Clarification of teacher/student policy for piano competition

  • For the purpose of this competition "Studying with a BCRMTA Member" will be defined as "weekly or biweekly lessons for a minimum period of 6 months".
  • Students must register for the competition as a representative from the Branch to which their teacher belongs, regardless of their own geographical location. It is the responsibility of the teacher to notify their Branch if extra travel costs may be incurred if a student from out of the district is chosen as a representative.

BC Piano Competition Rules 2024

  1. The competition will be held in even numbered years in combination with the Semi-Annual meeting of BCRMTA Provincial Council.
  2. Branches are responsible for selecting a contestant.  (A previous first-prize winner of the BC Piano Competition is not eligible to enter).
    - Please Note: Provincial Members as a group may submit one entry and one alternate for the competition.
    - Any Provincial Member planning to enter a student, must notify the Competition chair (competition@bcrmta.bc.ca) at least 30 days in advance of the deadline.
    - Should another Provincial member also be planning to enter a student each will be contacted and the Executive will guide them through a selection process.
  3. Each branch will be able to enter:
    • Primary Contestant - Each branch may enter one Primary Contestant in the BCRMTA Piano Competition. The contestant may represent his/her branch of residence or branch of study. 
    • Alternate Contestant - A branch may choose to register an Alternative Contestant to be a replacement if the primary contestant is unable to participate due to health, injury or unforeseen circumstances.
  4. A single registration fee is required for one or both contestants.
  5. Deadline - May 1, 2024 is the deadline required for both fully completed registration forms to be submitted.
  6. The competition will consist of a semi-final round and a final round.
  7. Programs are timed from first note to last note.

Semi-final Round - for up to 12 contestants.

  • In this round, contestants will be asked to perform a memorized program no less than 30 minutes and no more than 45 minutes in length.
  • One Canadian Solo Composition
  • One complete solo composition from the Classical or Baroque Period
  • A variety of shorter works to form a well-balanced program
  • Should more than 12 entries be received, contestants will be asked to submit a link to a 30 minute recent, unedited video of good quality by June 1st in order to have a professional adjudicator choose 12 contestants.

Final Round - The top three performers from the semi-final round will be asked to perform a memorized program no less than 25 minutes and no more than 35 minutes.

  • A completely new program must be presented.
  • All contestants will be expected to attend the finals.

The 1st Place Winner of the BC Piano Competition:

  1. must be available to represent British Columbia at the CFMTA/FCAPM National Piano Competition in Montreal, Quebec in July 2025 (All travel will be provided along with an accommodation / meal allowance)
  2. will tour as B.C. Young Artist (Tour details to be arranged with the B.C. Young Artist Committee and all travel, accommodation and meals will be provided)
  3. will receive a cash prize of $800

The 2nd Place Winner of the BC Piano Competition will receive a cash prize of $500

The 3rd Place Winner of the BC Piano Competition will receive a cash prize of $300

 

  1. Before selecting a contestant, branches need to be aware of the following rules:
  • The contestant must be studying with a member of the BCRMTA at the time of entry. If the Branch contestant is awarded the first place prize, he/she must continue to study with a BCRMTA member in order to qualify to represent BC at the National Piano Competition.
  • The contestant must be a Canadian citizen or have Landed Immigrant status.
  • The contestant must not be more than 24 years old as of January 1st of the CFMTA/FCAPM competition year.
  • All repertoire presented must be of an advanced level (Diploma or higher) and must include a minimum of two contrasting style periods in the semi-final round and three contrasting style periods in the final round. Memorization is compulsory.
  • The competition committee will announce the name of the adjudicator of the B.C. Piano Competition at least 6 months before the competition. It is the responsibility of the branch and the teacher of the contestant to ensure that there is no contact between the contestant and the adjudicator once the name has been announced.
  • It is strongly recommended that all potential contestants be made aware of the specific repertoire rules regarding the CFMTA/FCAPM National Piano Competition before entering the BC Piano Competition. These can be found at www.cfmta.org
  • It is the responsibility of the branch to submit the required application. Late entries will not be considered.

Information regarding the Semi-final Round:

Each contestant must submit his/her repertoire list by May 1st 2024.
Selections may not be changed after the list has been submitted.

All expenses for a contestant attending the BC Piano Competition must be borne by the contestant or sponsoring branch.  *Branches may apply for funding where a need exists and conditions are met.

Expenses for a chaperone (if required by the contestant) will be the responsibility of the contestant.

There will be a public drawing for the order of performance at the BC Piano Competition at least 30 days before the event.  All contestants will be immediately advised of their placement in the program and no changes will be allowed.

All contestants will be given an opportunity to play the competition piano prior to the event.  The time allotted will be 10 minutes.

There will be no personal biographies printed in the BC Piano Competition program.  Contestants will be listed by name and branch only.