The Philomena Thumboochetty
National Violin Competition
Welcome to the home of the Philomena Thumboochetty National Violin Competition 2022-23. This year we are pleased to feature international judges, 2 separate categories for young Indian violinists to choose from and beautiful set of prizes for the winners. The rigorous selection process shall culminate in a live concert for the finalists which will be a special event also marking the launch of the PTMA (Philomena Thumboochetty Music Academy in Bangalore, India.
Prizes
SENIOR CATEGORY
1st Prize - INR 1,00,000
2nd Prize - INR 60,000
3rd Prize - INR 40,000
JUNIOR CATEGORY
1st Prize - INR 50,000
2nd Prize - INR 30,000
3rd Prize - INR 20,000
The judges decisions are final and binding. The winners shall be determined and announced on the final day of the competition.
Picture courtesy: Michiel Devijver and Simfony Orkest Vlaandern
Judges
Joris Decolvenaer
During his student days, he played in numerous youth orchestras, including Dutch Youth Orchestra, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and European Union Youth Orchestra. After that, he was a member of the Zerkalo Quartet for seven years, performing at home and abroad.
These experiences helped shape his vision as a conductor. He is co-founder and conductor of Bangalore City Chamber Orchestra, the first professional chamber orchestra in India. He is also conductor of the Kempens Symfonisch Orkest and the Alumni Arenbergorkest. Some other orchestras and ensembles he has conducted: Kiev Symphonic Orchestra, Musique de l'Infanterie de Lille, Orchestre Symphonique 'Eduard Lalo' and Chorale Royale Protestante de Bruxelles.
Joris obtained master's degrees in violin (Brussels) and chamber music (Hanover) and studied orchestral conducting with Ivan Meylemans (LUCA Leuven), Laurent Goossaert and Alexandre Bloch (CRR Lille). In addition to his studies, Joris Decolvenaer attended several masterclasses by musical authorities such as Jaap Van Zweden, Peter Stark, Giancarlo Guerrero, Vincent de Kort, Huba Hollókői and Jorma Panula. In 2020 he won the first prize at the 16th Danube International Masterclass and Conducting Competition in Budapest, Hungary.
Judges
BerndVan Hulle
Bernd VAN HULLE studied at the Academy of Music in Aalter (Belgium), the Lemmens Institute (Leuven, Belgium), the Hulencourt Soloists Academy and at the Musikhochschule Lübeck (Lübeck, Germany). He studied the violin with Elisa Kawaguti, Wim De Moor, Bernadette Bracke, Maria Egelhof, Guy Braunstein and Dora Schwarzberg.
Bernd Van Hulle followed composition with Luc Van Hove, Dieter Mack, Jaqueline Fontyn and Magnus Lindberg. He is a laureate of the Stinerman Competition (Poland) and got a first prize at the Academy of New Music Composition Competition (Belgium) with his piece "Die Schönheit der Einsamkeit”.
Bernd performed as a soloist and a chamber musician and used to teach in several countries in Europe (Belgium, Germany, France, Finland, Slovakia, Austria) and Japan. He was the artistic director of the Contemporary Music Festival in Leuven (Belgium, 2009) and is artistic director of the International Music Academy Poeke since 2009.
He is currently director of the Academy of Performing arts Overijse (Belgium) and studying orchestral conducting at the conservatory of Lille (France).
Bernd Van Hulle is admired for his insight in musical constructions and his pedagogical capacity.
Rules and Regulations
Juniors - Under 15 years of age
Candidates must be born on or after January 1st , 2007
Repertoire for Juniors:
The choice of pieces must be between that of grade 5 and grade 7 (Trinity or ABRSM only). Students can choose from the
published repertoire for these these levels or choose their own pieces of their own that are at the same level of difficulty as the published ones. If in doubt, please write to ptma.music@gmail.com to get your repertoire approved if it is outside the published syllabi.
First Round:
A maximum 4 minutes of performance will be permitted. Only 1 piece needs to be performed and submitted. The video and audio quality shall be clear and there must not be any engineered modifications to the audio output. Minor video enhancements (contrasts, brightness, hue etc.) will be allowed. Own compositions are not allowed. The piece must be performed without any accompaniment.
Semifinal Round:
Participants reaching the semi-final candidates will be invited for the semifinal round in Bangalore, India. The participants will be judged by a panel of three expert judges. The performance for the semifinal round must be a maximum of 6 minutes only. The
candidates can perform a minimum of one piece and a maximum of two pieces of contrasting styles.
Final Round:
Participants chosen as finalists will perform at the Gala Concert in Bangalore. The Candidates will be
can perform a maximum of 8 minutes on stage. You will be accompanied by a specialist accompanist organized by the PTMA. Candidates who like to bring their own pianists are welcome to do so and shall bare the cost of the same. The candidates can perform a maximum of three pieces of contrasting styles. The candidates will be judged by a panel of three expert judges.
Candidates who have clarifications regarding the rules or repertoire must write to ptma.music@gmail.com
Seniors - 16 to 21 years of age
Candidates must be born on or after January 1st , 2001
Repertoire Seniors:
The choice of pieces must be grade 8 and above (Trinity or ABRSM only). Students can choose from the published repertoire for these these levels or choose their own pieces of their own that are at the same level of difficulty as the published ones. If in doubt, please write to ptma.music@gmail.com to get your repertoire approved if it is outside the published syllabi.
First Round:
Maximum 8 minutes of performance, only one-piece submission required. Video should be clear and there
should be no engineered modifications to the audio & video output. Minor video enhancements (contrasts, brightness,
hue etc.) will be allowed. Own compositions are not allowed. Must be performed without accompaniment.
Semifinal Round:
Maximum 12 minutes of performance of two contrasting works. Performance must include one
movement of a Bach unaccompanied Sonata or Partita. The rest of the performance should include a piano-violin
sonata, caprice, or short virtuosic piece. Must be performed with a pianist unless it is meant to be without
accompaniment. No recorded accompaniment can be used. No Concerto will be allowed for this round.
Final Round:
A maximum 16 to 20 minutes of performance is permitted. Participants are allowed to play 3 contrasting movements of a
concerto or a combination of movements of different concertos of contrasting styles and which will showcase their best
musical abilities. Must be performed with a pianist unless it is meant to be without accompaniment. You are also
permitted to perform a combination of three short pieces including unaccompanied Bach or of any other composer. No
piano-violin Sonata allowed for this round.
Judging criteria:
Winners will be scored and decided by the expert judges based on their musicianship, technical expertise (tone, clarity,
and intonation), stage presence and those who can bring out their best performance on stage. Candidates are also
expected to have a fair knowledge of the character of the piece and knowledge of the composer.
Candidates who have clarifications regarding the rules or repertoire must write to ptma.music@gmail.com