Categories
Ages 14-18 Division
1st Prize: $800
2nd Prize: $300
3rd Prize: $150
One Audience Prize: $300
Honorable Mentions (subject to juries, no scholarship)
Ages 9-13 Division
One 1st Prize: $500
Two 2nd Prize: $200
Three 3rd Prize: $100
One Audience Prize: $300
Honorable Mentions (subject to juries, no scholarship)
Ages 8 and younger Division
One 1st Prize: $300
One 2nd Prize: $100
One 3rd Prize: $50
One Audience Prize: $200
Honorable Mentions (subject to juries, no scholarship)
Honorable mentions will receive a certificate of achievement & perform at the post-competition concerts, but will NOT receive a scholarship. Given COVID-19, small ensembles will NOT be a category this year. However, for the next year, small ensembles are especially encouraged to audition.
There will be Three separate categories in the HIMC 2021:
Ages 14-18 (by March 20, 2021), includes:
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Orchestral Instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion)
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Piano
Ages 9-13 (by March 20, 2021), includes:
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Orchestral Instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion)
-
Piano
Ages 8 and younger (by March 20, 2021), includes:
-
Orchestral Instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion)
-
Piano
Eligibility
All who play an orchestral instrument (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion) or piano are eligible. There are no place-of-residence requirements- contestants may reside in either international or US territories.
With a separate application, an applicant may apply for multiple entries (e.g. violin solo & piano).
Any 1st prize winners of the HIMC Competition may not apply for the same category in which they won 1st prize (e.g. if a contestant wins 1st prize in the Junior Soloist division, they may still compete in the Senior Soloist division); however, 2nd places, 3rd places, and any honorable mentions may apply for the same category in which they won.
Age of performer must be determined by the performer's age by March 20, 2021. For example, if a senior division performer turns 19 on March 20, 2021, but is currently 18, they are ineligible for the HIMC 2021.
Repertoire
Ages 9-13 Division & Ages 8 and younger Division
All performers of the junior division are required to perform ONE piece of musical merit* preferably under 5 minutes for pre-screening. If the piece is longer than 5 minutes, the judges will listen to the first 5 minutes of performance- this will not impact their decision in any way. Accompaniment is preferred, but not required. The same piece or two different pieces may be performed for pre-screening and finals.
Ages 14-18 Division
All performers of the senior division are required to perform ONE piece of musical merit* preferably under 8 minutes for pre-screening. If the piece is longer than 8 minutes, the judges will listen to the first 8 minutes of performance- this will not impact their decision in any way. Accompaniment is preferred, but not required. The same piece or two different pieces may be performed for pre-screening and finals.
Please reach out to info@himc.us or fill out a contact form if you have any questions about the repertoire.
*Examples of Acceptable Pieces:
Carmen Fantasy Op. 25 by Pablo de Sarasate
Flute sonata in A major BWV 1032 by J. S. Bach
"Moonlight" Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# minor 3rd Mvt. by Ludwig van Beethoven
and etc.
* Examples of Unacceptable Pieces:
Star Wars theme Song
River Flows In You
Baby Shark
and etc.
Guidelines for Preliminary Videos
1. File sizes should not be bigger than 100M, if they are bigger than 100M, either send the video to cwu@himc.us and office@MusicHouston.org or enter a link in the application text box for "Preliminary link" (preferably a Youtube link).
2. Contestants must show their full body and have adequate lighting as to see their face and instrument as well as their full range of motion.
3. Audios and videos may not be edited.
4. Accompaniment is preferred, but not required.
5. Please name the email and the video as the performer full name (First Last).
* Music Houston reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time.