ORGANIZATION

The Dong-A Ilbo will set up a Management Committee and a Secretariat for the planning and running of the Competition. The Competition Jury will be organized by the Management Committee, consisting of musicians of prominent standing from Korea and abroad.

APPLICATION

1. ELIGIBILITY

The Competition is open to violinists of any nationality born on or after April 19, 1981 and on or before April 18, 1995.

2. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application package with all supplemental materials must be received by the Seoul International Music Competition office no later than January 18, 2012 (NOT postmarked).
• Please Note: : All documents must be typed or printed in English or Korean.

Enclosed with the application form must be the following:

A) Application form(can be submitted online via www.seoulcompetition.com)
B) A photocopy of the applicant’s passport.
C) Recent color photographs of the applicant, taken within six months of the date of application(width 5.5cm x height 6.5cm, frontal head and shoulder shot, with the applicant’s name written on the back) suitable for publicity purposes.
D) Two recommendation letters from musicians of acknowledged professional standing, including the applicant’s present or most recent teacher. Only Korean and English languages are acceptable. A letter written in any other language must be translated into one of the two accepted languages and submitted along with the original letter with the musician’s signature.
E) A high-quality DVD on which the applicant is performing all of the following (video tape, CD and cassette tape are not acceptable) :
1) N. Paganini : One of the 24 Caprices, Op.1
2) J. S. Bach : 2 contrasting movements of one of the following Solo Sonatas or Partitas:
– Solo Sonata No.1 in g minor BWV 1001
– Solo Sonata No.2 in a minor BWV 1003
– Solo Sonata No.3 in C Major BWV 1005
– Solo Partita No.1 in b minor BWV 1002
– Solo Partita No.2 in d minor BWV 1004
– Solo Partita No.3 in E Major BWV 1006
3) The first movement of a concerto, including cadenza, from the Final Round list.

※Instructions for submission of DVD
• All works must be recorded in NTSC (720 x 480) format with no audio or visual editing.
• Each required piece should be on a single track and the order and length must be included.
• The applicant’s name should not be indicated in any manner on the DVD.
• The recording must mention the place and date of recording of each piece, which must have been carried out in the six months prior to the closing date for the submission of applications (between July 18, 2011 and January 18, 2012)

F) A letter of proof written from one of the musicians in ‘D’ that recordings in clause ‘E’ are performed by the applicant and are unedited.
G) Copies of international and national certificates of awards.
※ ① No late application will be considered for processing.
※ ② No documents will be returned.
※ ③ No other materials(newspaper reviews, etc.) will be accepted.
※ ④ All correspondence from the Secretariat will be conducted through mail and e-mail. Please ensure that your address and e-mail address on the application are correct.

3. ADDRESS FOR APPLICATIONS

The Secretariat of Seoul International Music Competition
3Fl., The Dong-A Ilbo Bldg.
139 Chungjeongno 3-Ga, Seodaemun-Gu
Seoul 120-715, South Korea

• Tel 82-2-361-1415
• Fax 82-2-361-1417
• E-mail seoulcompetition@donga.com
• Website www.seoulcompetition.com

4. ENTRY FEE

All applicants who have been selected to participate in the 1st Round of the Competition must submit a non-refundable entry fee of US $100 to the bank account shown below by February 24, 2012.
• Bank Kookmin Bank
• Branch Dong-A Media Branch
• Account Number 870-01-0150-981
• Account Holder The Dong-A Ilbo
• Swift Code CZNBKRSE
※ The arrival of the entry fee will be considered as a formal agreement between the applicant and the Dong-A Ilbo on his/her participation in the competition under the rules and conditions of the Seoul International Music Competition.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

Travel expenses are sole responsibility of the competitors. However, Non-Korean competitors who do not reside in Korea will be provided with financial aid towards their international airfare in the amout of US $400 for those coming from Asia and US $800 for those coming from outside of Asia(Taxes will be deducted from the aid according to Korean tax laws. The applicable tax rate is about 22%). Non-Korean competitors who are not resident in Korea will also be provided with room and board at designated lodgings from April 15, 2012 until the dates indicated below:

• First Round competitors: until the morning after the First Round
• Second Round competitors: until the morning after the Second Round
• Semifinalists: until the morning after the Semifinal Round
• Finalists: until the morning after the Final Round

※ All competitors are required to arrive in Seoul by April 16, 2012 to register with the Secretariat and to draw lots to decide the order of performance at the competition.

