Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg

33, rue Charles Martel
L-2134 Luxembourg-Ville
http://www.cml.lu

Christophe LEIFGEN

creative director

Béatrice WELTER

coordinator and lecturer @BTS Dessin d’animation Luxembourg

Misch BERVARD

film editor

Pia NENNIG

short film director

Felicia BREMIN

short film director

A jury presided over by Sven Hoscheit and consisting of Luxembourgish music students has been assembled to award a prize to the Percussion Trio who does an outstanding performance of Narnchygaër by François Tashdjian, compulsory work of the semi-final round.

• Sven HOSCHEIT
• Lou NICKELS
• Cyrill METZ
• Flavio PIEROTTI
• Lara SINNER
• Claire ZEIEN
• Christophe PÜTZ

Music can interpret everything, and why not a philosophical questioning of mundane phenomena to which we do not usually pay attention.

The title of the work “Comme la rosée, aussi comme l’éclair” is an excerpt from the Diamond Sutra. It means that everything that is material in this world, constantly appears and disappears according to a principle of impermanence, like all that is spiritual, thought or consciousness. The phenomena we clearly see such as a water bubble, morning dew or even a flash in the sky actually last only for the time of a blink.

While these phenomena seem real to us, we perceive them as chimerical, as if we were in a dream. If the world seems like an eternity, these incalculable and fleeting moments are an infinite number of appearances and disappearances.

To illustrate her work, the composer chose as main image the dew beading everywhere at dawn and the flash that lasts only a blink. The motif containing triplets, equivalent to two or four times, the melodic passage of the xylophone and the passage in “pianissimo” of the Glockenspiel, are all representations of dew; the passage of keyboards and drums, which creates an enormous energy, is the representation of powerful consecutive flashes. The work ends with a splendid sonority of the Glockenspiel in “fortissimo”, bringing the audience into a persistent resonance.

Prize-winning work of the IPCL Composition Competition

Axent Edition, available at Percussion Brandt

Wenchi TSAI

This piece is called “Stück”, the german synonym, that’s why it is named that way. It
ends in a different way than it starts, which changes nothing!

However, it starts as so:
The players crouch, squat or kneel close together in the middle of an open stage, like a group of animals or like forgotten, neglected scientists…
A fire? A hole? A death…? Maybe remains? Rental equipment? Remains! Yes, that could as well be the title of the piece. In that case, it would start in a different way than it ends.
In the middle of the desert lies a score between rocks…hacked out…riddled with holes…bullet holes? (Wolfgang RIHM)

Stück was premiered April 21st 1989 in Witten (Germany) by the Schlagquartett Köln.

With Narnchygäer, dedicated to the French trio SR9 François Tashdjian imagines a threeheaded demon who enlists his victims by making them dance until death.

Narnchygäer was released on CD in 2018 “Alors on danse?” (Naïve Records) performed by SR9.

John Cage's Amores (1943) is a four-movement work for prepared piano and percussion trio. The first and last movements feature the piano by itself (prepared piano, played by one person), while the inner two movements focus on toms and wood blocks (percussion trio). Merce Cunningham choreographed the piece in 1949.

This piece is one of the first to be written from Cage's rhythmic proportions technique. The second movement is composed of 10-bar units that are each divided into four sections: 3, 2, 2, and 3. This particular chamber work calls attention to Cage's dedicated expansion of musical resources by his creation of a repertory for percussion instruments as well as one for an instrument of his own invention, the prepared piano. “Music need not be understood, but rather it must be heard” (John Cage)

Amores was premiered February 7th 1943 in New York and January 29th 1959 in Milan

The animated short “Vestiges”, conceived by Felicia Bremin with the help of Pia Nennig, was created during their last year of the “BTS Dessin d'animation” as their final student project.

This animated short features a being made of moonlight, waking up to a desolate cloud covered world. With no moon in sight, she, as a mere afterimage, is slowly fading away. However, despite the unforgiving darkness, there is still hope for her survival as in the distance an unexpected light is beckoning. Perhaps it will be enough to aid her return home.

