PREFACE

Please find below the official regulations of the ‘Mallet Duo 2027’ Competition, which will take place from 6 to 14 February 2027, and is organised by ‘International Percussion Competition Luxembourg’ (IPCL).

You are kindly requested to read these regulations carefully and, if interested, to register via our website www.ipcl.lu.

All correspondence must be conducted in one of the official languages of the Competition: French or English.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

By submitting an application, each participant fully accepts the present regulations, the French version being the authoritative text.

For all legal matters, the courts of Luxembourg shall have jurisdiction.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Conditions of admission

The Competition is open to all mallet duos, without distinction of nationality. The combined age of the two members of a duo must not exceed 64 (sixty-four) years as of 6 February 2027; consequently, neither member of the duo may have been born before 6 February 1990.

Applications from first prize winners (either as individuals or as members of a group) of previous editions of this Competition will not be accepted.

Registration details

Registration must be completed online via www.ipcl.lu. (registration form / fiche d’inscription)

Applications will only be considered final once all of the following documents have been received (attachments must be submitted in high definition):

For each member of the duo:

• a birth certificate or a copy of an identity card or passport
• a curriculum vitae detailing the artistic and musical career (studies, teachers)

For each participating duo:

• a text presenting the duo’s history and concert activity (in English or French) suitable for publicity and publication
• a recent high-definition (minimum 300 dpi) photograph, free of copyright and suitable for publicity and publication
• valid proof of payment of the registration fee
• a letter of agreement downloadable on the registration website, duly completed and signed by both members of the duo

Pre-selection - Video Recording:

• a recent video recording (made after 1 January 2026) containing the programme required for the pre-selection round (see Competition Repertoire)

• a certificate attesting the authenticity and the integrity of the recording, signed by a teacher or by the technician who made the recording, indicating the place and the date of recording for each piece.

  Technical Specifications:

  • high-quality video file, containing only the required programme for the pre-selection (no YouTube or streaming links)
  • all pieces must be recorded in one take and must not be edited (no cuts)
  • the video must be filmed from the front, using a fixed and wide camera angle; performers must remain visible at all times
  • microphones must be positioned at an appropriate distance to ensure good sound quality
  • separate recordings for each piece are permitted and may be recorded at different times and locations
  • maximum file size: 400 MB
  • accepted file formats: mp4 or mov

In case of difficulties uploading the video file via the online application portal, it may be transmitted via email or another file transfer service. In all cases, this must be indicated on the application form.

Once all required documents have been received, duos will receive confirmation of their registration by email.

For any questions or issues regarding registration, please contact: contact@ipcl.lu

Registration deadline

Opening of the registration : 1 July 2026
Deadline for submission : 1 October 2026, 12:00 pm (UTC+1)

Number of Participating Duos

The Competition Management reserves the right to limit the number of duos admitted based on the results of the preselection evaluations.

Duos admitted to the Competition will receive an official invitation no later than 15 October 2026.

REGISTRATION FEE

A non-refundable registration fee of 200€ (two hundred euros) per duo must be transferred to the Following bank account:

Account : IBAN LU36 0019 7155 8884 6000
Bank : Spuerkeess – Banque et Caisse d’Épargne de l’État à Luxembourg (BIC/SWIFT : BCEELULL)
Recipient : International Percussion Competition Luxembourg a.s.b.l.
Reference : Registration fee for [name of duo]

Cheques, cash payments or any other forms of payment will not be accepted.
All bank charges must be borne by the applicant.

Deadline for payment of the registration fee: 1 October 2026

TRAVELLING AND ACCOMODATION EXPENSES

All travel expenses are the responsibility of the participants. Candidates are required to make their own accommodation arrangements and bear all related costs.
A list of hotels is available at Luxembourg for Tourism - Visit Luxembourg

Obtaining the appropriate travel documents and insurance is the sole responsibility of each competitor. The Competition Management accepts no liability whatsoever for any illness or injury sustained by competitors, nor for any loss of or damage to a competitor’s belongings, including instruments, whether during transit or while at the Competition.

A lump sum of €120 per night per duo will be reimbursed by the Competition Management for semi-finalists (nights of 9, 10, 11, and 12 February 2027) and for finalists (nights of 13 and 14 February 2027).

