AAF-2022

Confused ?

All details in this catalogue were compiled with great care. Yet, it may happen that at some points confusion may arise. This is best explained with a few typical examples. Competition dates (1) It can happen that the organisers decide to extend the application deadline or even change the actual dates of the competition. Under extreme circumstances, the organisers may even cancel the entire competition. Unfortunately, this is now happening quite a lot due to the Covid-19 crisis. (2) The exact dates of some competitions are set very late. While some competitions are scheduled more than a year ahead (as can be seen from the calendars), others first have to await confirmation of sponsorship or the availability of the hall, orchestra and/or conductor. In such a case, the organisers might decide to announce just the month or only the year in which the competition is expected to take place. And now, there is also the uncertainty because of the continuing restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic. (3) The competition is part of a festival, of which the entire period is announced, but from this announcement it is not clear that participants in the competition may arrive later. Other competitions stretch out over a long period, while the actual performances of participants in the highest age category for piano only take a few days. Age limits (1) A 30-year old pianist is interested in a competition which is open to musicians "aged between 15 and 30" . Even when the participation conditions seem to be clear by stating "under the age of 30 at the start of the competition" , should we then write "up to 29" or "up to 30" ...? Whether this pianist may participate or not, can only be answered with certainty if the rules clearly state specific dates between which contestants must have been born. Not all competitions are so precise. (It has actually happened that the organisers had to double-check and solve an unclear situation even after the competition had started ...) (2) When two successive age categories are announced as "up to 15" and "up to 18", the organiser may allow a 13-year old pianist to take part in the second category, while another organiser had implied "16-18" as the age limits for the second category. (3) When a competition has been postponed, the age limits might have been stretched. Same person, different name ... same name, different person … A totally different kind of confusion may occur when a pianist changes his name ... It has happened that a pianist appears as a prize winner of various competitions under different names. Keen competition followers who see photos of the prize winners, will then recognise this pianist as being one and the same person. And it also happens that there are two or three different pianists with the same name, even taking part in the same competition! This is, of course, quite a coincidence, which can cause confusion.

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2022