Pia NENNIG - short film director

My name is Pia Nennig, I was born in 1997. I started my education at the Fieldgen and later switched to the art department at Athénée for my last 3 years. During those years, I took extra courses in printing and took part in smaller art related exhibitions as well.

Outside of school I took music lessons and chose drums and percussion as my instruments for a few years. And in the future, I still hope to pick up the drums as a hobby again and continue to grow. Beside music i have taken up embroidery, sewing and sculpting with clay, outside during my personal time.

After graduating, I studied animation at the “BTS Dessin d'animation" with the intent of broadening my art skills. With an internship in the animation studio "studio 352", I learnt the pipeline and different departments in the animation industry.

And it's been a full year now, that I have been employed as a junior animator in Doghouse Studios, working on 2 separate movies. During my time there I've been involved with the different steps within the animation production, from layout, to rough animation, to inbetween, to clean. I hope to continue my animating journey going forward.

Felicia BREMIN - short film director

My name is Felicia Bremin, born late 1997 and already as a child, I had spent a lot of time drawing. Before studying animation at the “BTS Dessin d'animation” as part of the 2018 class, I had thus been doing digital illustration for 6 years prior as a hobbyist alongside my standard education at Athénée.

During my time at school I took any opportunity to participate in many varying art-related courses ranging from photography, to printing as well as free-from art during which I tried my hand at traditional painting.

As that foundation suggests I'm currently hoping to continue to develop a range of varying skills and learn the ins-and-outs about the different aspects of the art industry, by becoming a freelance artist. The animation course at the BTS has helped me flesh out my options even further and has given me the ability find foothold in a large variety of positions in the entertainment pipeline.

For my internship during the BTS, for example, I was able to experience first-hand what kind of work is required as a concept artist, working on an animated series at Zeilt Productions Studio.

As of right now, I'm in the second year of production as the sole artist working in a small game-developing team. I'm providing all visuals for a 2D Platformer: from graphic design, to background assets, animation and more.

I am involved every step of the way from brainstorming ideas, making visual concepts, to creating usable assets for the programmers to implement.I also still do occasional illustrations on the side, and it's a constant balancing act, drawing as a job as well as drawing as a hobby.

“Organized” is a concert piece for percussion trio and organ, commissioned by the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg 2022, challenging competing percussion trios in their ensemble playing with organ.

The work is based on a recurring « 3+1 » motif, organized in various ways from prolongations, reductions and displacements to fragmentations and is characterized by tonal ambiguity and groovy, accented patterns. Leadership roles are continuously exchanged between the organist and the three percussionists to form a balanced chamber music group.

The piece uses a vast array of percussion instruments, sometimes asking percussionists to play a combination of different instruments at the same time. Emphasis needs to be put on balancing dynamics and sound colours in this unusual combination of instruments.

Born in Luxembourg in 1979, Paul Kayser began studying organ in 1989 (class of Pierre Nimax jr.) at the Conservatory of Music at Luxembourg-City. He obtained there 3 First Prizes (solfège, improvisation, organ-building) and 3 Superior Prizes (organ, harmony, counterpoint).

He continued his studies at the “Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main” (Sacred Music and Concert Formation) in the classes of Martin Lücker and Daniel Roth (organ), Winfried Toll (choir master), Gerd Wachowski (liturgical organ) and Godehard Joppich (gregorian chant). Those studies were completed with the concert exam at the “University of Arts” in Berlin, where Paul Kayser was admitted in the organ improvisation class of Prof. Wolfgang Seifen.

Beside his studies, Paul Kayser worked also with Jean Boyer, Gillian Weir, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Olivier Latry, Pierre Pincemaille and Thierry Escaich.

Paul Kayser was laureate at the Organ Improvisation Competition of Bad Homburg (Germany) in 2001 and at the “Orgues Sans Frontières” Competition in 2007.

He regularly plays solo recitals, so for festivals in Luxemburg, Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic. His interest for chamber music made that he gave concerts with flute, percussion, saxophone, viola, singers and choirs. In 2005, he has played as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Luxemburg at the «Festival d’Orgue de Dudelange». The same year, he was on a concert tour in Japan with the «Pueri Cantores du Conservatoire de Luxembourg»

Having grown up with the famous Stahlhuth organ in Dudelange and after having served several years as organist of the famous St.Willibrordus Basilica in Echternach, Paul Kayser is today appointed organist of the St-Alphonsus church in Luxembourg City. He teaches musical education at the «Lycée Classique de Diekirch».

