The Witold Lutosławski Competition for Young Conductors is a unique initiative aimed at presenting and promoting up-and-coming young Polish conductors. This exceptional event on the Polish classical music scene may only be compared with the Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors in Katowice. The project, initiated in 1994 by Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, was a nationwide competition throughout the first three editions, turned international, and went back to the nationwide format in its latest, sixth incarnation. Dozens of aspiring conductors have already taken part, and winners of the Young Conductors Competition are widely regarded as outstanding artistic personalities—Krzysztof Urbański, Michał Nesterowicz, Tomasz Tokarczyk, Tomasz Chmiel and Jan Miłosz Zarzycki have since performed in the most renowned concert halls worldwide. The Jury is composed of prominent Polish conductors and professors of music academies, ensuring a high artistic merit of the competition. Apart from financial rewards, winners are guaranteed a place in the Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors in Katowice and an opportunity to perform with the best Polish symphonic orchestras. The latest, sixth edition of the competition took place in the autumn of 2016, and its laureates were Maciej Koczur (1st prize), Dawid Runtz (2nd prize) and Mateusz Czech (3rd prize).

The 7th edition of the Competition will take place from May 15-20, 2022.

COMPETITION RULES

GENERAL PROVISIONS

  1. The 7th Witold Lutosławski National Competition for Young Conductors aims to present and promote young Polish conductors entering the musical scene and to honor the best of them with prizes provided for in these regulations.
  2. The competition will take place in Białystok from May 15-20, 2022.
  3. The organizer of the 7th Witold Lutosławski National Competition for Young Conductors is the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art Centre in Białystok, entered in the Register of Cultural Institutions at the Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Voivodeship in Białystok under number 1, Tax Identification Number (NIP) 542-020-89-16.

I. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

  1. The competition is open to conductors with Polish citizenship who will not have reached the age of 35 in 2022.
  2. The deadline for submitting the APPLICATION is February 11, 2022 (the postmark date is decisive).
  3. The completed and signed application form, available at http://okmd.oifp.eu, should be sent to: Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, Odeska 1, 15-406 Białystok.The application must be accompanied by a DVD containing:
    • a completed personal questionnaire,
    • a short (half an A4 page) artistic biography and information about previous artistic activity, two references from conductors or teachers, reviews, copies of diplomas, awards, and distinctions,
    • a 300 dpi portrait photograph in *.tif or *.jpg format for use in the Competition program and press releases,
    • a scanned diploma of completion from a music school/certificate from the school confirming continued studies,
    • a DVD with a recorded rehearsal or concert with an orchestra conducted by the candidate (approximately 15 minutes long – video and audio) in MPEG-4 format.
  4. Applications with incomplete documentation will not be accepted. Submitted documents will not be returned.
  5. A maximum of 24 participants will be admitted to the Competition. The Review Committee may create a list of reserve participants.
  6. The decision regarding admission to the Competition, made by the Review Committee, will be announced by February 25, 2022, and posted on the website www.oifp.eu. Notifications will also be sent by email to each qualified candidate and to those on the reserve list.
  7. Notification of a candidate’s admission to the Competition will constitute an agreement between the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic and the candidate regarding their participation in the 7th Witold Lutosławski National Competition for Young Conductors under the terms and conditions set forth in these regulations.
  8. Participants admitted to the Competition (including those on the reserve list) are required to pay the competition fee of PLN 400 by March 25, 2022, with the note ‘YOUNG CONDUCTORS COMPETITION 2022’ and the participant’s name, to the following account: 05 1090 2590 0000 0001 4373 8387.
  9. Failure to pay the competition fee by the deadline will constitute withdrawal from the Competition.
  10. In the event of withdrawal from the Competition, the competition fee is non-refundable. The fee paid will be refunded to those on the reserve list who were ultimately not selected by the Organizer to participate in the Competition.
  11. Participants qualified for the Competition should report to the Competition Office on May 15, 2022, by 12:00 p.m. 1500 PLN and present their ID cards/passports and proof of payment of the competition fee.
  12. The Competition Organizers will provide participants with hotel accommodation with breakfast for the duration of their participation in the subsequent stages of the Competition.
  13. Travel expenses are covered by the participants. Any persons accompanying the participants will stay in Białystok at their own expense.
  14. A participant who, for important reasons, delays their arrival may be admitted to the audition at the end of the first stage, with the jury’s consent.

