ARD Music Competition Jury Guidelines
Guidelines General Information
he annual competition invitation brochure is part of the jury guidelines.
All the auditions in the competition are open to the public and take place on an open stage.
Collaboration and Confidentiality
Jury members are obligated during the period of their contracted presence at the ARD International Music Competition to attend all audition rounds and conferences.
Each jury member is obligated to comply with the regulations described herein.
All verbal or written statements, points awarded or results discussed during the jury deliberations are strictly confidential, both during the competition and afterwards.
The jury deliberations are not open to the public; only members of the jury and the jury assistant are admitted. Members of the Competition Board or of the Competition Administration are entitled to attend the deliberations but hold no voting rights.
Students of a Jury Member
If there is a student of a jury member among the participants, this jury member may not take part in the appraisal of this competitor. The jury member may take part at the deliberation passive if and only if all the other jury members agree about that without exception. During the appraisal of his or her student, the jury member shall deliver an empty evaluation form to the Jury Assistant.
Jury members are not allowed to teach their students during the competition itself, otherwise the student, the jury member, or both may be disqualified.
To this end, a student is defined as someone who studied with a jury member for a lengthy and continuous period, and such study was completed less than three years before the beginning of the competition. Participation in master classes is not affected if the master class participation did not take place in the current competition year from April 2024.
Guidelines Competition Auditions
Auditions must comply with the repertoire printed in the competition brochure.
As a rule, the first performance should not exceed 30 minutes. If necessary jury can predefine abridgements of the contest works.
The order of works to be performed is left to the competitor’s discretion; the performances shall not be prematurely cut off.
At the second performance, an instrumentalist has approx. 45 minutes, a singer approx. 20 minutes at his or her disposal. If necessary jury can predefine abridgements of the contest works.
The order of works to be performed is left to the competitor’s discretion; the performances shall not be prematurely cut off.
The order of auditions for the semi-finals is decided by lot. The semi-finals for oboe bass and violoncello are accompanied by the Munich Chamber Orchestra (without conductor), for voice with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, for wind quintet without orchestra accompaniment.
Each competitor respectively wind quintet shall perform contest works in their entirety; no performances may be prematurely discontinued at the semi-finals.
The finals are accompanied by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks for oboe, and violoncello; for voice with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, for wind quintet without orchestra accompaniment.
Here, a competitor respectively wind quintet shall perform his or her chosen works in its entirety; no performances may be prematurely discontinued at the finals.
The jury is not permitted to attend rehearsals for the semi-finals and finals.
Piano Accompanists
Competitors are allowed to be accompanied by their own piano accompanists. If this accompanist does not meet the requisite artistic demands, the jury may suggest replacing this person with an official accompanist engaged by the direction of the competition.
Results of the Competition
At half-time, and at the conclusion of the 1st competition round, the results will be made public.
The results of the following rounds will then be made public after the completion of each round.
The results of the final round will be announced to the competitors and the general public following the jury deliberations by the chairperson of the respective jury or the director of the competition.
The presentation of certificates and prizes takes place at an awards ceremony.
Consultation Meetings
Jury members are available to competitors who have been eliminated from the competition after each round for a consultation meeting; the prize winners may also avail themselves of this opportunity following the final round.
If a competitor approaches a jury member with a concern or complaint, he or she shall be referred to the jury assistant or to the competition administration.
Prize-Winners’ Concerts
There will be a concert with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, a concert with the Munich Chamber Orchestra as well as a concert with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. These events shall enjoy equal status.
All prize-winners should present themselves with their best achievements. This is why the jury is asked to make suggestions for the program. The programs themselves will be selected by the artistic directors of the competition along with representatives from the Bavarian Broadcasting music division.
The prize-winners’ concerts will be recorded and broadcast by Bavarian Broadcasting, and possibly also by Bavarian Television, and also transmitted via live-stream. All these recordings will be offered to broadcasting stations at home and abroad.
Guidelines Marking System
The evaluation should be based on the standards applied to young artists, who are ready to
perform under professional circumstances (and not merely gifted students)
The following qualities are to be evaluated:
I Technical skill
II Musical interpretation and presentation
III Sound or voice quality
IV Artistic personality
V Secure sense of style
1st Round
The jury decides with a simple YES or NO whether the candidate should proceed to the second round.
The voting is carried out anonymously and in writing. A simple majority is sufficient.
If equal numbers of votes are cast, the result may be discussed. Jury members will then vote in secret once again. In case of a tie once again, the decision shall be in favour of the candidate.
It is recommended to admit as many competitors as possible to the second round.
2nd Round
Each juror evaluates the competitors based on a point system ranging from 1 to 9 with no decimal positions.
A maximum of six instrumentalists, in the category voice eight singers may be admitted to the semifinals - that is to say the competitors with the six respectively eight highest point averages.
Points are to be awarded in writing on a secret ballot.
The assistant will then calculate the average point scores.
The jury will be informed of the results.
If required, the results may be discussed, followed by a second award of points and calculation of averages. In case of tie scores in the calculation of average point evaluations, the deciding vote will be cast by the President of the Jury.
Semi-finals - 3rd Round
Each juror evaluates the competitors based on a point system ranging from 1 to 9 with no decimal positions.
A maximum of three instrumentalists, in the category voice five singers may be admitted to the final - that is to say the competitors with the three respectively five highest point averages.
Points are to be awarded in writing on a secret ballot.
The assistant will then calculate the average point scores before announcing the result to the jury.
If deemed necessary, the result may be discussed and the ranking revised, leading to new final result. In cases of doubt, the President of the Jury shall cast the deciding vote.
Final - 4t h Round
Each juror evaluates the competitors based on a point system ranging from 1 to 9 with no decimal positions.
Points are to be awarded in writing on a secret ballot.
The assistant will then calculate the average point scores.
The jury will be informed of the results. If deemed necessary, the result may be discussed and the ranking revised, leading to new final result.
Each juror is free to incorporate impressions gained from previous rounds into his or her evaluation.
Guidelines Awarding the Prizes
The Jury Assistant first calculates the average point scores for the fourth round. The jury shall award the prizes based on the average points. The jury may take the results of the semi-final round into consideration if necessary. In case of doubt, the President of the Jury shall cast the deciding vote.
Prizes
The amounts of prize money available to the competition are listed in the competition invitation brochure.
The awarding of the official prizes is decided by the jury only.
It is intended that a first prize be awarded.
First prizes may only be awarded once for each category.
Second and third prizes may, with the approval of the competition administration, be awarded several times per category.
Exceptional cases may be discussed with the competition administration.
The jury shall have an advisory capacity in the awarding of special prizes.
Guidelines Concluding Remarks
Each audition is to be evaluated as a separate unit in and of itself.
At the end of each jury conference, the evaluation forms are to be turned over to the assistant.
These forms will be kept under lock and key by the competition secretariat. They are only to be made available for viewing by the competition administration, the members of the supervisory board and the individual jury chairpersons.
The jury conferences take place in closed sessions in separate rooms.
Jury members are requested not to speak in the audition areas, nor should they express disapproval in any way.
As a rule, jury members should not make contact with candidates or their teachers during the competitors’ participation in the competition.
In case of doubt, the Artistic Directors shall decide.
Members of the Jury are requested to be frank and communicative in their dealings with representatives of the media, but not to divulge any confidential, personal details to them.
Jury Assistants shall receive a copy of these regulations and are similarly bound to discretion.
Munich, February 2024 - Competition Administration