GEORGE ENESCU
Organized under the High Patronage of the President of Romania
Producer: Romanian Government through the Ministry of Culture
Co-producer: The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Society
With the support of: The National University of Music Bucharest, The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Society
With the participation of: George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, Romanian Radio National Orchestra
Artistic Director: Cristian Măcelaru
Organizer: ARTEXIM
Download and read the full regulations:
General Regulations EN
Jury Regulations EN
Règlement général FR
Règlement du jury FR
I. APPLICATION RULES
The George Enescu International Competition for Composition, Cello, Violin and Piano is open to participants of all nationalities, born after August 1, 1989. No exception to this age limit is accepted.
Application deadline is May 10, 2024 for the cello, violin and piano sections.
For the Composition section the application deadline is June 30, 2024.
Applications for all Competition sections will be submitted online through this form.
By completing and submitting the registration form each candidate agrees with the terms and conditions of the competition rules.
The original Romanian version of the competition rules governs over all interpretations.
The Organizer reserves the right to amend any part of the Event format, agenda or programme if necessary at any time.
II. PARTICIPATION FEE
The participation fee for the Composition Section is 50 Euro/submitted work.
The participation fee for Cello, Violin and Piano Sections is 100 Euro.
The participation fee will be paid in Euro, by bank transfer.
Payment by bank transfer:
Account holder: ARTEXIM
ARTEXIM address: Calea Victoriei no.155, Bl.D1, sc.8, et.2, sector 1, 010073, Bucharest, Romania Bank: Romanian Commercial Bank (BCR) Sector 1
Bank address: Calea Victoriei no. 155, sect. 1, 010073, Bucharest, Romania
IBAN: RO59RNCB0072049685010041
SWIFT/BIC: RNCBROBU
III. PRESELECTION ROUND
For the Composition section there will be no preselection. For the Cello, Violin and Piano sections there will be organized a preselection round. The preselection will take place between May 17 and June 10, 2024 and will be carried out by an expert jury appointed by the organizer for each section of the Competition.
Candidates will upload a single video file to one of the platforms Google Drive, OneDrive or a similar platform that allows downloading of that file;
The video must comply with the following conditions:
- The video must be made specifically for the George Enescu International Competition 2024;
- Duration: between 10 and 15 minutes;
- Repertoire: one or more complete works from the competition repertoire, not exceeding the maximum duration allowed;
- A single movement of a work is not considered a complete work, unless it has been specified in the Competition repertoire as a requirement.
- Good audio-visual quality, any post-production editing is prohibited;
- No cuts are allowed between movements of the same work (e.g. between the movements of a sonata);
- Where applicable, all works must include piano accompaniment. Orchestral accompaniment is prohibited;
- At the beginning of the video recording, candidates must present themselves, speaking in English, stating their full name, nationality, George Enescu International Competition 2024, section (cello/viola/piano) and program chosen.
Example: I am John Smith, from the United Kingdom. This is my video recording for the Preselection for the 2024 George Enescu International Competition, Violin section. I will perform Enescu – Ménétrier and J. S. Bach – Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004.
The results will be announced on this website on June 14, 2024.
Competitors will receive official confirmation of their participation from the Competition Secretary.
IV. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
During the participation in the Competition, the organizer provides free accommodation for the candidates. The rooms will be available for the competitors one day before the start of each section of the competition.
International transportation costs will be borne by the candidate.
V. AWARDS
The jury decides on the prizes to be awarded in each section of the Competition.
The jury reserves the right not to award one or more prizes.
The prizes awarded in each section of the Competition are indivisible. No exceptions to this rule will be granted.
Cash prizes
The following prizes are awarded for the Composition Section:
✔ Prize for the symphonic music section – €10,000 net
✔ Prize for the chamber music section – €7000 net
✔ Special prize for originality – €5000 net
For each of the Cello, Violin and Piano sections, the prize money is:
✔ First prize – €15,000 net
✔ Second prize – €10,000 net
✔ Third prize – €5000 net
Piano Section:
✔ Radu Lupu Prize for the best interpretation of a work by George Enescu – €3000 net
✔ Constanța Erbiceanu Prize – €2000 net
✔ Prize offered by the Purcari Winery for the highest ranked competitor from the Repulic of Moldova – €2000 gross
✔ Prize for the best performance of the imposed work – €2000 net
✔ Audience Award – €1000 net
Violin Section:
✔ Stefan and Valentin Gheorghiu Prize for the best performance of a George Enescu Sonata – €3000 net
✔ Prize offered by the Purcari Winery for the highest ranked competitor from the Repulic of Moldova – €2000 gross
✔ Prize for the best performance of the imposed work – €2000 net
✔ Audience Award – €1000 net
Cello Section:
✔ Serafim Antropov Prize for the best performance of George Enescu’s Cello Sonata No. 2 in C major Op. 26 – €3000 net
✔ Prize offered by the Purcari Winery for the highest ranked competitor from the Repulic of Moldova – €2000 gross
✔ Prize for the best performance of the imposed work – €2000 net
✔ Audience Award – €1000 net
The Organizer undertakes to calculate, withhold and remit the tax due on the income obtained by the winners in the framework of the Competition, in accordance with the provisions of the Fiscal Code, any other obligations of a fiscal or any other nature in connection therewith being the sole responsibility of the winner.