Saturday, 16 July 2022:

9h00-11h00 Arrival and registration of the trios at the Music Conservatory of Luxembourg-City
at 12h00 Preparing the preliminary round: briefing and drawing lots of passage order in preliminary round in presence of all participants

Sunday, 17 July 2022:

15h00 & 20h00
Preliminary round (free entrance)

Monday, 18 July 2022:

15h00 & 20h00
Preliminary round (free entrance)

Tuesday, 19 July 2022:

15h00 & 20h00
Preliminary round (free entrance)
Deliberation of the jury, announcement of results and drawing lots of passage order for the semi-final

Thursday, 21 July 2022:

20h00
Semi-final (free entrance)

Friday, 22 July 2022:

10h00 & 15h00
Semi-final (free entrance)
Deliberation of the jury, announcement of results and drawing lots of passage order for the final round

Sunday, 24 July 2022:

at 15h00 Final (tickets)
Deliberation of the jury
at 20h00 Awards ceremony

PREFACE

Please find below the official regulations of the “Percussion Trio 2022” Competition, taking place from 12 February until 20 February 16th until 24th July 2022, and organised by the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg.

You are kindly requested to read them carefully and if interested, to register directly on our website: www.ipcl.lu

Please keep your correspondences in the official languages of the Competition: French or English.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

By applying, every participant entirely accepts the following regulations, the French text being the reference text. For all legal affairs, a Luxembourgish court will have jurisdiction.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Conditions of admission

The Competition is open to all percussion trios, without distinction of nationality, the total age of their members being limited to 93 (ninety-three) years (included) by 12 February 2022; members of the trio must not be born before 12 February 1985.

The application of first prize winners, as an individual or as a group, from previous editions of this Competition will not be accepted.

Details for registration

Registration has to be done online (www.ipcl.lu).

It will only be considered as final until the following documents have been received (please send attachments in high definition but be aware that the totality of files must not exceed 1,1 GB per trio):

for each member of the trio:

• birth certificate or copy of the identity card/passport
• curriculum vitae, mentioning the artistic/musical career (studies, teachers)
• a recent high-definition photograph (minimum 300 dpi), which is free of copyright and suitable for publicity purposes and publication.

for the trio:

• a valid proof of payment of the registration fee
• a letter of agreement downloadable on the registration site, duly completed and signed by the 3 members of the trio.

for the trio (this material will be used for publicity purposes and publications):

• curriculum vitae (in English or French)
• a recent high-definition photograph (minimum 300 dpi), which is free of copyright.

for the pre-selection:

• a recent (registered after 1st January 2020) video recording with the programme of the pre-selection round (cf. appendix repertoire)
• a certificate attesting the authenticity and the integrity of the recording, signed by a teacher or by the technician who made the video recording and indicating the place and the date of the recording of each piece.

Technical specifications of the video:

• high-quality video file, containing the required programme for the pre-selection audition only
• pieces must be recorded in their entirety and must be unedited (no cuts)
• the video must be filmed from the front, using a fixed and wide camera angle; interprets must always remain visible
• microphones should be positioned at a distance that allows to obtain a good sound quality
• it is allowed to provide separate recordings for each piece, recorded in various place and time
• file size: max. 500 MB
• file format: mp4 or mov.

In case of difficulty sending the video file via our online application portal, it is also possible to copy it onto a DVD / USB stick and send it by post. The file can also be transmitted by email or transfer service. In all cases, please specify it in the application form.

As soon as all the listed documents are received, the trios will receive a confirmation of their registration by email.

For all questions or issues regarding registration, please contact us at the following address: contact@ipcl.lu

Application deadline

Opening of the registration: 1st April, 2021
Deadline for submission: 1st October 2021, 12:00 pm (Central Europe Time)

Number of participating trios

In case the number of registered trios should exceed the maximum capacity of the physical infrastructure of the IPCL, the managing board of IPCL may limit the number of participating trios, referring to the evaluation results of the pre-selection round.