II. JURY

  1. Competitors participating in the Competition will be evaluated by a Jury composed of Polish conductors.
  2. The composition of the Jury will be made public before the beginning of the Competition.
  3. The internal rules of procedure of the Jury will be established at the first meeting of the Jury members before the beginning of the first stage auditions.
  4. The Jury members’ evaluations are confidential.
  5. The verdicts issued based on the Jury members’ evaluations are final.

III. COMPETITION

  1. 7th National Young Conductors’ Competition named after The Witold Lutosławski Competition is held in two stages, open to the public.
  2. Competition participants will conduct the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in all stages and may use their own sheet music. The Organizer is not responsible for any infringement of third-party copyrights by a Competition Participant using their own sheet music.
  3. The Organizer does not provide the necessary sheet music for Competition participants.
  4. No more than eight participants will be admitted to the second stage of the Competition.
  5. In all stages of the Competition, participants will perform in alphabetical order, starting with the letter drawn on May 15, 2022, at 7:00 PM.

IV. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION, COPYRIGHT

  1. The personal data of Competition participants are processed in accordance with applicable law.
  2. The Competition Organizer is the controller of their personal data.
  3. Participants consent to the processing of their personal data for the purposes of organizing the Competition and in accordance with the statutory objectives of the Competition Organizer.
  4. Detailed information regarding the processing of personal data is included in Appendix 1 of these regulations.
  5. Participants transfer – without the right to remuneration – all economic rights to the artistic performances of the works recorded during the Competition and the Winners’ Concert to the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, without time or territorial restrictions, in the following fields of exploitation:
    – recording,
    – reproduction on all sound and image media,
    – introduction into commerce,
    – introduction to computer memory and the Internet,
    – public reproduction and performance,
    – display,
    – rental and leasing,
    – wireless, cable and satellite broadcasting, as well as rebroadcasting and retransmission,
    – online/offline Internet broadcasting.
  6.  The transfer of economic copyrights takes place upon conclusion of the agreement referred to in Chapter I, Section 7 of these Rules.
  7.  Competition participants consent – without the right to remuneration – to the use of their name, likeness, and informational materials covering the participant’s activities in all informational, advertising, and promotional materials related to the Competition. 8. To the extent referred to in this chapter, the Organizer has the right to transfer rights, in whole or in part, to third parties.

V. REPERTOIRE

Stage I (May 16-17, 2022)

From the provided repertoire, the Competition participant selects two pieces from Group A and two pieces from Group B, and then draws one piece from each group (30 minutes before the performance). No more than 30 minutes is allocated for the orchestral arrangement of the selected pieces. The order in which the pieces are performed is optional. In cyclical and multi-movement works – if the Jury declines to designate a specific part of the work – the Competition participant makes this selection at their own discretion.

Group A
Carl Maria von Weber – Overture to the opera ‘Der Freischütz’
Giacomo Rossini – Overture to the opera ‘Semiramide’
Władysław Żeleński – Characteristic Overture ‘In the Tatras’, Op. 27

Group B
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’ in C major, KV 551
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, ‘Eroica’
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy – Symphony No. 3 in A minor, ‘Scottish’, Op. 56

Stage II (May 18-19, 2022)
From the repertoire provided in Group A, the Competition participant selects two pieces and then draws one piece. From the repertoire provided in Group B, the Competition participant draws one piece (45 minutes before the performance). No more than 45 minutes are allocated for the orchestral arrangement of the selected pieces. The order of performance is optional. In cyclical and multi-movement works, if the Jury declines to designate a specific movement, the Competition participant makes this selection at their own discretion.

Group A
Anton Dvořák – Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88
Pyotr Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Johannes Brahms – Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68

Group B
Henryk Wieniawski – Fantasie brillante, Op. 20, based on themes from Ch. Gounod’s opera Faust
Witold Lutosławski – Partita for violin and orchestra

The Gala Concert of the Competition Laureates will take place on May 20, 2022, at 7:00 PM.

VI. PRIZES AND DISTINCTIONS

  1. The Competition finalists will be awarded three statutory prizes and three distinctions:

    First Prize Winner: PLN 15,000

    Second Prize Winner: PLN 10,000

    Third Prize Winner: PLN 5,000

    Three distinctions: diplomas and prizes.