Other awards
✔ Concerts
The organizer awards prizes consisting of concerts or recitals organized during the 2025 and 2026 editions of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition, as well as concerts or recitals organized during the seasons of the Romanian concert institutions in the period 2024-2026.
✔ Career guidance and mentoring
The Organiser will provide, through its own means and through partnerships with international arts management agencies, mentoring and career guidance for the winners and laureates of the Competition.
✔ Artistic reprezentation
The Organizer may offer the possibility to establish artistic representation contracts with the winners of the Enescu Competition, in order to develop and promote their artistic career at national and international level.
✔ In addition to prizes awarded by the organiser, prizes may be awarded by partners and/or sponsors. Prizes from partners and/or sponsors are prizes that can be added to the other prizes offered by the organiser.
The results of the judging will be announced immediately after the end of each round of the section.
The Competition Organiser reserves the right to televise, broadcast, photograph, film and record on audio-video all the performances during the stages of the three sections of the Competition, including the concert with the orchestra. In this case, candidates will not receive any fees or any other compensation.
Participants undertake to cede to the organizer all copyright and/or related property rights in the performance carried out independently by the participants by virtue of their experience, knowledge, specialization and special skills.
VI. JURY
The Jury’s activity is based on the Competition Rules which follows the instructions of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC).
The Jury decides the prize winners of each Competition Section complying to the Jury Rules, according to the instructions of the organizers.
Any contact between the jury members and competitors still actively involved in the competition is not recommended.
VII. REHEARSALS
At the request of the candidates of the cello and violin sections, the organizers will provide a piano accompanist. In this case, each candidate will have one free rehearsal to prepare for each stage.
Candidates can request additional rehearsals for a fee. These will be agreed with the organisers.
Candidates who will choose to play with a personal piano accompanist will specify their name and contact details in the registration form. The travel and accommodation expenses of the personal piano accompanist are the to be borne by the candidate.
GEORGE ENESCU INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
– cello section –
I. CALENDAR
Registration: November 20, 2023 – May 10, 2024
Announcement of the preselection results: June 14, 2024
First Round: September 1, 2 and 3, 2024
Second Round: September 5 and 6, 2024
Semifinal: September 8, 2024
Final: September 10, 2024
The results will be announced by the section secretariat at the end of each round, immediately after jury deliberation.
II. REPERTOIRE
The repertoire chosen by the candidate in the application form remains definitive and cannot be changed.
Candidates may not choose the same work for more than one round of the Competition; each title will be presented only once in the competition repertoire.
Candidates may present their repertoire works in any order.
All works must be performed by memory, with the exception of cello sonatas and works composed by George Enescu.
First Round (maximum duration – 30 minutes):
- One Caprice or Etude of candidate’s choice between:
- Alfredo Piatti Op. 25 (No. 2, 3, 6, 7 or 8)
- David Popper Op. 73 (No. 20, 29, 33)
- Joseph Haydn – First movement with cadenza at candidate’s choice between:
- Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major Hob. VIIb/1 (first movement with cadenza)
- Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major Hob. VIIb/2 (first movement with cadenza)
- One work by Robert Schumann at candidate’s choice between:
- Adagio and Allegro in A flat major Op. 70
- Fantasiestücke op. 73
Second Round (maximum duration – 45 minutes):
- An imposed work for solo cello (duration approximately 7 minutes)
The imposed work for the solo instrument in the second round will be a new work, specially composed for the 2024 Competition by Romanian contemporary composers. The scores will be made available for the competitors who pass the online preselection round. - A piece for solo cello at candidate’s choice between:
- Zoltán Kodály: Sonata in B minor for Solo Cello Op. 8 (first movement)
- György Ligeti: Sonata for Solo Cello
- Paul Hindemith: Sonata for Solo Cello Op. 25 No. 3
- Krzysztof Penderecki: Divertimento for solo cello
- George Crumb: Sonata for Solo Cello
- One work for cello and piano at candidate’s choice between:
- Franz Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata in a minor for cello and piano D.821
- Johannes Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor Op. 38
- Johannes Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major Op. 99
SEMIFINAL: (maximum duration – 65 minutes):
- George Enescu: Cello Sonata No. 2 in C major Op. 26
- One work at candidate’s choice between:
- Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Sonata in D minor Op. 40
- Claude Debussy: Cello Sonata in D minor L. 135
- Benjamin Britten: Cello Sonata in C major Op. 16
- A virtuosity piece at candidate’s choice between:
- David Popper: Elfentanz 39
- David Popper: Spinning Song 55
- Karl Davydov: At the Fountain 20 No. 2
- Mstislav Rostropovich: Humoresque 5
FINAL (with orchestra):
- One cello concerto at candidate’s choice between:
- Antonín Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor Op. 104
- Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor Op. 85
- Sergei Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante in E minor for Cello and Orchestra Op. 125
- Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 în E flat major Op. 107
- George Enescu: Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra Op. 8
GEORGE ENESCU INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
– violin section –
I. CALENDAR
Registration: November 20, 2023 – May 10, 2024
Announcement of the preselection results: June 14, 2024
First Round: September 7, 8 and 9, 2024
Second Round: September 11 and 12, 2024
Semifinal: September 14, 2024
Final: September 16, 2024
The results will be announced by the section secretariat at the end of each round, immediately after jury deliberation.
