Description and Purpose of Event

The HMTA Concerto Competition encourages high level performance of instrumental or vocal soloists with orchestra.

Winners of the Senior and Junior divisions will perform with the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra (TBD)

Eligibility

This competition is open to any instrumental or vocal student studying with an HMTA member.

• Senior Division: for students ages 14 - 18 on the date of the competition (high school students only).

• Junior Division: for students ages 13 and younger on the date of the competition.

• Senior Youth Concerto Division: for students ages 14-17 on the date of the competition.

• Junior Youth Concerto Division: for students ages 11-13 on the date of the competition.

• Elementary Youth Concerto Division: for students ages 6-10 on the date of the competition.

Enrollment limit: 25 applicants on a first-come, first-served basis

Registration Deadline and Info

The application and fee deadline is Friday March 13, 2024.

To register your students, use the HMTA online application (found here).

OR you may register by sending an email to Richard Marshall at [email protected], with the following applicant information:

• Parent/Guardian’s Email, Physical Address, Phone

• Student’s Name and Date of Birth

• Division (Senior, Junior, Senior Youth, Junior Youth, Elementary Youth)

• Instrument

• Title and Movement of Concerto, and Composer

• Teacher’s Name and Email

• Accompanist

Event Fees

$75.00 Senior Division, Junior Division

$50.00 Senior Youth Division, Junior Youth Division, Elementary Youth Division

Please pay online here. You will need your member’s password.

Event Requirements and/or Rules

Repertoire Requirements:

Any concerto movement from the standard repertoire, or a concert piece for soloist and orchestra, with the exception of:

• Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, 3, 4, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini

• Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2

• Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

• Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2, 3, 4, 5

• Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

• Ravel Concerto for Left hand

• Bartok Piano Concerto No. 1, 2, 3

Contact Richard Marshall should any questions arise about appropriate repertoire for the competition.

The Competition Chair will disallow repertoire that is impractical for performance due to limited rehearsal time with the orchestra, or for concerti that have difficult parts to obtain.

Event Rules:

• Performance attire.

• Memorization required.

• Audition time is limited to 12 minutes.

• Simplified arrangements are not allowed.

• Contestants will provide their own accompanists.

• Reasonable cuts in extended orchestral tuttis are expected.

• Contestants may not submit repertoire from a previous year.

• Contest will be open to the public.

Contestants must provide an original copy of the music for the judges with measure numbers and no additional identifying marks of any kind.

Judging:

Judges may interrupt performances.

Callbacks may be made at judges’ discretion.

Judges may declare “no winner” if performances fail to meet artistic standards.

All prizes are awarded at judges’ discretion.

Judges’ decisions are final.

Dress Code

Performance attire

Awards

The first-place winner of the Senior Division and the first-place winner of the Junior Division both perform with the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra on May 14, 2023.  Competitors in the Senior and Junior Divisions also compete for second and third place.

Competitors in the Senior Youth Concerto, Junior Youth Concerto, and Elementary Youth Concerto divisions compete for first, second, and third place, and are not competing to perform with the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra.

All competitors receive written remarks and a Certificate of Participation. Trophies will be awarded to all first, second, and third place winners.