- The Ad Libitum International Piano Competition welcomes classical pianists and pianists-amateurs from all countries of the world.
- The competition takes place entirely online.
No transport or acommodation costs needed – the Competition is based on the online video submission.
- There is no limit of age. The competition will be held in 5 main age categories and in 18 additional, extra categories:
Main age categories:
Piano Prodigy (9 years old and younger)
Piano Junior (10-13 years old)
Piano Senior (14-19 years old)
Piano Master (20 years old and above)
Amateur (no formal musical education and without age limit)
Expert Categories:
Baroque
Classical Period
Romantic Period
Impressionism
20th Century
21st Century
Etude
Sonata/Sonatina
Concerto
Toccata
Bach
Chopin
Liszt
Haydn
Mozart
Beethoven
Schubert
Schumann
Own Composition
It is possible to apply with one program to multiple categories or you can submit an additional recording to compete in one or more Expert categories.
- REPERTOIRE:
Contestants can choose FREELY the repertoire which reflects their musicality and artistic personality the best way.
The program may or may not be played from memory.
The recorded program should consist of one or more pieces, which duration has to not to exceed 15 minutes for each category. There is no lower time limit.
If your recording exceeds the maximum time the Jury reserves the right to listen only to the time specified in the Regulations and judge only on that basis.
It is allowed to send a single movement or chosen movements from the cyclic form such as a sonata, suite etc.
We accept recordings of piano solo works or/and piano with orchestra (a second piano can perform as an orchestra).
- RECORDING REQUIREMENTS
You are asked to submit the links to the video recording of your performance.
We accept links to the public platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, BiliBili or similar – please do not send files to download.
Please make sure your video is not marked as „private” so we can have a free access (there is an option “unlisted” in YouTube which allows access only if you share the link).
Please include the full names of the pieces, the composer and the performer, to the video title or description.
It is possible to submit one video per piece or combine several pieces in one video.
- JURY
The jury will consist of experienced competition judges, concert pianists and professors.
The contestants will be judged based only on the submitted recordings.
The minimum of two jury members are to listen to the entire recording of the participant.
The Jury provides valuable feedback for each participant who chooses the right option in the application form.
The decisions of the jury is final and irrevocable.
- AWARDS
In each category, the Jury will award Gold, Silver, Bronze prize and Laureate title, according to the number of score (0-25 points) got by the contestant.
All the Winners will be sent Diplomas by email.
Scoring system:
24-25 points – Gold Prize
22-23 points – Silver Prize
19-21 points – Bronze Prize
17-18 points – Laureate title
The total scoring is influenced by partial points for musicality and expression, charisma, technique, the level of preparation of the program, and a sense of the style of the piece being played.
Not awarded Contestants will receive a printable Certificate of Participation by email.
The Jury reserves the right not to award some of the prizes, and/or to divide prizes as it sees suitable.
Versatile Pianist award, Pianist of the Season award and Pianist of the Year award are the Special awards.
Defenders of those titles will be shown at the top of the Winners page.
- APPLICATION FEE
The application fee is 60 EUR for the Main Category and 30 EUR for each of the Expert Categories (non obligatory).
After submitting the application you will be redirected to the secure payment platform (Stripe) where you can select your payment method.
Once the application fee is paid it cannot be refunded under any circumstances.
- APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Contestant must fill in the Application Form on the website.
The application fee must be paid directly after submitting the form
otherwise the application will be suspended.
We will confirm the reception of the Application by email.
The application deadline and the announcement of the results will be published on our website on the relevant pages.
If you have any issues with the payment do not hesitate to contact us.
The application of minor musicians must be filled and submitted by their parents or legal guardianship (tutor).
- DISCLAIMER
By participating in the competition, participants agree to the possible publication and popularization of the submitted recordings and photos for promotional purposes. The competition organizers reserve the right to edit and crop participants’ photos for publication (as promotion) on the Internet.