II. REPERTOIRE
The repertoire chosen by the candidate in the application form remains definitive and cannot be changed.
Candidates may not choose the same work for more than one round of the Competition; each title will be presented only once in the competition repertoire.
Candidates may present their repertoire works in any order.
All works must be performed by memory, with the exception of violin sonatas and works composed by George Enescu.
First Round (maximum duration – 30 minutes)
- Johann Sebastian Bach: at candidate’s choice between:
- Adagio and Fugue from Sonata in G minor for Solo Violin
- Grave and Fugue from Sonata in A minor for Solo Violin
- Ciaccona from Partita in D minor for Solo Violin
- Adagio and Fugue from Sonata in C major for Solo Violin
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: – First movement with cadenza at candidate’s choice between:
- Violin Concerto no. 3 in G major K. 216 (first movement with cadenza)
- Violin Concerto no. 4 in D major K. 218 (first movement with cadenza)
- Violin Concerto no. 5 in A major K. 219 (first movement with cadenza)
- Niccolò Paganini: One Caprice for Solo Violin
Second Round (maximum duration – 50 minutes)
- An imposed work for solo violin (duration approximately 7 minutes)
The imposed work for the solo instrument in the second round will be a new work, specially composed for the Competition by Romanian contemporary composers. The scores will be made available for the competitors who pass the online preselection round.
- One complete violin sonata, at candidate’s choice between:
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major Op. 12
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major Op. 12
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E flat major Op. 12
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor Op. 23
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major Op. 24, Spring
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A major Op. 30
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor Op. 30
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major Op. 30
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major Op. 47, Kreutzer
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major Op. 96
- Franz Schubert: Fantasy in C major for Violin and Piano D. 934
- One complete work for solo violin or with piano, at candidate’s choice. (Attention! Allocated time for the Second Round must not be exceeded)
SEMIFINAL (maximum duration – 70 minutes)
- George Enescu: Ménétrier from Impressions d’enfance Suite 28
- A complete violin sonata at candidate’s choice between:
- Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major Op. 78,
- Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major Op. 100
- Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor 108
- César Franck: Violin Sonata in A major
- Gabriel Fauré: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major Op. 13
- Gabriel Fauré: Violin Sonata No. 2 in E minor Op. 108
- Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major Op. 13
- Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor Op. 45
- Maurice Ravel: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major
- Paul Hindemith: Violin Sonata No. 1 in E flat major Op. 11
- Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 80
- Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major Op. 94a
- Claude Debussy: Violin Sonata in G minor L. 140
- Richard Strauss: Violin Sonata in E flat major Op. 18
- Leoš Janáček: Violin Sonata
- Francis Poulenc: Violin Sonata FP119
- George Enescu – a complete violin sonata at candidate’s choice between:
- Violin Sonata No. 2 in F minor Op. 6
- Violin Sonata 3 in A minor Op. 25, “dans le caractère populaire roumain”
- A virtuosity work of the candidate’s choice from one of the following composers: Pablo de Sarasate, Niccolò Paganini, Camille Saint-Saëns, Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, Maurice Ravel, Henryk Wieniawski, Alfred Schnittke, Nathan Milstein, Franz Waxman or Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
FINAL (with orchestra):
- One violin concerto at candidate’s choice between:
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major Op. 61
- Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor Op. 64
- Niccolò Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Op. 6
- Niccolò Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor Op. 7
- Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major Op. 77
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major Op. 35
- Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor Op. 47
- Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Op. 19
- Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 63
- Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor Op. 77
- Édouard Lalo: Symphonie espagnole in D minor Op. 21
- Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor Op. 26
- Max Bruch: Scottish Fantasy
- Aram Khachaturian: Violin Concerto in D minor
- Antonín Dvořák: Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 53
- Edward Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor Op. 61
- Béla Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 BB 117
- Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor Op. 61
- Aleksandr Glazunov: Violin concerto in A minor Op. 82
GEORGE ENESCU INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
– piano section –
I. CALENDAR
Registration: November 20, 2023 – May 10, 2024
Announcement of the preselection results:June 14, 2024
First Round: September 13, 14 and 15, 2024
Second Round: September 17 and 18, 2024
Semifinal: September 20, 2024
Final: September 22, 2024
The results will be announced by the section secretariat at the end of each round, immediately after jury deliberation.
