Lieksa Brass Week 2023 Tuba Solo Competition

[Chris Olka]

Hey everybody, if you’ve not heard of the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, it is a fantastic opportunity for all brass players to spend a week in the Finnish forested country-side while studying, playing, and hearing incredible brass players from around the World. In addition, they host a rotating solo competition with large cash prizes. This coming year (2023) it will be a tuba solo competition.

I can’t recommend this experience highly enough. It really impressed me when I first participated. If you’re interested details can be found here:
https://www.lieksabrass.com/?lang=en

I hope everyone is having a good Summer and enjoying Labor Day Weekend!

[Chris Olka]

The deadline is approaching for this fantastic opportunity in Finland. I’ve copied the details and pasted them below:

The 4th International Lieksa Brass Week Tuba Competition 2023
THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL LIEKSA BRASS WEEK TUBA COMPETITION JULY 22-27, 2023
RULES OF THE COMPETITION

1. Lieksa Brass Week organizes the 4th International Lieksa Brass Week Tuba Competition July 20 – 27, 2023. The competition is open to competitors of all nationalities born in 1988 or later.

2. The Competition will consist of the following rounds:

Video round (registration no later than January 31, 2023, submission of video clip no later than February 5, 2023)
1st round (July 21 – 22)
2nd round (July 24)
Final round (July 27)

After the registration the organizer will email instructions for submission of the video clip. The video clip must be submitted by the deadline February 5, 2023 at 23:59 (UTC +2). Registrations and video clips sent after the deadlines will not be accepted to the competition. Pre-qualification starts February 6, 2023. The Jury performs the pre-qualification based on the registration documents and the recording. The invitation to the public competition in Lieksa will be sent no later than March 31, 2023.

The video clip must be filmed with one camera in front of the player so that the player and the instrument are visible in the video the whole time. In the recording, you should aim for good image and sound quality. The works of the video round must be recorded as a single unit without breaks and in the order of the competition program (see paragraph 7). Rachmaninov: Vocalise is to be performed with piano accompaniment. The video must be made with both the player and the pianist in the same space and playing at the same time. Post-processing of sound and/or image is prohibited. The recording must be uncut.

Technical requirements:

Submissions must contain one original video clip.
The file format must be MP4 or MOV.
If possible, record video in full HD resolution 1080p.
For audio it is recommended that the quality for stereo recording is 384 kbps.
Only those competitors who have paid the participation fee by January 31, 2023 will be accepted for pre-qualification.

3. The registration form on the Lieksa Brass Week website shall be filled online. The application form must be submitted no later than January 31, 2023, 23:59 UTC +2.

The online application form must be accompanied by:

Copy of passport or national identity card
A photo (submitted electronically)
Short curriculum vitae for the competition brochure (maximum 700 characters in English)
A competitor’s participation in the competition can be denied if the necessary attachments or the participation fee have not been delivered by the deadline.

4. The participation fee is 100 euros paid by 31 December 2022, after that it is 120 euros. The payment is primarily made at the time of registration by credit card or online payment. If card or online payment is not possible, please contact info@lieksabrass.com for further instructions. The bank’s service fees or possible other costs arising from the payment may not be deducted from the participation fee. The participation fee is non-refundable.

5. In Lieksa, the competitors have at their disposal pianists organized and drawn by the competition. The use of one’s own pianist is allowed at the competitor’s own expense. One’s own pianist cannot be any of the pianists organized by the competition. Before the first round, the competitor has 20 minutes of rehearsal time with the pianist, and 60 minutes before the second round. Accompaniment rehearsals will start on July 20, 2023 after the briefing. The Jury selects a maximum of eight (8) competitors for the second round. Those accepted to the final round will rehearse with the orchestra.

6. The briefing and the draw for the order of competition will be held in Lieksa on Thursday 20 July 2023, at 10 a.m. local time (UTC +3, Finnish summer time). The drawn order remains the same throughout the competition. Every competitor must be present in person at the draw.

7. Program: The editions indicated in the rules are used in the competition.

The competitor must perform the works of the video round, the first round and the second round in the order of the competition program.

In all parts of the competition, the competitor can choose whether to play by heart or from sheet music. It is allowed to participate in the competition with any tuba.



Video Round

Sergei Rachmaninov: Vocalise op 34 nro 14
Trans. Nicolas Indermühle
https://www.arpeges.fr/fr/editions-musi ... 14_1022069

AND

Krzysztof Penderecki: Capriccio
https://www.schott-music.com/de/capriccio-noc37904.html

First Round

Petri Keskitalo: The Tunnel at the End of the Light
Commissioned by Lieksa Brass Week
PDF: https://webshop.fennicagehrman.fi/page/ ... f-/4439800
Printed: https://webshop.fennicagehrman.fi/page/ ... ba/4439799

AND

Dmitri Shostakovich: Adagio from Limpid Stream
Arr. Harri Miettunen, ed. Roger Bobo
https://www.encoremupub.com/adagio-from-limpid-stream/

Second Round

Claude Debussy: Syrinx
Trans. Nicolas Indermühle
https://www.arpeges.fr/fr/editions-musi ... nx_1022068

AND

Christophe Sturzenegger: L6 Anakrôn X
https://www.klarthe.com/index.php/fr/ed ... n-x-detail
Supported by Pro Helvetia, Swiss Foundation for Culture

AND

Francisco Loreto: SoNotas
https://www.editions-bim.com/sheet-musi ... -and-piano

Final Round

Jukka Linkola: Concerto for tuba and orchestra arranged for wind orchestra
https://core.musicfinland.fi/works/conc ... -orchestra
Supported by Pro Musica Foundation

In the final round of the competition, the orchestra is Finnish Symphonic Wind Professionals.

8. After each round, the Jury decides the number of competitors who will advance.

9. Competition Jury: Chris Olka (chair), Dirk Hirthe, Nicolas Indermühle, Petri Keskitalo, Harri Miettunen and Jukka Myllys.

10. The Prizes:

I prize eur 6 000
II prize eur 3 000
III prize eur 2 000

There may also be other prizes in the competition.

The prizes of the competition will be awarded after the announcement of the results. The jury can, if it wishes, distribute the prizes differently from what is presented above. If the prize place is shared between two or more competitors, the prize amount will also be shared in a similar way, unless the jury decides otherwise. The jury's decision is final and cannot be appealed.

11. The competition, with the exception of the video round, is public and the organizers have the right to grant permission to record, broadcast, stream, tape and televise the competition without paying separate compensation to the competitors.

12. The original language of these rules is Finnish. Any disputes will be resolved based on Finnish rules.

Registration form

For further questions, please contact:

Lieksa Brass Week
info@lieksabrass.com
Tel. +358 (0)45 132 4000
Pielisentie 26, FI-81700 LIEKSA, FINLAND

[Chris Olka]

Just an update, as we just finished this week. Here’s the results:

The winner of the competition is Richard Bence Masa (Hungary)
2nd prize: Ilkka Marttila (Finland)
3rd prize: Joel Wendelin (Finland)

The level of the competitors was EXTREMELY high, and the repertoire was as demanding as anything I’ve seen or heard. Additionally, the week saw the premiere of three new works for tuba including a concerto, performed by Harri Miettunen!

Congratulations to the winners!