MEDIA AND PUBLICITY

The Managing Board of the Competition is entitled to make free use of the information provided on the official application form for its own purposes and for publicity. Unpublished information will not be passed on to third parties. Duos have the right to access their personal data. They may request that the use of their data be refused or that their data be amended, upon simple written request submitted after the Competition has ended.

Participants waive all rights in relation to:

• any possible broadcasts of the various competition rounds
• the use of photographs and recordings (audio, video, film, and photographs) made during the Competition

Participants shall not be entitled to any fees, royalties, or transmission charges in connection with such use.

COMPETITION REGULATIONS

The names of the selected duos will be published on the Competition website no later than 15 October 2026.
Selected duos will also be personally notified and will receive an official invitation by 15 October 2026, specifying the date, time, and place at which all participants are required to register.

A draw to determine the order in which the duos will perform throughout the Competition will take place at the end of the official registration day and before each round.

Should a case of absolute necessity prevent a duo (or one member of a duo) from being present at the registration desk at the date and time specified in the official invitation, or at the draw, the absence must be justified without delay. A representative of the IPCL will then draw a number on the duo’s behalf. The duo is requested to contact the IPCL Management as soon as possible to confirm the day and time at which they must be ready to perform in the preliminary round before the Jury.

Duos are allotted five (5) minutes to set up their instruments before their performance in the preliminary and semi-final rounds, and fifteen (15) minutes in the final round.

Competitors who are not present at the appointed time will not be heard.

All rounds of the Competition are public, with the exception of the pre-selection. During the Competition period, preparation rooms are made available to the duos.

The Competition Management undertakes to adhere to the schedule established for each duo following the draw.

Likewise, once the order and timing have been communicated, each duo is obliged to arrive in due time in accordance with the schedule assigned to them.

JURY

An internal, non-disclosed regulation shall define the criteria applied by the Jury in its deliberations and evaluations. The results shall be announced after each round. The Jury’s decisions are final and irrevocable and are not subject to appeal.

Are invited in the jury:

• Paul Mootz, president (Luxembourg)
• Yu-Ying Chang (Taiwan)
• David Friedman (Etats-Unis)
• Simon Klavžar (Slovenia)
• Gene Koshinski (États-Unis)
• Katarzyna Mycka (Poland)
• Emmanuel Séjourné (France)
• N.N.

On the day following the preliminary and semi-final rounds, duos not selected to continue in the Competition will have the opportunity to meet with members of the Jury to receive feedback on their performances. These meetings will be organised by the Competition Management.

AWARDS

Official Prizes:

First prize: 15.000€
Second prize: 9.000€
Third prize: 6.000€

Special Prizes:

Public prize ‘Jean Gieres’: 1.000€
Prize determined by the audience during the final round
‘Ady Mootz’ prize: 1.000€
Prize for the best interpretation of the set piece in the final round
‘Students’ prize: 1.000€
Prize for the best interpretation of the set piece in the semi-final round determined by Luxembourgish percussion students
‘Bach’ prize: 1.000€
Prize for the best interpretation of ‘Italian Concerto’ (J.S. Bach) in the semi-final

Duos qualified for semi-finals will be awarded a diploma.

The jury reserves the right not to award all prizes.

REPERTOIRE

Duos are expected to present the original scores of the works they perform. The Competition Management cannot be held responsible for any fraud or infringement committed by a duo in this regard including the use of illegal copies).

The compulsory pieces for each round as well as the limited-choice repertoire (final round) are listed in the Appendix.

The free choice pieces may be:

• works included in the limited-choice repertoire of the final round indicated in the Appendix;
• works not included in the Competition repertoire. In this case, participants are requested to include a copy with the indicated duration in the online registration or, if necessary, to send it by email to contact@ipcl.lu no later than 15 October 2026.

The Competition Management reserves the right not to accept a work.

Free-choice pieces that require electricity (audio, media, CD, computer, amplification equipment, etc.) are not permitted.

The Competition Management reserves the right to require cuts for reasons of duration. In such cases, the duos will be informed no later than 1 January 2027. In order to comply with the duration requirements of each round, candidates may also suggest cuts for their free-choice pieces. These cuts must be clearly indicated on the
registration form.

