fifth and final round.

ROUND 5 - FINALS (September 5)
The Final Round will be a recital consisting of not less than 25 minutes of music, and not more than 45 minutes of music chosen by the competing quartets. The repertoire for this round is the choice of the competitors but must not include any repertoire they have performed in previous rounds. The recital can include one work or multiple works, but must consist entirely of complete compositions, not sections or movements of larger works. The repertoire chosen must be declared at the time of application. Ensembles may leave the stage briefly between works.

If accepted to compete in BISQC, competitors will be advised, prior to arrival in Banff, as to which repeats will be accepted and which repeats must be omitted during performances.

The works from the repertoire list as stated on the application form will be the repertoire performed during the competition. No other work may be substituted without prior written approval of the director, BISQC.

All repertoire presented in the 10th Banff International String Quartet Competition will be limited to works that do not involve any type of amplification or electronics.

Any quartet that has competed in a previous Banff International String Quartet Competition cannot present any of the same repertoire they performed for the public and jury in any previous BISQC.

Quartets are free to perform standing or sitting in any formation.

All performances take place in the Eric Harvie Theatre at The Banff Centre.

The Banff International String Quartet Competition and The Banff Centre will provide the following to all invited quartets:

Return airfare from the quartet’s home base to the Calgary International Airport

Return transportation to The Banff Centre from the Calgary International Airport

Shared accommodation (two persons per room) at The Banff Centre from Saturday, August 28, to Sunday, September 5, inclusive. Single rooms will be provided where shared rooms would be inappropriate

All meals from Saturday, August 28, through Monday, September 6

A separate rehearsal room for each quartet

The following prizes shall be awarded:

1st — $25,000

• A quartet of gold-mounted bows custom-made by the Canadian bow-maker François Malo
• Winner’s Concert Tour of Europe and North America arranged by The Banff Centre
• A two-week residency at The Banff Centre including the production of a compact disc, recorded and produced by The Banff Centre’s Music & Sound program
• In total the value of the first prize is in excess of $80,000

2nd — $12,000

3rd — $ 8,000

Székely Prize: $3,000 for the best performance of a Beethoven or Schubert Quartet from Round 4.

Canadian Commission Prize: $2,000 for the best performance in Round 2 of the new commissioned quartet by Canadian composer Ana Sokolovic.

All prizes are in Canadian dollars, and are subject to relevant Canadian government withholding taxes.

All quartets accepted into the competition must agree that, if they win first prize, they will perform in the Winner’s Concert Tour arranged for them by BISQC or its designates in Spring 2011, Fall 2011, and Spring 2012. Exact concert dates will be available to all accepted quartets on April 20, 2010.

BISQC does not retain any fees for its management service in arranging the Winner’s Concert Tour but reserves the right to enter into agreement with other management to secure concert engagements. Concert engagements obtained by BISQC or its designates as part of the first prize will not be subject to any fee payable to the prize-winner’s current or future artist management. In addition, the winning quartet and its current or future artist management agree to give exclusivity within a 100 km radius to Winner’s Concert Tour presenters for the concert season in which the quartet appears.

Obtaining appropriate travel documents and insurance is the sole responsibility of each competitor. BISQC accepts no liability of any kind whatsoever for any personal illness or injury sustained by the competitor or for loss or damage to a competitor’s belongings, including instrument, during transit or while at the competition.

Should a situation arise where the winning quartet cannot procure the necessary travel documents or visas, or cannot fulfill the concert obligations, the Banff International String Quartet Competition retains the right to transfer the winning prize to the runner up or a quartet of its choosing.

Should there be a change in personnel of the winning quartet after the competition, BISQC reserves the right to cancel the winning quartet’s participation in the winner’s career development program, including any future concert performances.

BISQC has the right, without payment of any fee, to record, videotape, film, broadcast, or photograph any competition concerts or events for any purpose. All rights, including copyright in such media shall vet in and be owned by BISQC in perpetuity.

BISQC has the right to produce and distribute without limit or payment of any fee, audio and/or video recordings of all competition concerts or events in whole or in part including the Winner’s Concert Tour.

The official language of the competition is English.