Frequently Asked Questions

Competitors may enter on more than one solo instrument, and, also in the Multiple Section.

Music chosen by competitors must have an orchestral score and parts readily available in Australia. Scores and parts which are not available in Australia will incur additional costs for competitors. In the past two years, some overseas score hires and performance rights have cost over $1000.
The best place to start looking is to personally check with score hire companies and ask for a quote so that you have an idea of costs before submitting your entry eg, Clear Music Australia: https://www.clearmusic.com.au/hire
or Zinfonia: https://www.zinfonia.com/
If orchestral parts are not available, the competitor must withdraw from the competition.

The Stage One video auditions are viewed, in full, by 3 adjudicators sitting together all day watching over 8 hours of performance, writing comments and reports, discussing and then choosing the 20 performers that will appear live in the semi-finals. The videos are downloaded and collated into a single reel of all 100 performances.

Leave out any orchestral introductions or lengthy interludes. If the Recapitulation is the same you can always cut some of it leading to the Cadenza and Coda. If you are playing 2 or more movements, please give a taste of each movement so that the adjudicators can hear the potential for the full performance with an orchestra. Remember that the adjudicators want to hear the ‘best bits’ in a full day of auditions!

The adjudicators want to see and hear how you interact with the “orchestra” (accompanist), giving a unified performance. They are looking for the performers who are ready to work well with a full orchestra.

This allows the video compiler to check that he has the right entrant and music in the right order. It also allows the adjudicators to ‘know’ you a little better.

Yes! Each competitor will be allocated a warm up room with their accompanist at a specified time for approximately 30 minutes before their performance. Pianists will be allocated a room with two pianos, and other competitors will be allocated a room with one piano. You will be informed of your warm up time when you arrive at the semi final venue, so we advise you to factor this in when you receive your semi final performance time. Please note that accompanists will not be allowed to use warm up rooms for their own purposes, unless they are with a competitor who has been allocated that room.

No. Once we have published the dates for semi finals and finals on our website, we are unable to change these dates. There are many factors that we consider when scheduling these dates, including venue availability, school holiday dates and the KPO’s calendar of events.

Times can vary from year to year depending on circumstances. This year the Multiple Concertos will perform first from 10.30am. As a general guide for the Solo Concertos, we schedule junior competitors earlier in the day and senior competitors later in the day. This is to ensure that junior competitors are fairly judged against other junior competitors and that the same occurs for senior competitors. Semi finals usually take place from approximately 12 noon until 5 pm on the semi finals day, with junior competitors performing before senior competitors. A list of semi finals performance times will be made available on the KPO website during the week before the date of the semi finals. Times are also planned around you confirmed accompanist, so that they are available to warm up with you if they are working with several competitors. We will do our best to accommodate any special requests for times if you email concertocomp@kpo.org.au before the closing date for entries, provided that the request falls within the above guidelines. For instance, a junior competitor will not be allowed to have their semifinal late in the day if this means that they will be performing alongside senior competitors.

Yes. Competitors must be prepared to perform any section(s) of their chosen work if requested to do so by the adjudicator/s. This includes cadenzas. You are welcome to make cuts in your performance and mark these on the adjudicators’ copy of the music. However, the adjudicators may ask you to play different sections to those that you have indicated. As in the auditions videos, long orchestral introductions should be shortened to allow the competitor maximum playing time.

As stated in Rule 10, this will be at the discretion of the finals concert conductor. The conductor will need to weigh up numerous factors, such as the length of the movement(s), the length of other finalists’ performances and the fact that the finals concert is also a “concert” as opposed to a series of auditions. However, this decision will be made in consultation with the relevant finalist(s). As a general guide for time limit please refer to the 15 minutes for the semis – sometimes the conductor will consider allowing a slightly longer program (e.g., 2 movements to a length of 18 minutes, however a full 25 minute concerto is too long for the competition). There are 6 finalists and the Multiple Winners at the Finals Concert as well as the presentation of awards.

No. You will need to carefully consider your choice of concerto movement(s) when you submit your entry form, as you will not be able to make any changes after the closing date for entries. Similarly, if you progress to the semi finals and/or finals, you will not be able to add additional movements to, or remove movements from, those nominated on your entry form. This is to ensure that all competitors are fairly assessed on the same movement(s) at each stage of the competition.

On stage, we will have two pianos, piano stools, a selection of chairs and music stands. If you require additional equipment specific to your instrument (eg amplifier, cello T bar, double bass stool or a chair of a particular size), you will need to bring this equipment yourself. If you need additional set up time for this equipment, please email concertocomp@kpo.org.au before the closing date so that we can allow for this in our scheduling.

No. Competitors will not be allowed to practise in the semi finals venues before their allocated semi finals performance time, except in their allocated warm up room on the day of their semi finals performance.

Your nominated work can either be a “concerto” or a work for solo instrument and orchestra, provided that the orchestral parts are readily available within Australia and it fulfills the other requirements specified in our Competition Rules.

You will need to submit an entry form online with all fields completed, and entry fee paid. Please ensure that you have all of the correct information with you when submitting your entry form (including credit card details), as you will need to pay your entry fee online at the end of the entry form. Please note that the Committee will not accept your entry until you have submitted the entry form and made your payment online. This will need to be done before the 100 entry spots are filled or the closing date for entries – whichever comes first. A week after the closing date you will need to submit your recording.

There is no expected level or minimum standard. We have a wide variety of instruments that audition each year. The only requirement is that each competitor performs a movement or movements of a concerto or a piece which can be played with orchestral accompaniment.

Please feel free to browse through the information available under the Concerto Competition tab of the KPO website (https://kpo.org.au/current/). In particular, you may wish to read our Testimonials page (https://kpo.org.au/current/index.php/concerto/testimonials). Your teacher should also be able to give you a better idea of what to expect.

The entry fee is $60 per competitor. This includes one free Student ticket to our Finals Concert.