Forte International Music Competition is an annual event open to instrumentalists (piano, strings, woodwinds, brass) and vocalists of all nationalities, ages 4 - 35.
Please review all Rules & Regulations on this page, along with any specific items outlined on the Competition page, and then follow instructions on how to enter the competition on the Registration page, which will also contain a link to the Entry Form, as well as information about the Registration Fee, deadline, and any other details.
Please note that all fees are non-refundable and are quoted in USD. Forte International does not account or have any liability for any participants’ bank fees and charges that may be levied as a result of currency conversion, foreign exchange transaction, or non-sufficient funds (NSF) transaction. If a check bounces due to account closed, stop payment, fraudulent, or NSF status you will be required to pay the full face amount plus $30 penalty fee, in addition to any charges imposed by the participating bank or institution.
Please be advised that all deadlines are due by 11:59 PM New York time. No late entries will be accepted after the pre-advertised late period. If there are any changes to the program these changes to the program must be communicated by the late fee deadline and must be accompanied with a $30 late fee payment.
International competitors, competitors who don’t reside in the tri-state area, and other competitors who cannot participate in the Preliminary Round and/or Semi-Final Round in person may upload a recorded video of their recent performance on http://www.youtube.com and specify a link in the Entry Form. You must also comply with the following requirements, in addition to all other requirements for each round, when choosing this option:
- Please clearly indicate the name of the participant, composer, and name of the piece in the Title of the Video.
- Video editing or pitch correction is NOT allowed.
- The video recording cannot be older than two months prior to submission of the Entry Form and has to match with your age category at the moment of submission.
- Appropriate dress attire is required. See Dress Code section below for more details.
- The face and hands of the competitor must be visible in the recording, as well as instrument handling (piano keys, strings, etc.) for instrumentalists.
- Professional quality recording is not mandatory. However, the sound must be clearly audible.
- Any piece containing accompaniment must be performed with such accompaniment, as it would be performed live at the Final Round. Note that an accompaniment can be piano reduction.
- The video recording, entry form, and registration fee must be ALL received by the appropriate deadline.
- International competitors attending Preliminary/Semi-Final rounds in person and requiring a Visa to enter United States are required to provide a link to a video recording of performance during the registration process.
- Petite (4 – 7)
- Junior (8 – 11)
- Teen (12 – 14)
- Senior (15 – 18)
- Adult (19 – 35)
Note: Age category is determined with an age of the competitor as of the date of the Preliminary Round. If requested, proof of age MUST be provided for each competitor.
Repertoire categories:
Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary, Impressionism
Opera/Operetta, Broadway, Musical Theater, Jazz
Additional requirement for pianists:
Pianists must choose a solo piece that does not require accompaniment.
3.1 Preliminary Round
The repertoire should include one original composition (no transpositions or arrangements of the composer’s original work allowed). The piece must be performed in its entirety and be either a complete piece or a complete movement. It must be performed from memory and cannot exceed 5 minutes. The performance will be stopped and score reduced if the competitor exceeds the allotted time.
3.2 Semi-Final Round
The repertoire should include one original composition (no transpositions or arrangements of the composer’s original work allowed) by one of the composers listed below and must be different from the composition presented during the Preliminary Round. The piece must be performed in its entirety and be either a complete piece or a complete movement. It must be performed from memory and cannot exceed 5 minutes. The performance will be stopped and score reduced if the competitor exceeds the allotted time.
Composers:
Albeniz, J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Bernstein, Bizet, Brahms, Bruch, Capua, Chopin, Clementi, Corelli, Curtis, Donizetti, Debussy, Falvo, Gershwin, Glier, Glinka, Granados, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, Klengel, Kreisler, Liszt, Loewe, Lalo, Menken, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Paganini, Pergolesi, Piazzolla, Popper, Porter, Prokofiev, Puccini, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Rieding, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rodgers, Rossini, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Scarlatti, C. M. Schonberg, Schubert, Schumann, Schwartz, Scriabin, Sherman, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Strouse, Tchaikovsky, Tesori, Verdi, Villa-Lobos, Vivaldi, A. L. Webber
3.3 Final Round
The top competitors, based on their average score from the Preliminary and Semi-Final rounds, within each age category are selected to move on to the Final Round of the competition.
If you qualify to move on to the Final Round of the competition your repertoire should include either (a) one of the two compositions presented during the Preliminary or Semi-Final round that has received the highest score from the judges or (b) the composition that the judges selected regardless of score. You will receive an email listing the composition that was selected for you by the judges and this is the piece you must perform during the Final Round. The same piece must be performed at the Final Round. It must be performed from memory and cannot exceed 5 minutes. The performance will be stopped and score reduced if the competitor exceeds the allotted time.
Competitors are required to submit fee and participate in person during the Final Round of the competition, as outlined on the Final Round’s page on this website.
Each judge will evaluate the competitors on a number of criteria, such as range, artistic ability, technique, interpretation, phrasing and presence, among others, and will assign a score. The scores from all judges will then be averaged and the average score will determine your level. Please note that the decision of the judges is final. The scoring sheets with the judges’ feedback will be returned to the performers or teachers if present.
Award level (Final Round only):
- Platinum: 100
- Gold: 99-85
- Silver: 84-70
- Bronze: 69-50
Forte International Music Competition is pleased to offer the following recognition, prizes and awards to competitors and their teachers taking part in the competition.
