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School of Music

Clara Rolland Piano Competition

Clara Rolland Piano Competition

Eligibility: Open to currently enrolled undergraduate piano majors.

Competition Date & Location: Friday, April 4, 2025, 4:00-9:00 PM | Smith Recital Hall

Application Process: Fill out the Clara Rolland Memorial Piano Award Competition Application Form (form opens here on Feb. 1, 2025).

Application Deadline: Monday, March 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM

Please be aware that, unless otherwise noted, monetary awards will be applied directly to your student account, which could cause adjustments to your financial aid package. If you are concerned about this, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at 217-333-0100 prior to applying for an Award or Scholarship.

Competition Rules:

Required Repertoire

  1. A work from the Baroque period
  2. A work from the Classical period
  3. A work from the 19th, 20th, or 21st centuries

Participants will be given fifteen minutes or until the judges signal to stop playing.

Memorization is required for all pieces.

Six applicants must register in order to hold the competition

Judging Guidelines

  1. The Clara Rolland piano award is established to provide awards to talented and deserving students in the School of Music of the College of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Auditions are open only to undergraduate piano majors of the University of Illinois School of Music in Urbana, IL.
  2. The candidates are judged on the following criterions: Tone, technique, use of pedal, memorization, interpretation of style, musicianship.
  3. The judges may not compare notes or discuss the performances or their opinions of the candidates until the competition is completed. The judges are encouraged to make separate written comments about the candidates.
  4. There is only one winner. The award is not to be divided or apportioned among the candidates. However, there may be honorable mention(s), with no attendant financial award.
  5. In the event that the judges unanimously agree that no performance is worthy of the award, the judges are free to make NO AWARD. In that event the entire sum of the award is added on to the following year’s competition award.
  6. The decision of the judges is final.
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