2015 Competition: Viola

The 2015 Hugo Kauder Competitionfor Viola of June 2015

The winners are:

1st Prize Rachyl Duffy
2nd Prize Yuan Qi
3rd Prize Caeli Smith

The finalists:
Top row from left: Aurelien Pederzoli, Yuan Qi, Brenton Caldwell, Rachyl Duffy,
Bottom row from left: Sarah Hart, Minjung Chun, Ting-Ru Lai, Caeli Smith.

Judges at the Live Round were: (see also sidebar)

Misha Amory, Brentano Quartet (Quartet-in-Residence at Yale School of Music)
Marka Gustavsson, viola and chamber music faculty, Bard College and Conservatory. Violist of Bardian Ensemble, former violist of Colorado Quartet.
Nardo Poy, member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, violist for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1990, and principal violist with the American Symphony Orchestra.

Competition Overview

The Competition consists of a Recorded Round and a Live Round.

Application deadline for Recorded Round: January 30, 2015, extended until Feb. 6.
Live Round: June 5, 2015, in New Haven, CT.
Prize Winners Concert: June 6, 2015, in New Haven, CT.
First prize: $4,000; Second prize: $2,000; Third prize: 1,000.
Judges at Live Round: Misha Amory, Marka Gustavsson, and Nardo Poy.

Application Overview

fill in Entry Form
upload 3 MP3 files (20 minutes of your performance)
select Kauder works
pay $55 application fee

Recorded Round (deadline January 30, 2015)
Violists must prepare three (3) MP3 recordings of their own performance lasting approximately 20 minutes total. The selections of Standard Repertoire must include one piece each of following genres:

the prelude from any Bach cello suite or the first movement of any Bach sonata or partita for solo violin;
the first movement of a Romantic viola sonata by a composer such as Brahms, Glinka, Franck, Schubert, or Vieuxtemps, OR a transcription of a piece such as Brahms Op. 38 and Op. 78, the Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata, the Grieg Cello Sonata, etc.;
a movement or a short work for solo viola written in the 20th century such as Hindemith, Penderecki, Ligeti, Britten, etc.

The recordings will be evaluated by an auditioning committee appointed by the Hugo Kauder Society. A maximum of 10 finalists will be selected to participate in the Live Round and will be notified by early April 2015.

Hugo Kauder scores
On the Entry Form, applicants must also select at least 20 minutes of Hugo Kauder music they will perform if selected to compete at the Live Round. The selection is:

Hugo Kauder scores must be ordered at Subito Music: www.subitomusic.com.
They can be viewed here: Kauder viola scores.

Live Round (June 5, 2015, in New Haven, CT)
The Live Round will be held on Friday, June 5, 2015, at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT.
Finalists must be prepared to perform the music submitted in the Recorded Round as well as the Kauder pieces they have selected.

Finalists will receive transcripts of the notes taken by the judges during the competition.

Winners Concert (June 6, 2015, in New Haven, CT)
The first, second, and third prize winners will perform at the Winners Concert held on Saturday, June 6, 2015, in New Haven, CT, at Yale University's Whitney Humanities Center. Winners must be prepared to perform the works submitted on their MP3 recordings, plus their selection of Kauder music. The Hugo Kauder Society reserves the right to decide which works will be performed from the list submitted by the finalists.

Responses to Frequently Asked Questions

The Hugo Kauder Society will provide a piano accompanist. There will be opportunity to rehearse with the pianist before the competition. Finalists may bring their own accompanist at their own expense.
The standard repertoire that are Concertos for Viola and Orchestra as well as Solo Viola works must be played from memory; scores may be used for Sonatas for Viola and Piano as well as for all Kauder works.
The Society will provide accommodation and meals during the competition.

For questions contact info@hugokauder.org.