1) The “Associazione Premio Francesco Geminiani” is organising the fifth edition of the “PREMIO FRANCESCO GEMINIANI”, competition for violin, viola and cello students who have just graduated from – or are still enrolled in – state schools of music, music academies, and private state-authorised schools of music. The prize is the free loan of a valuable musical instrument.

2) The competition will be held in Verona on 19 and 20 May 2012. It will be hosted in the concert hall of the “Casa Boggian”, part of the “Conservatorio di Verona (address: Stradone San Fermo, 28 - Verona).
The competition is only for musicians who are resident or living in a country of the European Union or Switzerland who, on 19 May 2012, are aged between 17 and 23 (i.e. participants must have had their seventeenth birthday before 19 May or be twenty-four after that date). The Organising Committee will consider the entry requests of other students with an outstanding CV even if they do not meet all the requirements listed above. Neither students who have already had an instrument on loan for at least three years nor those who have renounced a loaned instrument or whose loan contract has not been renewed, may enter.
Only 32 (thirty-two) candidates will be admitted. Competitors will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis, so only the first 12 (twelve) entries for the violin competition, the first 8 (eight) for the viola competition and the first 12 (twelve) for the cello competition will be accepted. If there are not enough participants for one instrument more participants for another instrument will be admitted.
Selected candidates will be informed of the committee's decision via e-mail or by telephone no later than 3 April 2012.

3) The Jury reserves the right to assign to the winners the loan of the following instruments:
a Otello Bignami  violin “Cristina II” (Bologna, 1984)
a Genuzio Carletti violin  (Cento, 1985)
a Celestino Farotto viola (Milano, 1970)
a Gaetano Vinaccia cello (Napoli, 1886).
The Jury may decide not to assign all the instruments, or may decide to assign special acknowledgements or mentions to participants.

4) The Jury will consist of:
Sandro Laffranchini, cellist, first cello of the “Filarmonica della Scala” of Milano;
Marco Rogliano, violinist, violin professor at ”Accademia Musicale di Pavia” and at “Consevatorio di Fermo - G.B. Pergolesi";
Igino Semprebon, viola player and viola professor at the “Conservatorio di Verona - E.F. Dall'Abaco”;
Umberto Forni, organist, organ and organ composition professor the “Conservatorio di Verona - E.F. Dall'Abaco” and vice-president of the “Associazione Premio Francesco Geminiani”;
Lucio Lombardi, President of the “Associazione Premio Francesco Geminiani”.

5) To participate, students must complete the form on the website (www.premiogeminiani.org). No other form of entry is admitted. To be valid, the completed participation forms must be sent between 10am on 10 March 2012 and 20 March 2012.
Selected candidates will be informed of the committee's decision by e-mail or by phone no later than 3 April 2012.
No later than 26 April 2012 the selected candidates must provide the Associazione Premio Francesco Geminiani with the documents listed below (candidates failing to do so will be not be allowed to compete):
- original copy of the application duly signed;
- photocopy of an identity document;
- one of the following: certificate from the relevant conservatoire, music school or music academy indicating the course and year attended; a diploma certificate; relevant self-certification;
- proof of a bank transfer sent to the "Associazione Premio Francesco Geminiani", at Banco Popolare IBAN IT 95 b 05034 59500 000000041645 - Swift Code VRBPIT2V048 - amounting to 15 euros as a non-refundable registration fee;
- short CV indicating the musical activities carried out and qualifications obtained.
Candidates must send scanned copies of these documents to the e-mail address provided in the admission letter. The original documents must be given to the jury on the day of the competition.
Candidates who have been admitted to the competition and who have paid the registration fee will receive a free six-month subscription to the influential "ARCHI Magazine". Those who are not resident (or domiciled) in Italy will receive the magazine by email in PDF format.

6) If the candidates requires the assistance of an accompanying pianist, made available by the Association, they must mention this need in their application.

7) The programme to be performed must have the duration of at least 20 (twenty) minutes. The Jury reserves the right to ask the candidates to perform the whole programme or only a part of it.
Candidates must perform
A) a solo piece (no accompanying instruments) of their choice
B) one of the musical pieces listed below (candidates are free to choose):
- for violinists, in the violin and piano transcription, the first movement from:
Concerto for violin and orchestra in D op. 61 by L. van Beethoven
Concerto for violin and orchestra in D op. 35 by P.I. Tchaikovsky
Concerto for violin and orchestra in D op. 77 by J. Brahms
Concerto for violin and orchestra in E op. 64 by F. Mendelssohn
Concerto for violin and orchestra in D op. 19 by S. Prokofiev
Concerto for violin and orchestra in G minor op. 63 by S. Prokofiev
Concerto for violin and orchestra in A minor op. 99 by D. Shostakovich
Concerto for violin and orchestra in C flat minor op. 129 by D. Shostakovich
- for viola players, in the viola and piano transcription, the first movement from:
Concerto for viola and orchestra in D major by F.A. Hoffmeister
Concerto for viola and orchestra in D by C. Stamitz
Concerto for viola and orchestra by B. Bartok Sz120
Concerto for viola and orchestra in A minor by W. Walton
der Schwanendreher (Concerto after old Folksongs) by P. Hindemith
Sonata for viola and piano in E minor op. 120 No. 1 by J. Brahms
Sonata for viola and piano in E flat major op. 120 No. 2 by J. Brahms
Sonata for arpeggione and piano by F. Schubert D 821
- for cellists, in the cello and piano transcription, first movement from:
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra by F.J. Haydn in C major HOB VIIB.1
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra by F.J. Haydn in D major HOB VIIIB.2
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra in B minor op. 104 by A. Dvorak
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra in E minor op. 85 by E. Elgar
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra in D minor op. 55 by C. Saint-Saens
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra in A minor op. 129 by R. Schumann
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra by D. Shostakovich op. 126
Variations on a rococo theme by P.I. Tchaikovsky op. 33.

8) The order of performance will be established by the Jury. The candidates have to be present on the day and at the hour communicated to them in the e-mail of admission to the competition. Failure to be present, without justified cause, will be considered as an abandonment of the competition.

9) Winners will be assigned the instruments on loan for 2 (two) years. The Organising Committee reserves the right to extend the contract for a maximum of another 2 (two) years. The commodatum (loan for use) contract will be completely free of charge, with the exception of the insurance expenses, which will be charged to the winners.

10) The winners receiving the loan will commit themselves, in writing, to keep and use the instruments personally and with care, keeping them in suitable cases; they will not allow them to be repaired or restored by people other than those indicated by the Organising Committee. They will allow the Committee to inspect the instruments on request.
The winners must communicate to the Organising Committee the artistic activities carried out during the period of the loan.
The Committee has the right to rescind the loan at any time if it believes that the instrument is not kept with due care or not used properly, or if the winner shows that he/she is no longer interested in using such instrument.

11) The "Associazione Premio Francesco Geminiani" will organize concerts with the aim of promoting the artistic activity of the Premio "Francesco Geminiani" winners. Therefore, the winners will be required, during the period of the loan, to participate, free of charge, in at least two such concerts (with respective rehearsals) on the Association’s request.

12) The instruments will be delivered to the winners in September 2012. The date and place of delivery will be communicated to the winners.

13) Enrolment in the competition indicates an unconditional acceptance of the present regulations, as well as of the Committee’s right to make modifications to the regulations.

14) For further information, please consult the website www.premiogeminiani.org. From the website you can also send an e-mail to the administrative office of the Premio Francesco Geminiani.