Certificate of Achievement
All competitors will receive Certificate of Achievement Award at the conclusion of each round of the competition
iClassical Academy Recognition Prize Award:
iClassical Academy is the world’s leading online classical music learning platform
Complementary Course | All competitors will receive the Complementary Course by iClassical Academy including lifetime access to 6 music master classes ($150 value)
Note: More details, along with link to claim your Recognition Prize Award, will be provided to qualified competitors via email
Awards to be presented to finalists and their teachers at the Final Round at Carnegie Hall:
Platinum Award trophy and check for $1,000
This award will be presented to one competitor with best musical, technical and artistic ability across all age categories and the one who also receives an average score of 100 (or sometimes the highest score) from the judges. Platinum award winner is not eligible to receive 1st prize award.
First Prize Award trophy and check for $150
This award will be presented to the highest scoring competitor within each age category
iClassical Academy Recognition Prize Awards:
iClassical Academy is the world’s leading online classical music learning platform
Complementary Course | All competitors will receive the Complementary Course by iClassical Academy including lifetime access to 6 music master classes ($150 value)
6 Months Master Member Access | Platinum and First Prize Award winners will receive complementary 6 months master member access ($144 value)
Note: More details, along with link to claim your Recognition Prize Award, will be provided to qualified competitors via email
Gold / Silver / Bronze Medal Award
An appropriate medal award will be presented to finalists based on the scores from judges
Special Awards:
The following special award certificates will be presented to finalists at the discretion of judges
Best Piano Technique Award | Best Strings Technique Award | Best Vocal Technique Award | Most Charming Lady Award | Most Charming Gentleman Award | Most Expressive Performer Award | Most Expressive Young Performer Award
Teacher Awards:
Certificate of Excellence Award | All teachers of the finalists will be recognized with a Certificate of Excellence Award
Best Teacher Award plaque | One teacher will be selected to receive the Best Teacher Award plaque
Note: The name of the teacher must be provided in the Entry Form during registration process in order to qualify for teacher awards
Note: All awards and prizes will be awarded unless there is an insufficient number of eligible participants in a particular category or the judges determine that the quality of the competitor’s performance does not warrant a prize/award. Finalists must be present at Carnegie Hall to receive awards as they will not be sent by mail. If there is a tie for a Platinum or First Prize Award, the scores from the prior round(s) will be used to determine the winner. If there is still a tie, the President of Forte International reserves the right to determine the winner. Prizes and awards are non-assignable / non-transferable. Cash awards are paid in USD, currency conversions to local currency are at winner’s expense at the time of conversion. All federal, state, provincial, autonomous, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners.
Forte International does not provide an accompanist at this time. Therefore, please make your own arrangements if you require one or reach out in advance if you need help. The use of a recorded CD music background in place of using an accompanist is not allowed.
Competitors are responsible for their own as well as their accompanists’ travel and accommodation expenses.
Proper dress attire is required. So, please NO dress shorter than a knee level, jeans, sneakers, tennis shoes, keds, flip flops, open-toe shoes, shorts, tank tops, or t-shirts.
Photography and videotaping is strictly prohibited during the competition. However, you may be able to order photo/video of the performance, if it is available, from Forte International by going to Photo/Video page. Please make sure to review, understand, and accept Terms and Conditions outlined on this page before placing an order online.
All photos/videos taken during the Forte International Music Competition by the authorized personnel or agents of the organization are copyrighted and owned by the Forte International Music Competition and Festivals. All photos/videos provided by the Forte International Music Competition and Festivals are for personal use only and are not authorized for commercial exploitation of any kind.
Candidates cannot claim legal rights to video recordings and/or photos submitted or broadcasts that may be made in connection with the competition. All legal rights are reserved by the Forte International Music Competition and no fee is payable to any competitor for performances, photos, recordings or television broadcasts.
By submitting an entry form, each entrant, parent or legal guardian (if such entrant is a minor) authorizes the use of competitor’s name, photo, audio and/or video recording for the publicity and advertisement purposes related to the competition by the Forte International.
Forte International Music Competition and Festivals, Corp. (referred to as Forte International) is not responsible for and shall not be held liable for (a) lost, late, delayed, damaged, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, or misdirected entries; (b) telephone, electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet, or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties of any kind; (c) failed, incomplete, partial, garbled, or delayed computer transmissions; (d) any condition caused by events beyond the control of the Forte International that may cause the competition to be disrupted; (e) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the competition; (f) any claims, suits, actions, liabilities, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind in connection with the competition or resulting from acceptance, possession, or use of any prizes and awards.
In addition, Forte International cannot guarantee that someone will not be exposed to and contract COVID-19 or other contagious disease(s). By attending any of the live events conducted by Forte International each attendee, competitor, parent / legal guardian, teacher, and guest: (a) does so at one’s own risk with possibility of being exposed to contracting or spreading COVID-19 or other contagious diseases along with all related consequences, (b) agrees to comply with all health and safety protocols based on applicable federal, state, and local rules and guidelines as implemented by any of the venues where Forte International conducts its live events, and (c) gives up a right to bring any claims, including but not limited to claims of negligence, resulting from attending such live events.
By entering Forte International Music Competition, each entrant, parent / legal guardian (if such entrant is a minor), and teacher agrees to accept these rules and be bound by the decisions of Forte International, its judges and staff, which are final and binding in all matters.
All rules and regulations are governed by the laws of the State of New York and are subject to change without notice.