Deborah Kahan Competition
CONNECTICUT STATE MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
FAIRFIELD CHAPTER
40th Deborah Kahan Competition
Application deadline: January 12th, 2025
Auditions: Sunday, January 26th at Suzuki Music School of Westport
Winners Circle Concert: Saturday, February 1st, 5:00 pm at Steinway Greenwich
In observance of our 40th Anniversary celebration, we have some special rules this year. Please read carefully!
Eligibility
Piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar; soloists, duos, or any combination of piano and strings. Students must be between the ages of 6 and 18.
Repertoire
Age 12 and over: Students may play any number of pieces they wish, as long as performances finish within the time limit.
Age 11 and under: Two standard repertoire pieces, contrasting in period and style
Arrangements, transcriptions, abridgments, simplified versions, hymns, and popular folk songs are not permitted.
New! Concerto repertoire is accepted for piano students. (Students must bring their own accompanists.)
New! Original compositions by applicants are accepted.
Length, Time Limit
Age 6-7 6 minutes
8-9 7 minutes
10-11 8 minutes
12-13 9 minutes
14-15 10 minutes
16-18 11 minutes
Please observe the time limit.
If an entrant’s repertoire exceeds the time limit, the performance will be stopped.
Prizes
Winners Circle Concert performance at Steinway Greenwich
Certificate
Trophy
Cash awards: Judges' Special Award— $30, one each for piano and strings; Deborah Kahan Memorial Award— $50, Dorothy Grimm Award— $50
Application Procedures
Applications are accepted from teachers only. Parents may not send applications. Applications should include the following:
1. Completed application forms (teacher's name, address, phone, email address, student’s name, age, birth date, piece titles, composer’s name with first initial, duration of each piece)
2. Proof of birth (a copy of passport or birth certificate)
3. Non-refundable fees (one check, written by the teacher, paid to CSMTA Fairfield Chapter)
4. Photograph release form signed by parent (this form is included in the pdf at the bottom of these guidelines)
Mailing Address
Kumiko Imamura, 10 Willard Road Unit 150, Norwalk, CT 06861
Application Fee
CSMTA Fairfield Chapter members: solo performances, $50 per student. Duet performances, $75. Trio, $100.
For members of any other chapters of CSMTA or MTNA, fees are the same as for Fairfield Chapter members.
Non-members: solo performances, $60 per student, plus an additional teacher entrance fee of $60. (Duet: $90; trio $120.)
All checks must be made payable to CSMTA Fairfield chapter. Fees are non-refundable.
Audition Procedure
1. Teachers will be informed a week before the competition of the exact audition time for each student.
2. The format is that of a private audition. For everyone’s safety, we request that only one parent be present, and that they wait at the building’s entrance hall.
3. The audition will be supervised by an assigned supervising member; teachers will not be allowed to be present. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
4. Students must provide for the judges either one hard copy of an original score, or a computer-generated one from a reputable source.
4. Winners are determined by the judges and are invited to perform one selection chosen by the judges at the Winners Circle Concert, to be held February 1st at 5pm at Steinway Greenwich.
5. Judges’ decision is final.
Exceptional Efforts
For those who have medical conditions, such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism etc., you are welcome to indicate this on the application form. We keep this information confidential, but would like to inform judges so that they can take it into consideration. This is being adopted to promote fairness for each student, as well as for the acknowledgment of parents making tremendous efforts to help the students continue music studies.
For any further questions, please write to deborahkahancompetition@gmail.com.