Tennessee Cello Workshop Competitions
January 26-28, 2024
Overview
The TCW hosts four different cello competitions. Many TCW participants will not enter the competition. This is only a part of the weekend, and isn’t meant to distract from, or discourage any from attending any of the other events at the TCW. You must be registered for the full 3-day TCW to enter one of the TCW Cello Competitions.
The TCW Cello Competitions are meant to provide inspiration, stimulation, enjoyment, and encouragement to all who enter and all who attend the finalists’ performances, and to recognize outstanding achievement to TCW competition prizewinners. Working hard to prepare for a competition yields all kinds of rewards in itself. The opportunity to have a chance to perform and get written feedback from members of the TCW faculty can also be enormously helpful for participants. The finalists’ concert on Sunday provides performers and audience members alike wonderful opportunities for shared musical experiences. Finally, for those who receive awards, the competitions provide tangible assistance in the winners’ journeys with cello playing and music making, as well as public validation and encouragement for the excellence they have achieved in these areas.
For all divisions of the TCW competitions, the preliminary rounds Friday are without accompaniment. For the final rounds, TCW staff pianists will be provided for all finalists.
There is a required entry fee for participation in any of the four TCW Cello Competitions, in addition to the regular TCW registration. This is $30 for the Junior, High School, and Uncompetitions, and $60 for the Collegiate Competition.
Categories
The four categories for the TCW Cello Competitions are based on the contestant’s age on January 28, 2024. Previous first prize-winners (or co-first prize-winners) may not reenter in the same category in which they won a top prize in subsequent years’ TCW cello competitions. Entrants may elect to enter a competition for an older age group than they are eligible for. The literature for the competition division entered, however, will be the required literature.
- Junior Division: cellists age 14 and younger.
- Senior High School Division: cellists age 15 through 18, and not yet graduated from high school.
- Collegiate / Young Professional Division: age 17 through 25.
- UN-competition category: any age or level.
- This division is for anyone–from adult amateur to young cellist–who would like the experience of preparing for the competition, and performing for the panel of faculty jurors, without the competition element in the equation. Cellists participating in the “un-competition” will still get written comments from the evaluators, and will have the chance to put themselves “on the line” for this private performance.
Preliminary Round
- All competition entrants will play a preliminary audition on Friday, January 26, 2024. This round will be held without piano accompaniment. Preliminary rounds begin at 9 am.
- Written comments on all performances will be provided to all who perform in the preliminary round. TCW guest artists and faculty will be listening and evaluating these performances.
- Up to 3 finalists in each division will be selected to perform in the Competition Finals, which will be held as public recitals on Sunday, January 28, 2024.
- Memorization is only required as noted in the repertoire lists.
- Abusive or disrespectful treatment of staff pianists or jurors by competitors, their teachers or parents will result in dismissal from the competition. A finalist’s parent/s may attend but not participate in, or comment or coach during the rehearsal with their child’s TCW accompanist in preparation for the competition finals. No one other than a parent or guardian may attend this rehearsal.
- Any of the four divisions’ competitions may be canceled, if the number of applicants in that division is insufficient for a meaningful competition. In this situation, entrants will have the option of performing Friday in the un-competition or having their entry fees reimbursed.
- In the event that co-prize winners are selected, the prize monies for those prize winners will be altered by that split. For example, if there are co-first prize winners, those winners will split the prize money for the 1st and 2nd prizes in their division.
- The TCW will not be responsible for any tax obligations that prize winners’ entail.
Competition Prizes
The jury may elect to award only some of these prizes. Not all prizes are guaranteed to be awarded.
Prizes:
Collegiate Competition
- All finalists: recital performance on final day of the 2024 Tennessee Cello Workshop.
- All finalists: $100 Scholarship towards the 2025 Tennessee Cello Workshop.
- Junior High School division prizes
- First prize $500, Second prize $300, Third prize $200
- The first prize winner also receives a new Glasser Cello Bow
- The first prize winner also receives a new set of Aurora Cello Strings by Larson
- High School Division
- First prize $750, Second prize $500, Third prize $250
- First prize winner also receives A new set of cello strings Larson Strings of the candidate’s choice.
- First prize winner also receives a one-year loan of an excellent modern American cello. Prize donated by Brobst Violin Shop.
- Collegiate/Young Professional Division:
- First prize $3000, Second prize $1500, Third prize $750
- The First prize winner also receives a one-year loan of a cello made by Christophe Landon valued at $125,000. Should the winner decline this prize, it will be awarded to the next highest prize winner.
- Second prize winner also receives a one-year loan of an excellent modern American cello. Prize donated by Brobst Violin Shop.
- Special prizes
- A master Cello bow by master bow maker Sarah Bystrom.
- Bow maker Sarah Bystrom is graciously sponsoring the special prize: a professional cello bow made exclusively for this competition, to be awarded to a finalist from one of the three divisions, based on both demonstrated artistic excellence and need for a more excellent cello bow. This prize is meant to provide a young cellist a needed tool to aid them in their instrumental and musical growth. As a special prize, it will go to one of the prize winners in either the High School or Collegiate Competitions, but not necessarily the highest prize winner in either division.
- TCW Scholarship for study at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville
- This prize of a $1000 annual scholarship for attendance at the UTK College of Music may be awarded to an outstanding prizewinner in either the High School or Collegiate competitions for study beginning in the fall of 2024.
- A master Cello bow by master bow maker Sarah Bystrom.
- Un-competition: great personal satisfaction
- The competition prizewinners will be announced at the final awards presentation and cello orchestra concert on January 28, 2024.
2024 TCW Competition Literature
Collegiate Division
- J.S. Bach: Prelude from Suite No. 4, 5, or 6 (memorized)
- One of the following (memorized):
- Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations (Fitzhagen Version)
- Bloch Schelomo
- Shostakovich Cello Concerto No 1: movements 1 and 2
- Dvorak Concerto: movement 1
- Elgar Cello Concerto: movements 3 and 4
- Schumann concerto: complete save for cut from after downbeat of 339 to 3 before W (Schneller)
- David Baker Sonata for Solo Cello: movement 1 (Keiser Classical/Hal Leonard Publications: HL00041944)
High School Division
- One of the following (memorized):
- Saint Saens concerto in A minor: movement 3 (rehearsal letter K to end)
- Kabalevsky 1st Cello Concerto: movement 1
- Boccherini-Grützmacher B flat Concerto: movement 3
- Haydn C major cello concerto: movement 3
- Prelude from Bach Suite 2 or 3 (memorized)
- “Eubie” Blake The Chevy Chase from Mosaic Music solo cello anthology, volume 1
- Go to Mosaic Publishing or Johnson String to order.
Junior Division
- One of the following (memorized):
- David Popper Hungarian Rhapsody
- J.C. Bach Concerto in C minor: movements 1 and 3 (Salabert edition)
- Sammartini G major Sonata: movements 1 and 3 (Suzuki volume 8 edition)
- Bach Suite No. 1: Prelude (memorized)
- Florence Price Rabbit Foot from Mosaic Music vol 1, available Fall 2023
- Go to Mosaic Publishing or Johnson String to order.
Un-competition
- A program of no more than 12 minutes of music of your own choosing
Deadlines and Entry Requirements
To enter the TCW cello competitions, one must:
- Submit your online TCW registration form with your desire to participate in the competition indicated on that form.
- At the payment/checkout page, make sure to include the competition fee along with the participation fee.
- Proof of age will be required of all finalists on Friday night. Please bring appropriate documentation to confirm your age with you to the TCW.
- Deadline for competition entries is 11:59 pm, January 15, 2024.