Trios admitted to the Competition will receive an official invitation before 15 October 2021.

REGISTRATION FEE

The non-refundable registration fee of 300€ (three hundred Euro) per trio must be transferred to the following bank account:

Account : IBAN LU33 0021 1506 5450 3900
Bank : Dexia-Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIC/SWIFT : BILLLULL)
Recipient : International Percussion Competition Luxembourg a.s.b.l.
Reference : Registration fee for [name of trio]

Cheques, cash transfers or any other money transfers will not be accepted. Bank fees must be paid by the paying person.

The deadline for paying the registration fee is 1st October 2021. Under no circumstances will the registration fee be refunded to accepted trios.

TRAVELLING AND ACCOMODATION EXPENSES

Travelling expenses are at the participants’ expense. Candidates should make arrangements for accomodation and cover the costs themselves. A list of hotels can be checked on https://www.visitluxembourg.com

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

A lump sum of 150€ per night and trio will be reimbursed by the management of the Competition for semifinalists (nights from 15, 16, 17, 18 February 19, 20, 21, 22 July 2022) and for finalists (nights from 19 and 20 February 23 and 24 July 2022).

MEDIA AND PUBLICITY

The managing board of the Competition is entitled to make free use of the information given on the official application form for their own purpose and publicity. Unpublished information is not passed on to third parties. The trios have the right to inspect their data. They can refuse the right to use or have their data adapted, on simple written request once the Competition has ended.

Participants must waive all rights for:

• possible broadcasts of the different competitions
• the usage of photos and recordings (sound, videotape, film, photographs) taken during the Competition.

The participants will not touch any fees or transmission charges.

COMPETITION REGULATIONS

The purpose of video pre-selections is to reduce eventually the number of trios for the public rounds of the Competition.

This pre-selection phase takes place in private in the presence of a preliminary jury, whose five members include at least two members of the official Jury of the IPCL "Percussion Trio 2022" Competition. It is held in a studio guaranteeing the best possible technical conditions.

The names of the selected trios will be published on our website before 15 October 2021. They will be personally notified and will receive an official invitation by 15 October 2021, which specifies the date, time and place at which all participants are required to register.

A ballot to arrange the order in which the trios will perform throughout the Competition will be made at the end of this official registration day and before every round.

If a case of absolute necessity should prevent a trio (or a member of a trio) from being present at the registration desk at the date and hour fixed in the official invitation and at the drawing lots, they must justify their absence without delay. A representative of the IPCL will draw a number in their stead. The trio is then kindly requested to contact the IPCL Management as soon as possible regarding the day and time when they must be ready for the preliminary round performance before the Jury.

The trios have 15 minutes before their performance to set up their instruments in the preliminary round and 20 minutes in the semi-final and final rounds.

Competitors who are not present on time will not be heard.

All performances, except the pre-selection round, are public.

The Competition Management will undertake to follow the schedule established for each trio after the draw. Likewise, each trio, once the order and timing are known, is under obligation to arrive in due time, according to the schedule they have been given.

JURY

A non-disclosed internal regulation will fix the different criteria of the jury’s appreciation handling. The results are announced after each round. The decisions of the jury are final, irrevocable and there is no right for appeal.

Are invited in the jury:

• Paul Mootz, president (Luxembourg)
• Alexandre Esperet (France)
• Fumito Nunoya (Japan)
• Allen Otte (USA)
• Bart Quartier (Belgium)
• Christoph Sietzen (Luxembourg/Austria)
• Yi-Ping Yang (Taiwan)

The day after the preliminary and semi-final rounds, the trios not selected for the rest of the Competition will have the opportunity to meet the members of the Jury to receive comments on their performances. These meetings will be organized by the Competition Management.

AWARDS

Official Prizes:

• First prize: 21.000€
• Second prize: 12.000€
• 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 determined by Luxembourgish percussion students
• ‘Short film’ prize: 1.000€
  Prize for the best musical accompaniment to the short film in the semi-final

Trios qualified for semi-finals will be given a diploma.

