Viseu International Piano Competition
Rules and Regulation (2025)
Last update: January 21th, 2025
Pianists of all nationalities are eligible to compete in the main competition, provided they were born not earlier than April 6th 1994, and to compete in the young pianist’s competition, if they were born not earlier than April 6th 2007. Contestants who have family ties with a jury member or have studied, regularly, with a jury member, in the last two years will not be judged by that jury member.
The composition of the jury will be communicated to the contestants after they have correctly completed their application forms.
1. Enrolment
Applications must be sent, no later than the 10th of February 2025, through the official site of the competition: www.musicadaprimavera.pt; The competitors shall send their documents to the email viseu.music.competition@gmail.com
a) Copy of an identity document (which includes age);
b) One recent artistic photograph;
c) Curriculum Vitae.
2. Enrolment fee
The enrollment must be send with a 125€ fee (90€ for young pianists).
The fee must be received by the 10th of February and must be paid in full and free of charges for the organization by:
a) Bank transfer to the following account:
IBAN: PT50 0045 3180 40033211014 78
Swift Number: CCCMPTPL
c) Traveler’s cheque or postal order to Proviseu – Conservatório de Música Dr. José de Azeredo Perdigão
Applications sent and paid after February 10th and until March 1st, will have a 25€ extra fee.
2.1 Non attendance
The enrolment fee is not refundable.
3. Dates
3.0 All necessary performing order draws (pre-selection and rounds) will be made by the organization, communicated to pianists, filmed and made available online.
3.1 A pre-selection stage will be held online from March 6th to 9th 2025, though STREAMING, in the Page of the Festival. In due time, the schedule will be announced to the public and to the pianists enrolled. Enrolled pianists shall send, through the channels that will be indicated to them, a video recording of the all program, made in a unique take and with no editing, with good technical quality of image and sound. The camera used must be fixed at an angle in which will be always visible the piano and the pianist’s face, hands and feet. In this video, to be sent no later than the 1st March 2025, the program of the first stage must be performed. The STREAMING broadcast will be on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th March 2025, in the order found through a draw previously made and communicated to pianists and jury members.
3.1.1 An alternative pre-selection round will be held in China, at the College of Music of Ningbo University, on December 14th and 15th 2024 (the selected pianists will not need to send the video recording and will be invited to start their procedures to come to Viseu in April 2025).
3.2 From the pre-selection rounds, a total of 30 pianists will be selected, for the main competition, and invited to come to Viseu. For the young pianists’ competition, 20 pianists will be selected.
3.3 The competitors selected will be asked to arrive in Viseu before the 8th April 2025 (according to the performing order previously found by the draw).
Pianists selected for the young pianists’ competition will be asked to arrive on the 6th April 2025, as the competition, for them, will be on the 7th April 2025.
All of the pianists selected are invited to stay in Viseu until the Closing Ceremony, when all prizes and Diplomas will be given.
3.4 The Young Pianists’ Competition, in a single round, will be held on the 7th April 2025. At the end of the day, the names of the prize winners will be announced
3.5 The First Stage, for the 30 selected pianists to the Main Competition, will be held on the 8th and 9th April 2025. At the end of the day, the names of the 9 or 10 semifinalists will be given.
3.6 The semifinal stage will be held on the 10th and 11th April 2025 and will select the 3 finalists.
3.7 The Final, at Teatro Viriato, will be held on the 12th April 2025, and will be followed by the Closing Ceremony.
4. Program
4.0 Pre-selection round:
– Young Pianists’ Competition: A freely chosen recital program of 15 to 20 minutes, which must include one Virtuosity Etude;
– Main competition: A freely chosen program of 15 to 20 minutes, which must include one Chopin Etude (op.10 or op.25) and one Bach Prelude and Fugue (Well Tempered Clavier). To complete the time, one Virtuosity Etude, by Liszt, Rachmaninov, Debussy, Prokofiev, Scriabin or other composers, is welcome (not mandatory).
4.1 First round:
– Main competition: A freely chosen program of 15 to 20 minutes, which must include one Chopin Etude (op.10 or op.25) and one Bach Prelude and Fugue (Well Tempered Clavier). The selected 30 pianists can perform the same program of the pre-selection video or, if they want, change one or more of the works. In this case, the changed program can be declared in the application form or communicated to the Artistic Direction no later than the 15th March.
4.1.1 – Single round:
– Young Pianists’ Competition: A freely chosen recital program of 15 to 20 minutes, which must include one Virtuosity Etude;
4.2 Second round:
A freely chosen program of 45 to 50 minutes, including one Classical or Romantic Sonata (Haydn, Mozart, Clementi, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms) and a work composed after the year 1900 (20th and 21st centuries). The remaining time can be fulfilled with works from any period. Some Romantic Fantasies could be, upon request, considered as Sonatas.
4.3 Final round:
A freely chosen program of 30 to 35 minutes.
Note – Repetition of works, other than the one mentioned in 4.1, is not allowed in the different rounds.
A copy of any unpublished piece must be sent to the committee until the 15th March 2025.
5. The beginning of the competition
a) Online Pre-selection: March 6th to 9th (China Pre-selection: December 14th and 15th 2024)
b) Young Pianists’ Competition: April 7th
c) 1st round: April 8th and 9th
d) 2nd round: April 10th and 11th
e) Final round: April 12th.
6. Jury
6.1 The committee will invite several well-known personalities, from different countries, as jury members.
6.2 An Audience Jury, that will be invited to attend the whole rounds, will make a choice in the first and second rounds, and the result will enter in the decisions as one more jury vote.
7. Admission to the second round (9 or 10 pianists) and to the final round (maximum of 3 pianists), as well as the distribution of prizes, will be based on a simple majority of votes. In case of need, the Chair of the jury has a quality vote.
The jury’s decision will be final.
8. Prizes
8.1 Young Pianists’ Competition
The prizes will be made public, after the Competition, on April 7th.
1st prize – 1,500,00€
2nd prize – 1,000,00€
3rd prize – 500,00€
The jury members can offer masterclasses and, invitations for concerts, to some of the young pianists.
8.2 Main Competition
The prizes will be made public, after the Final, on April 12th.
1st prize – 9,000€
The first prize will include the following concert tour:
– A concert at the 19th Viseu Spring Music Festival (2026);
– A concert in Paris, at Salle Cortot, for Animato Society (2025);
– Other concerts to be announced.
2nd prize – 5,000 €
3rd prize – 2,000 €
Audience Award – 500€
Prize for the Best Portuguese Contestant – 500€
10. Contestants will waive all rights now and at any time in the future, in relation to any type of recording made during their performances in this Festival.
11. Participation in the competition implies that the contestant accepts the above regulations.
12. In the event of any disagreement concerning the rules, the only valid text will be the original in the Portuguese language.