The required duration for the different rounds may under no circumstances be exceeded. Duos who fail to respect these limits risk disqualification.

No work may appear more than once in a duo’s program over the entire course of the Competition (preliminary, semifinal and final rounds).

INSTRUMENTS

Duos are permitted to use their own instruments during the Competition.

Marimbas, vibraphones, xylophones, and Glockenspiel will also be available on site for participants’ use.

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

The Competition Management will provide a chamber orchestra for the duos to perform the set piece in the final round.

Two rehearsals with the chamber orchestra will be made available to each duo.

LOCATIONS

Music Conservatory of Luxembourg-City
33, rue Charles Martel
L-2134 Luxembourg
Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg

Philharmonie Luxembourg
1, Place de l’Europe
L-1499 Luxembourg
Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

PROVISIONAL COMPETITION SCHEDULE

Saturday, 6 February 2027:

9h00-11h00
Arrival and registration of the duos at the Music Conservatory of Luxembourg-City

12h00
Preparing the preliminary round: briefing and drawing lots of passage order in preliminary round in presence of all participants

Sunday, 7 February 2027:

Preliminary round at the Music Conservatoire (salle polyvalente)

Monday, 8 February 2027:

Preliminary round at the Music Conservatoire (salle polyvalente)

Tuesday, 9 February 2027:

Preliminary round at the Music Conservatoire (salle polyvalente),

Deliberation of the jury, announcement of results and drawing lots of passage order for the semi-final

Thursday, 11 February 2027:

Semi-finals at the Music Conservatoire (salle polyvalente)

Friday, 12 February 2027:

Semi-finals at the Music Conservatoire (salle polyvalente),

Deliberation of the jury, announcement of results and drawing lots of passage order for the final round

Sunday, 14 February 2027:

15h00
Finals at Philharmonie Luxembourg (salle de musique de chambre),

Deliberation of the jury

19h00
Awards ceremony

PRE-SELECTION

viewing in private

• 3-4 minutes extract of a work which can appear in the program of the duo
• J.S. BACH: extr. Italian Concerto BWV 971 (Allegro giusto - mes.1-90 or Presto - mes.1-76)

PRELIMINARY ROUND

Total performance duration: 18-20 minutes

A) Set piece:

• Georges SADELER
  TIPTOE for Mallet Duo
  Published by “Symphonic Dimensions Publishing”
  available by May 2026 at Stretta Music Shop

B) Piece(s) of candidates’ choice

SEMI-FINAL

Total performance duration: 25-30 minutes

A) Set Pieces:

• prize-winning work of the 3rd IPCL Composition Competition
  available by 15 October 2026 at Percussion Mailorder House Herbert Brandt
• Johann Sebastian BACH
  Italian Concerto, BWV 971: ‘Allegro giusto’ or ‘Presto’

B) Piece(s) of candidates’ choice

FINAL

Total performance duration: 35 minutes

A) Set piece:

Work for Mallet Duo and chamber orchestra commissioned to Pol BELARDI, Luxembourgish composer
available by 15 October 2026 at Percussion Mailorder House Herbert Brandt

B) Récital (Max. duration: 16-20 minutes)

The performance must include:

• One of the following pieces (limited choice):
  Cuts are imposed for reasons of duration during the final

  • Alejandro VIÑAO - Book of Grooves IV. Dance Groove Drifting
  • Emmanuel SÉJOURNÉ - Calienta Duet for marimba and vibes
  • David FRIEDMAN / Dave SAMUELS - Carousel
    Imposed cuts: D-E, I-J, L2-L3
    Improvised solos are allowed, provided that the imposed cuts are respected.
  • Keiko ABE - Conversation in the Forest for two Marimba
  • Max LETH - I can see in your eyes and Effugonetrom for Vibraphone and Marimba
  • Adi MORAG - Octabones for two marimbas
    Imposed cuts: mes. 1-5, 69-71, 110-116, 146-160
  • Anna IGNATOWICZ - Passacaglia for Marimba and Vibraphone
  • Michael TAYLOR - Rhapsody for Vibraphone and Marimba
  • Anders KOPPEL - Toccata for Vibraphone and Marimba
    Imposed cuts: mes. 54-86, 209-219, 245-273
• Piece(s) of candidates’ choice