II. REPERTOIRE
The repertoire chosen by the candidate in the application form remains definitive and cannot be changed.
Candidates may not choose the same work for more than one round of the Competition; each title will be presented only once in the competition repertoire.
Candidates may present their repertoire works in any order.
All works must be performed by memory, with the exception of sonatas and works composed by George Enescu.
First Round (maximum duration – 30 minutes)
- Johann Sebastian Bach – Prelude and Fugue from the Well Tempered Clavier, at candidate’s choice from Book I or II.
- One of the following options, at candidate’s choice:
- a piano sonata by Joseph Haydn
- a piano sonata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- three piano sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti
- One Etude at the candidate’s choice between:
- Frédéric Chopin
- Franz Liszt
- One Etude at the candidate’s choice between:
- Alexander Scriabin
- Claude Debussy
Second Round (maximum duration – 50 minutes)
- An imposed work for solo piano (duration approximately 7 minutes)
The imposed work for the solo instrument in the second round will be a new work, specially composed for the Competition by Romanian contemporary composers. The scores will be made available for the competitors who pass the online preselection round. - One piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven at candidate’s choice (except sonatas Op. 10/1, Op. 14/1, Op. 14/2, Op. 49/1, Op. 49/2, Op. 78, Op. 90, Op. 106)
- One complete work of a composer from the 20th century at candidate’s choice (Attention! Allocated time for the Second Round must not be exceeded)
SEMIFINAL (maximum duration – 60 minutes)
- George Enescu – one complete work at the candidate’s choice between:
- Piano Suite No. 2 in D major Op. 10, Des cloches sonores
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor Op. 24
- Piano Sonata No. 3 in D major Op. 24
- One complete work of a romantic composer at the candidate’s choice between: Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn or César Franck.
FINAL (with orchestra)
- One piano concerto at the candidate’s choice between:
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major Op. 58
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major Op. 73, The Emperor
- Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor Op. 11
- Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor Op. 21
- Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54
- Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major S. 124
- Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major S. 125
- Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16
- Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor Op. 15
- Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major Op. 83
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor Op. 23
- Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op. 18
- Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30
- Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 16
- Béla Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major Sz. 119
GEORGE ENESCU INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
– composition section –
I. CALENDAR
Registration: November 20, 2023 – June 30, 2024.
The jury will meet in Bucharest on August 29 -30, 2024 and will analyze the submitted scores.
The winners will be announced at the Opening concert of the 2024 International George Enescu Competition which will take place on August 31, 2024. The winners will be contacted by the competition secretary.
II. CONDITIONS
The scores will be uploaded in PDF format during the registration process on concurs.festivalenescu.ro/apply. Competitors must certify that the submitted scores are anonymous. Any mention in the score of the identity of the composer will lead to the disqualification of the application in question.
Entries must not have been performed in public or have won a prize in any other composition competition by 31st of August, 2024. Otherwise they will be disqualified.
Competitors may apply for:
Symphonic Music
Orchestral scores may not exceed the following orchestra size:
- 14 violins I, 12 violins II, 10 violas, 8 cellos, 6 doublebasses
- 3 flutes / piccolo/alto, 3 clarinets/bass clarinet, 3 oboes /English horn, 3 bassoons/ contrabassoon.
- 4 french horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba
- Timpani + 3 percussion groups
- Harp, piano, celesta, glockenspiel
Chamber Music
Works for a group of 2 to maximum 10 musicians, having at disposal the following:
- 1 flute / piccolo/alto | 1 oboe/English horn | 1 clarinet/bass clarinet | 1 bassoon/contrabassoon
- 1 french horn | 1 trumpet | 1 trombone | 1 Tuba
- 1 percussion | 1 piano
- String quintet: 1 violin I, 1 violin II, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 doublebass.
The duration of the work for each section must be of minimum 10 minutes and maximum 30 minutes.