Repertoire Rules
ROUND I: All Competitors will perform a solo recital not to exceed 25 minutes, in total.
ROUND II: All Competitors will perform a solo recital not to exceed 30 minutes, in total. Repertoire from Round I may not be repeated
ROUND III (Semi-Finals): Six Semi-Finalists will each perform a solo recital of repertoire of his/her own choosing, not to exceed 50 minutes, in total. Repertoire from earlier rounds may not be repeated.
Each competitor will program repertoire in Rounds I, II and III at his/her discretion, with one requirement, as follows:
- In the program for either Round I or II, each competitor must perform the commissioned solo work (5-7 minutes) by Lowell Liebermann. Score will be provided to competitors upon confirmation of their acceptance of our invitation to perform in Hilton Head, and for this piece only, pianists may use the score.
The maximum time for each recital round must allow for pauses between movements and between compositions. Failure to comply with the specific time limit for each round may result in a penalty by the Competition Jury.
The choice of the repertoire for each segment of the competition is at the competitor’s own discretion (other than the commissioned work requirement for Rounds I/II above), and should demonstrate his/her programming skills by including compositions by a variety of composers, reflecting contrasting styles and periods. The selections should also showcase the applicant’s pianistic capabilities, artistry and virtuosity. All works must be played from memory, except for the commissioned work, for which the score may be used (and a page-turner can be provided upon request).
ROUND IV (Finals): Three Finalists each will perform one complete work from the 2025 Concerto List below with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro John Morris Russell:
2025 Approved Concerto List:
- Beethoven – Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
- Beethoven – Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19
- Beethoven – Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
- Beethoven – Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
- Beethoven – Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73
- Chopin – Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
- Chopin – Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
- Grieg – Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
- Liszt – Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S.124
- Liszt – Concerto No. 2 in A major, S. 125
- Mendelssohn – Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
- Mozart – Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466
- Mozart – Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467
- Mozart – Concerto No. 23 in A major, K.488
- Mozart – Concerto No. 25 in C major, K.503
- Mozart – Concerto No. 26 in D major, K.537
- Prokofiev – Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
- Rachmaninoff – Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
- Rachmaninoff – Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
- Saint-Saëns – Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
- Schumann – Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
- Tchaikovsky – Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23