The jury will reserve the right not to allocate all the prizes.

REPERTOIRE

Trios are expected to use the original musical scores of the works they perform. The IPCL Competition cannot be deemed responsible for any fraud that might be committed by a trio in this field (such as the public use of illegal copies).

The compulsory pieces for the various rounds are indicated in the appendix.

As for free choice pieces, participants are requested to send a copy including duration time via our online application portal or if necessary to send it by email (contact@ipcl.lu) by 15 October 2021 at the latest. The managing board may refuse free choice pieces.

Candidates’ choice pieces making use of electricity (audio, media, CD, PC, amplifying equipment, etc.) in their achievement will not be accepted.

The managing board may impose cuts for timing reasons, in which case the trios will be informed by 1st January 2022 at the latest. In order to respect the duration of each round, the trios can also suggest cuts for the free choice pieces. These cuts must be clearly communicated on the inscription form.

The requested timings for each round can not be exceeded. Trios who don’t respect these limits may be disqualified.

During the Competition period (preliminary round, semifinal, final) no musical piece can be performed more than once by the same trio.

INSTRUMENTS

The trios are allowed to use their own instruments during the Competition, except for the performance of the winning work of the 2nd IPCL Composition Competition (set piece) of the preliminary round. The instruments for this piece except every sort of cymbals, gongs and accessories, will be determined and made available by the managing board. A list with the models and types of instruments for the set piece of the preliminary round will be communicated to the trios, together with the official invitation.

The following instruments are at the participants’ disposal on the spot (except for the performance of the set piece of the preliminary round): marimbas, vibraphones, xylophones, glockenspiel, bells, timpani, bass drums, snare drums, drum sets, tom-toms, bongos, tamtams, cymbal stands and gong stands. Every other instrument, like cymbals, gongs or accessories has to be provided by the trios.

Regarding the free choice pieces, participants cannot require instruments other than those listed above.

ORGANIST

The management of the Competition places an organist at the disposal of the trios for the set piece in the final round. Two rehearsals with organ will be provided on stage.

Trios may be accompanied at their costs by an organist of their own choice.

PRE-SELECTION

viewing in private

• 3-4 minutes extract of a work without keyboard percussion which can appear in the programme of the trio
• J.S. BACH: three-voice fugue (cf. repertoire final round)

PRELIMINARY ROUND

Total performance duration: 20 minutes

A) Set pieces:

• prize-winning work of the 2nd IPCL Composition Contest
  available by January 2021 at Percussion BRANDT
• Wolfgang RIHM
  Stück
  Universal Edition

B) Piece of candidates’ choice

SEMI-FINAL

Total performance duration: 30 minutes

A) Set Pieces:

• François TASHDJIAN
  Narnchygäer
  http://www.tashdjian.com
• John CAGE
  Amores - mvts II + III
  Edition Peters

B) Musical accompaniment to a short film provided by IPCL (duration: 3min)

The musical material can be either existing pieces, improvised or composed material.
Access to the short film will be activated on 1st October, 2021 for the trios registered.

C) Piece(s) of candidates’ choice

FINAL

Total performance duration: 35 minutes

A) Set piece:

Work commissioned to Georges SADELER, Luxembourgish Composer
available by 15 October 2021 at Percussion BRANDT

B) Récital (Max. duration: 20 minutes)

The performance must include:

• One of the following fugues transcribed for Marimba Trio
  Johann Sebastian BACH
  Well-tempered Clavier I
  – Fuga a 3 voci no. 3 en do# mineur (BWV 848)
  – Fuga a 3 voci no. 15 en sol majeur (BWV 860)
  – Fuga a 3 voci no. 19 en la majeur (BWV 864)
  Well-tempered Clavier II
  – Fuga a 3 voci no. 4 en do# mineur (BWV 873)
  – Fuga a 3 voci no. 11 en fa majeur (BWV 880)
  – Fuga a 3 voci no. 12 en fa mineur (BWV 881)
  – Fuga a 3 voci no. 24 en si mineur (BWV 893
• Between 1 and 3 original pieces of candidates’ choice