PRACTICE

Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will be provided with practice facilities, free of charge, for two hours every day from two days before the 1st Round until the conclusion of the competition. Any competitor who does not bring own pianist will be provided with an official accompanist by the secretariat of the competition and will have the opportunity to rehearse with the assigned accompanist within the hours specified for practice above in the following manner:

• One session (30 minutes) before the 1st Round
• One session (1 hour) before the 2nd Round
• Two sessions (1 hour each) before the Semifinal Round
Each finalist will have two rehearsals with the orchestra before the Final Round.

ORDER OF PERFORMANCE

The order of appearance will be determined by a random drawing on April 16, 2012 . On the day of performance, each competitor must show up at the Secretariat office located in the concert hall by the specified time. Those who are unable to perform when called upon to do so may be disqualified. However, if any competitor should be late for his/her performance due to unavoidable circumstances, the Jury may allow the competitor to perform at a different time, depending on how the competition is progressing in terms of time.

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

The competitors will be contracted exclusively to the Seoul International Music Competition while they are in Korea. All contacts with the media must be made through and with the approval of the Secretariat. The competitors will be required to be available for any media-related arrangements made by the Competition.
The Secretariat reserves the exclusive rights, without additional fees payable to the competitors, to:

1) Record audio or video materials and broadcast all the rounds of the Competition including the rehearsals, Opening Ceremony, and Award Ceremony by television or radio, internet, cable networks in Korea or abroad.
2) Record, reproduce and arrange for the reproduction of performances in the competition on CD, SACD, sound track, audio cassette, video cassette, video disc or CD-ROM/CDI, DVD, minidisk, or any other existing or future medium.
3) Arrange agreements with other parties for the Competition materials mentioned above.

JUDGMENT

1. PRELIMINARY ROUND

The Preliminary Jury will make a selection of candidates from the applications received. All applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by February 8, 2012.

2. PUBLIC ROUNDS

The Competition will consist of four rounds.

1) A point system will be used by the Jury for adjudication. Each juror will judge and mark the performances of all competitors, but abstain from judging/marking performances of the competitors who were his/her own students for more than three months in the previous two years.
2) The decisions of the Jury are final and are not subject to appeal.
3) Competitors may not communicate with any member of the Jury at any time during the competition. There are no exceptions to this rule and any competitor who fails to comply will be disqualified, and additionally, any member of the Jury who fails to comply with the rule will jeopardize his/her own status in the competition.

RRIZES AND ENGAGEMENTS

1. PRIZES

There will be cash awards totalling US $122,000.

• First Prize: US $50,000
• Second Prize : US $30,000
• Third Prize: US $20,000
• Fourth Prize: US $10,000
• Fifth Prize: US $ 7,000
• Sixth Prize: US $ 5,000
1) The Jury reserves the right to withhold an awards.
2) In case of a tie, the prize money of the prize won and that of the next prize in the ranking will be added up and distributed equally.
3) Taxes will be deducted from the prize money according to Korean tax laws.

2. LAUREATES' CONCERTS AND RECORDINGS

Professional engagements will be arranged for the prize winners. These may include concerts, recitals, and recordings for CDs or DVDs. The 1st Prize winner and other selected prize winners will be required to be available to perform for these engagements. For such engagements, round-trip airfaire as well as room and board for a maximum of 7 days will be provided by the Secretariat. No performance-related fees shall be paid to the performer.

INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES AND CONDITIONS

Should any dispute arise regarding the interpretation of any part of the regulations and conditions of the Seoul International Music Competition 2012, the regulations and conditions written in Korean and the related laws and codes of the Repubic of Korea will form the only legal basis on which to resolve the matter. All decisions made by the Secretariat, the Management Committee, and the Jury will be final and not subject to appeal.