International Band Competition 'Amilcare Ponchielli'

CremonaFiere, in the context of Cremona Musica International Exhibitions 2015, organizes the 1st International Band Competition “Amilcare Ponchielli” to be held on 25-26-27 September 2015, with the aim to promote, encourage and spread musical quality through a constructive confrontation inspired by principles of honesty and fairness.

Art. 1 – participation and admission

All Italian and foreign bands legally constituted can participate to the Competition.
Admission to the Competition is subject to the discretion of the Artistic Direction.
In case of rejection, the enrolment fee will be fully refunded.
The Artistic Direction may contact the band in the case of a free piece choice not meeting the criteria set out below, also advising to change the piece.
It may also decide, in particularly serious cases, the assignment of the group to a different category than expressed, or even a prior disqualification of the group.

Art. 2 – categories

Each Band may participate in the following categories:
• First
• Second
• Third
• Youth Band

Art. 3 – pieces

Each band will be judged on the performance of a compulsory piece and a free choice piece with a level of difficulty appropriate to the allocated category.
In the Competition they must be submitted only pieces from the original repertoire for Bands.
Compulsory pieces and free choice pieces must respect the division into the relative categories and their difficulty, according to the cards showing the parameters of difficulty, approved and released by TP and downloaded from www.tavolopermanente.org, according to the following criteria:
• First: grade 4
• Second: grade 3/3,5
• Third: grade 2,5/3
• Youth: grade 1,5/2

It is also possible to perform a short warm-up piece that will no be evaluated.
Compulsory pieces:
• first category: Michele Mangani - Contrasti - Ed. Eufonia
• second category: Philip Sparke - Postcard from Singapore – Ed. Anglo Music
• third category: Jacob de Haan – Queen of the Dolomites – Ed. De Haske
• youth band: Lorenzo Pusceddu – Starting Overture – Ed. Scomegna

Art. 4 – execution times

Execution times and the duration of the stay on stage are as follows:
Category execution time stay on stage
First 40 minutes 45 minutes Second 30 minutes 35 minutes Third 30 minutes 35 minutes Youth 30 minutes 35 minutes
Exciding the time allowed will be penalized on the final vote by 0,05/100 for every second on stage beyond the limit.

Art. 5 – Jury and judgement parameters

The Jury is composed by people from national and international bands: Arturo Andreoli, Fulvio Creux and André Waignein.
The jury will express a judgement according to the following parameters:
1 – Intonation
2 – Quality
3 – Sound balance
4 – Technique
5 - Articulation
6 – Rhythm
7 – Ensemble
8 – Expression and dynamics
9 – Interpretation
10 – Choice of the program based on the level of the Band

The evaluation of the Jury will be expressed in Cents, with a global vote based on two judgements: one for the compulsory piece and the other for the rest of the program.
Bands that will not be on time without a valid reason will be excluded from the competition.
The Jury may also decide, in particular serious cases, the disqualification of the bands.
The Jury may award special nominations to the Director who has demonstrated special artistic skills, or to the band which excelled although not included into the winners.
The Jury’s decisions are final.

Art. 6 – Rankings and Prizes

For each section a ranking will be done on the basis of the scores obtained:

First, Second, Third Category:
1st place: from 90,00/100 to 100,00/100
2nd place: from 80,00/100 to 89,99/100
3rd place: from 75,00/100 to 79,99/100
The First Prize, or Special Prize, will be awarded above the score of 93,00/100.

Youth Band Category:
1st prize from 85,00 to 100,00/100
2nd prize from 80,00 to 84,99/100
3rd prize from 75,00 to 79,9/100
The First Prize, or Special Prize, will be awarded above the score of 90,00/100.
Prizes will be awarded to the three bands that for each category will have scored higher.
All participating bands will receive the judgement of the jury with the relative achieved score.
Prizes are yet to be finalized and will be notified shortly on CremonaFiere website.

Art. 7 – execution order

The competitors’ execution order will be established by the organization and will be communicated in time, with the date and time of execution.

Art. 8 – scores

Each band must get hold of the scores available at the publishing houses indicated alongside the compulsory pieces.
Photocopies will not be allowed and are prohibited by law: the band using them will be responsible. If used, the jury will assess the eligibility of the band.

Art. 9 – youth band

The members of the youth band must be 18 years old by the day of the competition test. A maximum of 3 out-of–quota members are allowed.

Art. 10 – registration

To enrol in the Contest each band will have to fill out the application form and send it by the 15th of July, 2015 to the email address: elisabetta.quinzani@cremonafiere.it Enrollment will take place upon the payment of the registration fee of Euro 100,00 for each category.
The fee must be paid by bank transfer to the following account: Banca Popolare Di Sondrio, branch of Cremona, Via Dante. IBAN: IT49S0569611400000003630X76.
The organization reserves the right to accept applications received after the deadline.

Art. 11 – documentation required

By the 15th of July 2015 bands that have joined the competition must provide the following documentation:
1- a members list alongside personal data and instrument played, and details of any professional musician present, presented in PDF and spreadsheet files with the date and signed by the legal representative.
2- a sharp photo of the band in jpg file
3- placement of the band on stage in pdf file, including percussions
4- number of chairs needed
5- music stands required
6- brief history of the band
7- C.V. of the director
8 – a copy of the registration fee receipt
The relative documentation must be sent via email to: elisabetta.quinzani@cremonafiere.it
In addition to the documentation cited above, three original copies of the free choice piece must be sent. These copies will be returned at the end of the Competition with the exclusion of one copy which will remain in the archive of the Competition.

Art. 12 - Miscellaneous

• Musicians may play with a maximum of two bands provided they do not belong to the same category
• For the First, Second, and Third Category it is not allowed for external professional musicians to enter the competition in no more than 10% of the band compared to the number of members of its own band, under penalty of disqualification. For professional musicians are meant:
a) Conservatory or officially recognized music school teachers
b) Orchestra members contracted by a professional orchestra, opera institution
Military/Ministerial band
• A Director may prepare and direct one or more bands provided they do not belong to the same category.
• A Band may have more alternating Directors.
• Changes regarding members will be evaluated by the Artistic Direction only if submitted by e-mail by the 1st of September 2015, providing that the variations will be compatible with the regulatory standards.
• If during the Competition the data relative to the band members are found to be unreliable, the band will be automatically disqualified from the contest and the registration fee will not be refunded.
• The organization will provide the main percussions and any special instruments (e.g. piano etc.) required for compulsory pieces, with the exclusion of accessories. Percussions used for free choice songs will be the responsibility of the bands involved.
• Electronic instruments are not allowed, if not expressly required by the musical score.
• The organization accepts no responsibility for any accidents to people or things during the journey and the competition.
• Travel, accommodation and meal costs are the responsibility of the participating bands.

Art. 13 – Photograph and audiovisual material use

Bands are not entitled to any compensation for any photographic or audiovisual footage made during the course of the competition from the organization.
The organization reserves the exclusive right to use photographic and/or audiovisual material regarding the competition.

Art. 14 – Official Languages

The official languages of the Competition will be Italian and English, to be used for all communications and documentation. In case of dispute, the regulations in Italian shall form the basis for any litigation.

Art. 15 – Special Cases

The organization and the artistic direction reserve the right to consider special cases and find proper solutions for the success of the event.

Art. 16 – Results

Results will be announced at the end of the competition tests and followed by a meeting of presidents and directors with the jury. Results will be published on the Competition website and that of T.P. (www.tavolopermanente.org), with the relative assignment to the corresponding category, and will be recognized as valid throughout the country for four years.

Joining the Competition implies the full acceptance of these rules.