Edwin Fischer Prize

Application dossier

Must include the following:

• Surname, first name, address, e-mail, date of birth, current course of study.
• Principal lecturer
• Name and first name of accompanying person (accompanist)
• Information on the works (title, movement details and duration of performance) and composers (incl. year of birth and, if applicable, year of death)
• Justification of the programme in the form of a project concept (i.e. justification of the composition of the works/movements, notes on the relationship of the works to each other, description of the «red thread» of the programme), at least half an A4 page.
• Biography in a form customary for concert programmes (i.e. running text, no tabular listing, max. half an A4 page)
• List of important concert performances of the past two years.

The dossier must not exceed three A4 pages in German. Applications submitted after 14 February 2024 cannot be considered.

Admission

Admission to the competition is decided by a committee of the jury (with the involvement of the Institute) on the basis of the dossiers submitted, in particular on the basis of the programme concept. A maximum of twelve participants are admitted.

The students will be informed in writing of the admission decision by 8 March 2024. If participants cancel their application at short notice for valid reasons, rejected applicants may be invited to the competition as substitutes.

Jury

The jury consists of at least five members:

• one representative of the Edwin Fischer Foundation 
• one representative of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Lucerne School of Music
• one representative of the Lucerne School of Music
• two to three external experts

Evaluation

The evaluation is carried out according to the criteria:

• musical interpretation
• personal charisma and appearance
• technical confidence
• stylistic ability to differentiate
• degree of difficulty
• programme design

The jury members will give the contestants feedback on their performance.

Laureate concert

Sunday, 21 April 2024, 11:00 a.m., Salquin Concert Hall, Lucerne School of Music.

The competition participants undertake to perform at the prize-winners' concert.

Price

The prize sum is a maximum of CHF 8,000. This sum may be divided between one to three prize winners. The jury may award an Edwin Fischer Memorial Prize and/or recognition prizes. The prize money will not be paid out if participation in the prize-winner's concert is not possible.

Communication

The competition presentations are open to the public. The media are invited to attend.
The jury meets in closed session. The jury's decision will be communicated by the jury president.

Further regulations

• Instrumental accompaniment
  The organiser does not provide piano accompaniment. The participants organise this themselves.
• Score material
  The participants will provide the score material (piano reduction or score, as PDF file) to the jury. Deadline: Wednesday, 20 March 2024 at the latest to remo.leitl@hslu.ch.
• Sound recordings, photographs
  Sound and/or image recordings are prohibited during the competition. The participants declare their consent to radio/television recordings and broadcasts as well as to non-commercial recordings on audio/visual media made in connection with the competition events (outside the competition). They transfer any rights arising from this to the organiser with their registration.
• Legal process
  Legal recourse is excluded. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the decisions of the jury and the jury committee.

Important dates at a glance

• Application deadline: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
• Decision on admission: Friday, 8 March 2023 at the latest
• Latest submission of music material: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
• Competition and evaluation interview: Saturday, 20 April 2024, from 10:00, Salquin Concert Hall
• Prize-winners' concert: Sunday, 21 April 2024, 11:00 a.m., Salquin Concert Hall

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