The 2021 auditions will be held in MANCHESTER and LONDON. Applications are invited from solo pianists, instrumental duos and small chamber ensembles of outstanding ability to audition for the Kirckman Concert Society. Recent Kirckman artists have benefited from at least one recital promoted by the Society at a major London venue plus concerts at major UK festivals and music clubs. There is no recital fee for our London own-promotions (though the Society contributes £100 per artist towards out of pocket expenses); collaborations with festivals and music clubs are fee-paying.
Sunday 28 March 2021 at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Monday 29 March 2021 at the Royal Academy of Music, London Please note that these may be subject to change depending on current Government Covid-19 guidelines/restrictions
Please read carefully through the following information before you start preparing your application to make sure you meet all the requirements and submit a complete application in the correct way.
If you have any queries, please contact us by email. Please bear in mind that we are a small organisation and do not have a full-time office, so there may on some occasions be a small delay in replying.
Closing date
For the 2021 auditions, the closing date for receipt of applications will be 4:00pm on Thursday 28 January 2021 - although it is recommended to apply well in advance of this date to allow adequate time for your application to be considered.
Applications which arrive after 4:00pm on Thursday 28 January cannot be considered - this includes all application forms, CVs and references.
Those eligible to apply
Only those who have permission to live and perform in the UK for at least three years may apply.
The Society considers applications from solo pianists, instrumental duos and small ensembles. At present we regret that we cannot offer auditions to singers.
Age limit
- Solo pianists and Duos: the age limit is 30 by the time of any recital offered. Any recital is likely to take place during the season following the audition - following a successful audition in March 2021, a recital date offered would generally be during the 2021/22 season. A date is offered in accordance with each artist's availability.
- Ensembles of 3 or more: we will accept an average age of 30 by the time of any recital offered.
Application procedure
- One member of each duo or ensemble must be responsible for co-ordinating and submitting by email the duo's or ensemble's application. We will not accept applications submitted piecemeal by individual members.
- The application - a complete application will consist of:
1. a completed application form for either the Manchester auditions or the London auditions for each member.
2. a CV for each member.
3. a short biography for ensembles of 3 or more members.
4. one reference sent to us direct by a musician of standing for each member.
5. a reference for the duo or ensemble as a whole.
Please ask your referee(s) to complete a reference form and send it direct to the Society by email.
Application form
we need a completed application form (click for Manchester auditions or London auditions) for each applicant. One member of each duo or ensemble must be responsible for co-ordinating and submitting by email the duo's or ensemble's application. On the application form, you are asked to provide a link to a live unedited video recording (concert or studio). Sound quality is important!
Curriculum vitae
we need an up to date curriculum vitae (CV) for each applicant. This includes duo partners and all members of ensembles. Please do not include photographs.
References
each applicant is requested to arrange for one reference to be submitted direct to us from a musician of standing. We also request that a recent reference is supplied for the duo or ensemble itself, as well as for the individuals concerned. This is to assess the performing experience of the duo/ensemble as a whole, independent of its members.
Please ask your referee(s) to complete a reference form and send it direct to the Society by email.
Please do not send photographs with your application, either separately or embedded in a CV.
Those whose initial application is successful will then be invited to audition. Those whose application is not successful will be notified.
Membership of duos / small ensembles
Please note that we expect the membership of any duos and small ensembles which are successful at audition to be the same for any subsequent recital offered.
Correspondence
Applications should be submitted by email only to applications@kirckman.org.uk
The audition
Auditionees are requested to present a 15-minute programme, including a contrast of styles and periods.
Since to perform complete works would often exceed the time allowed, individual movements can be performed.
Candidates are requested to time their audition pieces carefully, since time is very limited and auditions which over-run are unfair on later candidates.
Auditionees do not need to notify us about their audition programme beforehand
A warm-up room is available 20 minutes before the audition.