The International piano competition of Orléans for youth “Brin d’herbe” encourages young pianists to explore contemporary and modern music from an early age. The Competition “Brin d’herbe” is organised every two years, alternating with the International piano competition of Orléans. Created in 2004, the contest, unique event in the field of music creation, welcomes young candidates and gathers a jury formed of personalities from all around the world, fully qualified in teaching the contemporary repertoire.
Promoting and disseminating the contemporary repertoire to these young people and to the audience is an objective that adds to the idea of building a new pedagogy around this repertoire. The work commissioned to a composer, every two year, demonstrates our strong desire to build a pedagogical repertoire for the contemporary piano, while following the pioneer idea of the “Games” Játékok, developed by the major Hungarian composer György Kurtág.
The 10th edition of the International piano competition of Orléans for youth “Brin d’herbe” will take place at the “Salle de l’Institut”, in April 2023.
Orleans Concours International also organizes the ‘International piano competition of Orléans ’ (for adult pianists). The 16th edition will take place in 2024.
Orléans Concours International
It is made up of one round open to the public.
As each edition, a mandatory piano piece is commissioned to a worldwide renowned composer in order to enrich the contemporary repertoire.
Every two years
TBA April 2025
TBA February 2025
competition
The preselection of the candidates for the Competition will be done by sending:
Please contact the competition if you require further technical information. Upon receipt of the applications, the complete files will be submitted to the Jury of preselection who will view the videos and preselect a maximum of 24 candidates, spread over the 3 levels of the Competition.
1. The competition presents two levels and is open to the pianists born from January 1st, 2005.
2. Programmes must cover the piano repertoire from 1900 to today.
3. Each candidate presents his or her programme during one single round. The candidates of the 3 levels will be spread over the 3 days of the competition.
4. Special Prizes are optional. The piece commissioned to Gérard Pesson is com- pulsory.
5. Prizes as well as Special Prizes will be awarded by the jury.
6. The jury’s decisions will be based on the excellence of the interpretation, as well as on the choice and originality of the programme. All jury decisions are final and will not be discussed.
7. Playing by heart is not compulsory.
8. After a preselection on file and video, each applicant will receive an answer by email and in case of acceptance, will receive a convocation letter
More information here
Pieces for prepared piano and with electroacoustic devices are allowed. All styles are welcomed, and it is possible to present extracts of the pieces. The score of the mandatory piece by Gérard Pesson will be viewable online by the end of 2022 (date to be confirmed), and then available for purchase from Editions Maison Ona (www.maison-ona.com).
We recommend the candidates to review:
– “10 ans avec le piano” published by Cité de la musique, which provides pieces of the 20th century, organized by levels of difficulty
– “Bonjour, Piano! – Pieces by French Composers in Progressive Order” (Editions Durand).
– “Musica ficta” by Gérard Pesson, Vol. 1 to Vol. 3 (Editions Lemoine).
Each publisher has its own catalog available upon request or online. Examples of programmes from previous competitions can be found on the competition’s website.
BEGINNER LEVEL : between 8 and 12 minutes
• The mandatory piece of Gérard Pesson (beginner level) (2’30 / 3’00)
• A piece by György Kurtág chosen among the volumes 1, 2, 3 of Játékok
• The rest of the program is up to the candidate who can choose one or several pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries’ repertoire.
• One or several Special Prizes – which are optional – can be included in the programme (Improvisation, Jolivet, Denisov – see p.13)
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL : between 16 and 20 minutes
• The mandatory piece of Gérard Pesson (intermediate level) (4’30 / 5’00)
• A piece by György Kurtág chosen among the volumes 3 and 5 of Játékok
• The rest of the programme is up to the candidate who can choose one or several pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries’ repertoire
• One or several Special Prizes – which are optional – can be included in the programme (Improvisation, Jolivet, Denisov – see p.13)
ADVANCED LEVEL : between 22 and 25 minutes
• The mandatory piece of Gérard Pesson (advanced level) (6’30 /7’00)
• The rest of the programme is up to the candidate, who can choose one or several pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries’ repertoire, but must include at least one piece written after 1970
• One or several Special Prizes – which are optional – can be included in the programme (Improvisation, Jolivet, Denisov – see p.13)
Every candidates will receive a diploma of participation. The jury will award several Prizes for each level (ex-aequo prizes are possible).
Beginner Level:
First Prize: 300 euros
Second Prize: 200 euros
Third Prize: 100 euros
Intermediate level:
First Prize: 450 euros
Second Prize: 300 euros
Third Prize: 150 euros
Advanced level:
First Prize: 600 euros
Second Prize: 350 euros
Third Prize: 200 euros
One prize per level will be awarded to the best performance of the compulsory piece, commissioned by Orléans Concours International from the French composer Gérard Pesson, amounting to a total of 400 euros. This prize is offered by ‘APEC’, the Orléans Conservatory Parents’ Association.
Beginner level: 100 euros
Intermediate level: 130 euros
Advanced level: 170 euros
The competition presents also optional Special Prizes that candidates could include in their program. They are:
IMPROVISATION PRIZE: prize offered by the Rotary Club d’Orléans, amounting to a total of 300 euros and shared between the 3 levels. The improvisation may be based on a short musical theme, or may be in the style of another composer. The use of a chord sequence or modal scale is also welcomed. The material used can either be classical or refer to jazz or take inspiration from Játékok’s vocabulary (chords, clusters, glissandos, contrasts, sonorities, architecture).
ANDRÉ JOLIVET PRIZE: prize offered by Ms Christine Jolivet-Erlih, amounting to a total of 300 euros and shared between the 3 levels. A tribute Prize to the French composer is offered to the candidates who will present in their programme the following pieces:
• Beginner level: either Berceuse dans un hamac OR one of the piece of Chansons naïves
• Intermediate level: two of the pieces from Chansons naïves OR Danse roumaine (Ed. Henry Lemoine)
• Advanced level: two pieces at the choice of the Cinq danses rituelles www.jolivet.asso.fr
EDISON DENISOV PRIZE: prize offered by Ms Ekaterina Denisova, amounting to a total of 300 euros and shared between the three levels. A tribute Prize to the Russian composer is offered to the candidates who will present in their programme the following pieces:
• Beginner level: two pieces of your choice from the Sept Bagatelles (Ed. Peters)
• Intermediate level: Premier Prélude and Pour Daniel OR Premier and Deuxième Préludes (Ed. Alphonse Leduc).
• Advanced level: Troisième Prélude (Ed. Alphonse Leduc)
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