  2. Cash prizes will be paid in the amount reduced by the flat-rate personal income tax, in accordance with applicable law.
  3. The Organizer is responsible for issuing each prize and paying the tax to the Tax Office.
  4. Cash prizes will be transferred to the bank account indicated by the Winner.
  5. The Jury, based on the final score, may change the allocation of statutory prizes, provided that the total amount allocated for prizes cannot be lower than the amount specified in these Rules. The Jury’s decisions are final and non-appealable.
  6. Winners of the statutory prizes will be awarded the title: Laureate of the 7th Witold Lutosławski National Competition for Young Conductors.
  7. The first prize winner will be guaranteed participation in the Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in Katowice.
  8. In addition to the statutory prizes, special prizes will be awarded – concerts for the Competition Laureates, funded by artistic institutions.
  9. The statutory prizes and honorable mentions will be presented during the Laureates’ Concert, concluding the 7th Witold Lutosławski National Competition for Young Conductors. Laureates are required to collect their prizes in person.
  10. The program for the Laureates’ Concert will be determined by the Jury in consultation with the performers.
  11. Participation in the Laureates’ Concert is the Laureate’s responsibility, and they will not receive a separate fee for this performance.
  12. Participants in the second stage who are not Laureates will receive diplomas of participation in the Competition.

VII. OTHER PROVISIONS

  1. In all matters beyond the Jury’s jurisdiction, the final decisions will be made by the Director of the Competition Organizer.
  2. In justified cases, the Organizer reserves the right to amend the Rules and interpret the provisions of these Rules, as well as to cancel the Competition at any time until the announcement of the Competition results and the selection of the Winners.
  3. In matters not regulated by these Rules, the relevant provisions of Polish law shall apply.
  4. Any disputes will be resolved by the court with territorial jurisdiction over the seat of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Białystok.
  5. Explanations provided by the Competition Organizer and any additions or changes to the Rules and Regulations are binding on all Participants upon their publication on the website: www.oifp.eu

REPERTOIRE COMMITTEE
Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk
Marek Pijarowski

VERIFICATION COMMISSION
Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk
Stanisław Kuk
Rafał Dudzik

MANAGEMENT
Violetta Bielecka
Director of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic

COMPETITION OFFICE
PODLASIE OPERA AND PHILHARMONIC
15-406 BIAŁYSTOK, Odeska Street 1
Additional information about the Competition
is available from the Competition Office
at the following telephone numbers:
506 077 232, 505 624 586
e-mail: okmd@oifp.eu
www.oifp.eu

Appendix 1

INFORMATION CLAUSE REGARDING THE PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA OF THE DATA SUBJECT

In compliance with the legal obligation regulated by the provisions of Article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR), the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art Centre in Białystok named after Stanisław Moniuszko, hereinafter referred to as OiFP:

  1. The controller of your personal data will be the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art Centre in Białystok named after Stanisław Moniuszko, 15-406 Białystok, Odeska Street 1.
  2. The Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic has appointed a Data Protection Officer, who can be contacted via email at iod@oifp.eu.
  3. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of the qualifying process and participation in the 7th Witold Lutosławski National Competition for Young Conductors, hereinafter referred to as the Competition.
  4. The basis for the processing of personal data is your consent to the processing of personal data and the legitimate interest of the Controller, which must verify the candidate’s skills and abilities to assess whether they are suitable to participate in the Competition (Article 6, paragraph 1, letters a, f, GDPR).
  5. The recipients of personal data may be entities providing technical and organizational support to the Controller, such as software and IT systems providers, IT service providers, legal service providers, and security services providers.
  6. The personal data collected will not be transferred to a third country or an international organization.
  7. Your personal data will be processed for the duration of the qualification process, the duration of the Competition, and will be stored for a period of 5 years after the conclusion and settlement of the Competition, according to the BE5 category, in accordance with the uniform material list of files applicable at the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.
  8. In connection with the processing of your personal data, you have the right to request access to your personal data, the right to rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, the right to object, the right to data portability, and the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
  9. If you become aware of unlawful processing of your personal data by the Controller, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the President of the Personal Data Protection Office.
  10. Providing personal data is voluntary, but it is a necessary condition for participating in the Competition.
  11. Your personal data will not be subject to automated decision-making by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, including profiling, in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose.

 

Download:
Rules of the Young Conductors Competition
Annex to the Rules