Competitions

The International Horn Society administers several awards and performance contests related to the annual symposium. Information on those can be found on the IHS website. In addition to those contests and awards, two special competitions will be included in the 45th International Horn Symposium, a Horn Ensemble Competition and a Jazz Soloist Competition. Please read the the rules and procedures below before submitting an application. All applicants must be current IHS members at the start of the symposium and must be registered for the week of the 45th International Horn Symposium. The 45th International Horn Symposium and the International Horn Society are not responsible for any financial arrangements to support the expenses of participants in the competitions. Application deadline: May 1, 2013.

Horn Ensemble Competition

Horn ensembles are invited to enter the IHS 45 Horn Ensemble competition. There will be two divisions, for quartets and for larger ensembles. Each individual performer is allowed to compete in one quartet and one large ensemble. The competition will take place on Wednesday morning, July 31.

Eligibility: This competition is open to students and adult amateurs. Contestants may not have performed professionally under full-time contract, or have been previously offered such employment by virtue of winning a full-time professional audition.

Each ensemble must perform the following:

At least one movement from one of the works on the following lists:
Quartets:
- Faust — Quartet
- Heiden — Quartet
- Hill — Shared Reflections
- Hindemith — Sonata for Four Horns
- Turner — Quartet No. 1
Large Horn Ensembles:
- Deschamps — Sextour: Mars 1981
- Kerkorian — Sextet
- Nelhybel — French Suite
- Stanhope — Horn Player's Retreat and Pumping Song
- Winteregg — Pastiche
Work(s) of the ensemble's choice to complete a program of up to 15 minutes.

Quartets should perform without a conductor. Large ensembles may choose to utilize a conductor.

Each ensemble will receive written adjudicators' comments on their performance.

The winning ensemble from each division will perform on the Large Ensembles Concert on Saturday, August 3.

Register on this form for the competition, and/or for collegiate ensembles wishing to perform during the week.

Jazz Soloist Competition

Mission: To promote the performance of jazz styles and improvisation for the horn, specifically:

Style and Phrasing, including accuracy and variety of expression, articulation, stylistic inflection, and interpretation
Technical aspects of playing, especially Tone, Intonation, and Time/Rhythm
Solo/Improvisation skills, including melodic and harmonic elements and enhancements to the performance, and progression and creativity of ideas
Precision, Expression, and Interaction with live performers, where appropriate, including clarity of arrangement and overall performance

There will be two rounds to this competition, both taking place at IHS 45, the first round on Tuesday afternoon and the finals on Thursday morning.. All participants must be registered for the symposium, at least for the days on which the competition rounds take place.

The winner or winners will perform on the Large Ensembles Concert on Saturday, August 3, possibly accompanied by one of the large ensembles and rhythm section.

2013 Jazz Horn Competition List of Required Selections

Blues: Now’s The Time (in concert F DOWNLOAD Aebersold Vol 6)
One (1) contrasting selection chosen from:
- Medium swing: Autumn Leaves (in concert G minor DOWNLOAD Aebersold Vol 54)
- Up-tempo swing: Oleo (Ken’s Jazz Lounge)
- Ballad: Willow Weep For Me (Ken’s Jazz Lounge)
- Latin: Corcovado (Quiet Nights) (Ken’s Jazz Lounge)

PRELIMINARY ROUND

Up to SIX finalists will be chosen for the Final Round. Participants will perform two (2) selections: a required Blues and a tune of contrasting style chosen by the performer from the list of required selections. Performers will play with recorded accompaniment and be evaluated on the following three aspects of playing:

Style and Phrasing, including accuracy and variety of expression, articulation, stylistic inflection, and interpretation
Technical aspects of playing, especially Tone, Intonation, and Time/Rhythm
Solo/Improvisation skills, including melodic and harmonic elements and enhancements to the performance, and progression and creativity of ideas

Use of RECORDED ACCOMPANIMENT

Recorded play-along accompaniments will be used only in the Preliminary Round. Recorded play-alongs will be provided at the competition venue. Play-alongs used in this round are listed for each selection, found in:

Ken’s Jazz Lounge, Krug Park Music: http://www.krugparkmusic.com/
Jamie Aebersold playalongs: http://www.jazzbooks.com/

Ken’s Jazz Lounge has leadsheets for horn in F, so performers must purchase the book and CD from the website above or create their own leadsheet (in concert F). Since Aebersold volumes do not contain parts in F, PDFs are provided via links above. Play-along tracks must be obtained by individual participants on their own for practice, but, as stated above, tracks from these specific volumes will be used and provided at the competition. PLEASE NOTE: Performers are not required to perform the number of choruses presented on the respective recordings, but may not exceed them.

FINAL ROUND—with LIVE RHYTHM SECTION, NO REHEARSAL

Finalists will choose two (2) selections from the required list above. Finalists will be evaluated on Final Round performances only—there is no benefit or penalty for playing the same or different tunes from in the Preliminary Round.>

There shall be no rehearsals or any other contact with rhythm section performers in advance of the Final Round—Finalists will indicate their arrangement of each tune to the rhythm section at the time of their performance (it’s a part of the gig).

Performers will be evaluated on the following four aspects of playing:

Style and Phrasing, including accuracy and variety of expression, articulation, stylistic inflection, and interpretation
Technical aspects of playing, especially Tone, Intonation, and Time/Rhythm
Solo/Improvisation skills, including melodic and harmonic elements and enhancements to the performance, and progression and creativity of ideas
Precision, Expression, and Interaction with live performers, including clarity of arrangement and overall performance