The Plowman Chamber Music Competition : Requirements
Eligibility
Open to instrumental ensembles of three to six players. Members must be interested in, or already pursuing a career in music. However, ensembles with management as of March 28, 2008 are not eligible. The ensemble may not have more than one piano. Piano is also the only keyboard instrument eligible in the competition.
The Plowman Chamber Music Competition is unable to accommodate ensembles that require more than five minutes set-up and tear-down time (i.e., numerous percussion instruments, complex electronic set-ups, etc.). The ensemble is responsible for bringing their own instruments and music.
Category
The ensemble's category is determined by the majority of the instruments played in an ensemble. The Artistic Director reserves the right to determine the category for an ensemble which is a quartet or sextet with an equal number of categorized instruments.
Age Limit
Each member must be under 36 years of age as of March 28, 2008.
Repertoire
Minimum of two complete works of distinctly contrasting character, from at least two different musical periods, with a minimum of 30 minutes of music.
CDs are the only basis for selection of the participating ensembles. The personnel submitted in the recording must be the same at the competition; no substitutions will be allowed. The repertoire may be changed for the Semi-Finals, so long as the change follows the Repertoire Guideline (above), and a recommendation letter, from a musician of an international stature is attached, stating the reason for the change and that the quality of the substitute piece(s) is acceptable. *Finalist ensembles from the 2007 Plowman Chamber Music Competition are exempted from the preliminary recording audition, with submission of application form and fee.
Application Fee
$40 non-refundable fee for each member of the ensemble is due with the application. No personal checks; only certified checks or money orders will be accepted, payable to the Missouri Symphony Society. Application form and fee are required of all contestants. Applications may be downloaded and printed here.
Application Deadline
Complete application must be received by 5:00pm on Monday, March 3, 2008. Notification of the Preliminary result will be sent by e-mail on March 9, 2008. Submitted materials will not be returned.
Semi-Finals
No more than 26 qualifying ensembles will be invited to compete at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts. All Semi-Finals take place Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29, 2008; the dates are determined by lottery and are non-negotiable. All Semi-Final performances are free and open to the public. Each ensemble will be given no more than 20 minutes to perform, which includes set-up time. The ensemble will decide the first 6-7 minutes and one movement/piece of their performance; thereafter the judges reserve the right to stop the ensemble and conduct the rest of the program.
Finals Concert and Awards Ceremony
Up to five ensembles, at least two from each category, will be chosen to proceed to the Finals. Finals will take place Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 7:00pm in the form of a formal public concert. Each ensemble will be given 30 minutes (set-up inclusive) to perform a program of their choice. No repertoire changes are allowed between Semi-Finals and Finals. Repertoire performed in the Semi-Finals may be repeated, however the judges reserve the right to request a specific movement or composition not heard at the semi-finals. Immediately following the Finals Concert, winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony. Finalists are required to participate, otherwise they will forfeit the award.
Submission of all application material and sound recording indicates the ensemble's full intention and financial capability of competing in the 2008 Plowman Chamber Music Competition if invited to participate.