GOALS

Pursuing a musical career is a strenuous process and there are no shortcuts. Musicians practice with endless effort to master each passing note with precision and musicality. It is through this effort they make the world a more beautiful and better place to live.

However, many musicians find it quite difficult to find opportunities to showcase their talent, accomplishments and passion. Limitations such as geographical location, educational accessibility, and financial constraints can severely discourage the development of musical skill.

The 6th annual Silverstein Clarinet Contest has returned to show our appreciation while providing clarinetists a global stage to present their music without such limitations. In doing so, we hope this contest can help increase wide-spread interest in clarinet music. With this event, we want to recognize any and all clarinetists, indiscriminately, whosoever possess the potential to shape the future of the clarinet. 

This event is hosted by many world-renowned artists from around the globe who are leaders in today’s clarinet society. These artists have generously volunteered their time and expertise to come together as judges for this contest. Without their support and effort, this event would not be possible. You can find a full list of the jurors at this PAGE

RULES &
GUIDELINES

THE 1ST ROUND

  1. Only one entry per contestant with Eb, Bb or Bass clarinet.
  2. All contestants must register via this Official Application Form.
  3. Only solo works of your choice, works accompanied by piano or entries with electronics/loopers/digital accompaniment will be accepted.
  4. The 1st round repertoire cannot be used for the 2nd round.
  5. Winners of Previous Silverstein Global Clarinet Contests are not eligible except for Recipients of Honorable Mention and Shining Talent Award.
  6. Entries must be received no later than 11:59 pm on March 31st, 2024, EST.
  7. These rules may be changed without prior notice or consent.

VIDEO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

  1. Videos must be submitted using the Official Application Form.
  2. Video resolution must be 1024 x 768 or higher, and must be in landscape modeFile name must be: first name+last name+birthday. (example: johndoe12312001.xxx).
  3. Maximum upload file size is 1GB.
  4. Video must begin with a verbal introductory statement by the contestant with name, age, date of recording, occupation, and title of the musical selection. 
  5. Performer should be centered in the video frame with the entire face, hands, and instrument visible at all times. The video must clearly show the torso of the contestant, the clarinet, and finger movement. 
  6. Video must be recorded in one continuous shot with no breaks, cuts, or edits of any type. Edited videos will be immediately disqualified without notice to the contestant. If editing is discovered after the awarding process completes, the award will be forfeited.
  7. Entire length of the video must be under 20 minutes in total, including the introductory statement.
  8. To maintain a high standard of the contest, the application page may be closed if an excessive number of applications is received. For this reason, we encourage everyone to start the application as soon as possible even before preparing a video file which can be added to the application later on.
  9. An example of an acceptable video can be found HERE.
  10. Silverstein Works reserves the right to remove or disqualify any video submission for any reason at our sole discretion.
  11. Video submissions must be new, previously unreleased or publicly distributed recordings.
  12. Contestants may not use video submitted to the Silverstein Clarinet Contest for any other personal or professional purpose, until the final results of this event are officially announced. 
  13. For communication purposes, We encourage all contestants to follow the Silverstein Works Facebook page, the Clarinet Contest Facebook page, the Silverstein Works Instagram account and Youtube Channel.

THE 2ND ROUND

  1. 2nd round finalists will be announced on or about April 26th, 2024.
  2. Second round contestants must record and submit a 2nd video (following the same recording guidelines as the first round) by 11:59 PM (EST) on May 27th, 2024.

REPERTOIRE for Bb Clarinet

Repertoire for the second round must be chosen from the following selections:

JUNIOR DIVISION 2ND ROUND REPERTOIRE (Choose One):

  1. Gerald Finzi: Five Bagatelles, Op.23
  2. Heinrich Sutermeister: Capriccio 

SENIOR DIVISION 2ND ROUND REPERTOIRE (Choose One):

  1. Franco Donatoni: Clair 1
  2. Eugene Bozza: Bucolique

REPERTOIRE for Bass Clarinet

Repertoire for the second round must be chosen from the following selections:

JUNIOR DIVISION 2ND ROUND REPERTOIRE (Choose One):

