FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Updated : November 10, 2023

• About the pre-competition dates
• About the preselection on videos
• About the definitive registration for the selected candidates
• About the competition week
• About your practice and rehearsals
• About the withdrawals

About the pre-competition dates

• What are the important pre-competition dates that I need to remember ?
  • Friday December 1, 2023 midnight: Sending of the registration form for video preselections and payment of the registration fee (60 Euros).
  • Monday December 18, 2023: All applicants will be contacted no later than Monday, December 18, 2023 to be notified whether their application has been accepted or not.
  • Tuesday January 2, 2024: Sending of the contemporary work by the Turkish composer Ali Darmar (Third Round) to all selected candidates.
  • Friday January 19, 2024 midnight: Sending of the registration form for selected candidates and second payment of the registration fee (60 Euros).
  • Friday March 1, 2024: Closing of the form on Friday January 19, 2024 : it will no longer be possible to complete it. However, candidates will still be able to modify their program until Friday March 1, 2024 by writing a message to this address: pianocompetition.ios@nds.k12.tr
  • Sunday March 31, 2024, 08:00 pm: Welcome cocktail, draw, test on the competition piano.

About the preselection on videos

• How to participate in the video preselections ?
  • You will find essential information in the Preselection section, including important dates and technical requirements for video recordings.

• What is the deadline to register for pre-selection ?
  • The registration deadline is Friday, December 01, 2023 midnight.

About the definitive registration for the selected candidates

• When should I pay the definitive fee ?
  • All the selected candidates are expected to pay 60€ (https://www.nds.k12.tr/Payment) until Friday January 19, 2024. In the absence of mail or payment, you are considered as resigning.

• After having completed the form, could I still make changes to the program ?
  • Yes. The form will be closed on Friday January 19, 2024 : at this stage, you will no longer be able to complete it, however, you will still be able to modify your program until Friday March 1, 2024 by writing a message to this address : pianocompetition.ios@nds.k12.tr

• Questions about your program
  • We do not answer any questions about your program because we do not wish to guide or validate your choices upstream of the competition with answers concerning your program.
  • Example of questions about your program that we cannot answer:
    - Am I allowed to play only one sonata movement ?
    – My third round program lasts a little longer than the maximum duration allowed : is this a problem ?
    – Do you consider Scriabin to be a modern composer ?
    – For the first round I would like to play 1 movement of sonata and for the second round the same whole sonata, is this going to be a problem ?
    – Is Rachmaninoff’s sonata 2 (1931 version) counts as Modern or Romantic ?
  • In summary : everything concerning the choice of the composers, the date of the compositions, the length of the works, the round’s duration etc... and the answer to which is not included in the rules must be left to reflection of the candidate and at his own decision.
    Otherwise, we are happy to help you clarify the points of the regulations that are not clear to you.

About the competition week

• When should I arrive ?
  • You should plan to arrive in Istanbul on Sunday March 31, 2024.
  • The welcoming cocktail and the drawing of lots (in order to decide your day and hour of Competition) will take place on Sunday March 31, 2024, at 08:00 p.m. and your presence is mandatory. We will also giving you the planning of your rehearsals.

• • Moreover, you will have the opportunity to try the competition piano the same day (Sunday March 31, 2024), from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. For the purposes of fairness between the candidates, the tests of a few minutes on the piano will be timed and carried out under control of the organizers. There will be no exceptions, arrangements, additional days or opportunities to try the competition piano.

• • 08:00 pm : Your presence at the draw is mandatory.
  • From 06:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. : The test on the competition piano is strongly recommended but not obligatory.

• • We want to carry at your attention that , if you plane to arrive in Istanbul on Sunday March 31, 2024, you have to count at least 3 hours between landing and arriving at school (considering passport control, baggage retrieval wait, possible traffic jams etc...). Your arrival at Notre Dame de Sion’s High School is awaited no later than 08:00 p.m

• Will I be able to try the competition piano?
  • You can try the competition piano on Sunday March 31, between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
    For the purposes of fairness between the candidates, the tests of a few minutes on the piano will be timed and carried out under control of the organizers. There will be no exceptions, arrangements, days or additional opportunities to try the competition piano.

• Days and times for the competition rounds:
  These informations are not contractual because subject to variations :
  • First Round: Monday 1 April (10:00 am-01:00 pm / 03:00 pm - 06:00 pm)
  • Second Round: Tuesday 2 April (10:00 am-01:00 pm / 03:00 pm - 06:00 pm)
  • Third Round: Wednesday 3 April (10:00 am - 12:15 / 01:30 pm - 03:45 pm)
  • Fourth Round: Thursday April 4 (Evening)

• Where is the competition taking place ?
  • The first three rounds of the competition take place in the performance hall of Notre-Dame de Sion high school :from your arrival on Sunday March 31 to Wednesday 3 April included.

    

    

  • The Fourth Round (Final with Orchestra) and The Award Ceremony will take place on Thursday April 4, 2024 evening, in Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, which is located very close to the high school (Steinway on the stage). The Final and Award Ceremony could be broadcasted live on HD national TV channel.

• Did you notice that ?
  • In partnership with the Cemal Reşit Rey (CRR) Concert Hall, Murat Cem Orhan, General Artistic Director of CRR, will join the Jury during the Final (Thursday April 4, 2024) to award the Cemal Reşit Rey Prize to the finalist who proposed the best performance of the imposed piece from the composer Cemal Reşit Rey. The Cemal Reşit Rey Prize will be accompanied by a concert offer in the programming of the CRR concert hall.

• I cannot arrive on time for the start of the competition on Monday April 1, 2024. Could I pass the first round at the end of the day ?
  • No. Given that the competition involves a draw for the order of passages, it is not possible and not fair to the other candidates that a candidate who arrives late obtains an arrangement concerning his day of passage.

• How can I know the results of each round ?
  • The results will be announced at the end of each round (generally in the early evening) and your presence is highly recommended but not mandatory. The selected candidates will receive their hours of passage and repetition for the next round and all the candidates, if they wish, will have the possibility to speak with the members of the jury.

The results will be posted online on our website and social networks (Instagram and Facebook) as quickly as possible in the evening of the same day. No result will be transmitted by phone.

• What about accommodation ? Are there some hotels with special rates for the candidates ?
  • We do not have any commercial agreement with hotels. But there are many hotels in the area, at varying prices, that you can easily find on the internet.

• About the dress code
  • There is no dress code, you can dress however you want (casual is permitted). We kindly ask you to have a gala/concert attire for the Finale and Award Ceremony if you are among the three finalists.

About your practice and rehearsals

• Can I practice my piano during the competition?
  • We know how important it is for you to practice your piano and all our efforts are going in this direction. We have ten upright pianos in the high school. The exact and equal distribution of rehearsal time between candidates will be set on Sunday evening, after the draw, and will begin from Monday morning. As an example, during the previous competitions, the candidates could work for a minimum of 3 hours per day of competition. We hope to do as good as we did during the previous competitions or even better. We have always had nice candidates who did not complain about the quality of the pianos, but we owe you the honesty to warn you about the relative quality of the upright pianos which will be at your disposal for your rehearsals. They will all be granted before your arrival.
  • We draw your attention that unlike previous years, rehearsals on upright pianos will not be possible before Monday April 1, 2024. For example, if you arrive on Friday March 29, you will not have the opportunity to rehearse on the upright pianos of school during this day nor on weekends. Sunday March 31 you will not be able to access an upright piano either. Rehearsals on upright pianos will begin on Monday April 1^st.

    

• If I arrive the morning of Sunday March 31, would it be possible to practice ?
  • No, on Sunday March 31, access to the practice pianos will not be possible. The equal distribution between the candidates will begin on Monday April 1, the first day of the competition.

About the withdrawals

Knowing the exact number of our candidates allow us to do our planning and to distribute the hours of rehearsals more accurately.So we thank you for informing us in the event of withdrawal.