  1. Eugene Bozza: Ballade
  2. Adolf Busch: Suite Op 37a. II Adagio

SENIOR DIVISION 2ND ROUND REPERTOIRE (Choose One):

  1. Sebastian Tozzola: Paisaje Folklorico No.1
  2. Yvonne Desportes: Andante et allegro

REPERTOIRE for Eb Clarinet

JUNIOR DIVISION 2ND ROUND REPERTOIRE (Choose One):

Alfred Prinz: Sonata No.2
J.Melchior Molter: Concerto No.1

SENIOR DIVISION 2ND ROUND REPERTOIRE (Choose One):

Theresa Martin: Calcipher
Eduardo Morales Caso: Tentative wings

ELIGIBILITY

SENIOR DIVISION

  • The senior division contest is open to all clarinetists of any variety or nationality.
  • Contestant must be 19 years of age or older as of March 1st, 2024. Contestants must provide proof of age, if and when requested by Silverstein Works.
  • A Grand Prize winner must have valid documents to travel to the US if the winner chooses the travel option to ICA ClarinetFest 2025

JUNIOR DIVISION

  • The junior division competition is open to all clarinetists of any variety or nationality.
  • The junior division contest is open to those under 19 years of age as of March 1st, 2024.

PRIZES

SENIOR DIVISION

GRAND PRIZE

  1. Round trip airfare to visit ICA ClarinetFest 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, July 9-13. Or $1000 cash, if the winner opts out of travel to ICA.
  2. An opportunity to perform on the Silverstein Concert stage at ICA ClarinetFest 2025.
  3. New Professional model Bb “Allegro” Clarinet sponsored by RZ Woodwind Manufacturing** 
  4. $500 in Silverstein merchandise** (including one-time shipping*)
  5. One Year Free Membership of ICA

SECOND PLACE

  1. $1,000 in Silverstein merchandise** (including one-time shipping*)
  2. One Year Free Membership of ICA

THIRD PLACE

  1. $750 in Silverstein merchandise** (including one-time shipping*)
  2. One Year Free Membership of ICA

HONORABLE MENTION

  1. $500 in Silverstein merchandise** (including one-time shipping*)
  2. One Year Free Membership of ICA

SHINING TALENT AWARD (At our discretion, a specific number of contestants)

Selected number of contestants including 1st and 2nd round may be chosen. Those selected as winners will be awarded various prizes. including  Silverstein Ligatures,  Ambipoly reeds and various products from our sponsors** (including one-time shipping*)

JUNIOR DIVISION

GRAND PRIZE

  1. $1,000 Scholarship
  2. New Bb “Genesis” Clariner sponsored by Royal Global Clarinet**
  3. $500 in Silverstein merchandise* (including one-time shipping1)
  4. One Year Free Membership of ICA

SECOND PLACE:

  1. $1,000 in Silverstein merchandise** (including one-time shipping*)
  2. One Year Free Membership of ICA

THIRD PLACE:

  1. $750 in Silverstein merchandise** (including one-time shipping1)
  2. One Year Free Membership of ICA

HONORABLE MENTION:

  1. $500 in Silverstein merchandise** (including one-time shipping*)
  2. One Year Free Membership of ICA

SHINING TALENT AWARD (At our discretion, a specific number of contestants)

Selected number of contestants including 1st and 2nd round may be chosen. Those selected as winners will be awarded various prizes.

. including  Silverstein Ligatures,  Ambipoly reeds and various products from our sponsors** (including one-time shipping*)

  1. Winners will be announced on or around 5th of July 2024.
  2. Winners of the event will be invited to join the Silverstein Works “Next Generation” Program and will receive all benefits of becoming a member of the Silverstein Works Family.
  3. Silverstein Works reserves the right not to choose a grand prize winner for any reason at our discretion. 
  4. Silverstein Works reserves the right to post videos of winners on any social media network or website. 

*Shipping and handling included 
*All Silverstein Works merchandise will be shipped together and at one time.
**Winners shall be responsible for any Government tax or import duties if applicable.

HOSTING MEMBERS AND JURORS

All of these artists are voluntarily helping make this event happen.
Without their support and effort, the event would not be possible.

And More Silverstein Pro Team Artists

Official Sponsors

RESOURCES