Competition Rules

The Sax-Gran Canaria Cultural Association, organizer of the XIII Gran Canaria Sax Festival 2025, announces the IV Gran Canaria International Saxophone Competition 2025, on July 8th and 10th, respectively.

1.- REGISTRATION CRITERIA

The Competition is open to saxophonists of all nationalities who have not exceeded 30 years of age in the year 2025.

The competition consists of 2 phases:

  • SEMIFINAL Phase: Tuesday, July 8 (in person)

  • FINAL Phase: Thursday, July 10 (in person)

The registration fee for both Phases, is of 130€The application for registration will be made through the registration form on the official website of the Contest (www.grancanariasaxfestival.com) and the following documents must be attached:

 

  • Photocopy of passport or official ID card

  • In case of minors, authorization signed by parents or legal guardians.

 

The submission of the registration form implies unconditional acceptance of these rules.

2.- SEMIFINAL PHASE

El martes 8 de Julio, se celebrará la Fase SEMIFINAL en el Auditorio de Teror a partir de las 9:30h. El número de participantes para esta Fase será limitado a 23 concursantes y su participación se efectuará por riguroso orden de inscripción, siendo los 23 primeros concursantes, los que tendrán derecho a su participación de manera presencial. Así mismo, se procederá a crear una lista de reserva de concursantes, una vez se complete el listado de los 23 primeros participantes inscritos. 

To participate in the SEMIFINAL Phase and be admitted by the organization, it will be mandatory to send the registration form and once the contestant receives the email from the organization, he/she must pay the corresponding registration fees (130€).

At this point, the competitor has a period of 48 hours to pay the registration fees to the account number provided by the organization. If the fees are not paid within that time, your participation will be cancelled and the next contestant on the list will be chosen. 

In this phase, each candidate will perform two compulsory works. The maximum duration of this test, for each contestant, will be 20 minutes, at which time the jury will end the test and give way to the next contestant. 

1.- Obligatory piece: 1er mov (Prelude) de la Sonata nº2 «obsession» de Eugene Ysaÿe. For alto saxophone solo. Free tonality.

This piece can be purchased at the following link:

 

2.- Work to be chosen among the following:

1.- Sonate en Ut#…….F. Decruck (1 y 4 mov). No previous piano rehearsal

2.- Sonata…………………R. Muzynski. No previous piano rehearsal

3.- Prelude, Cadence et Finale ……….A. Desenclos (Candence et Finale). No previous piano rehearsal

4.- Lamento et Rondó…………….P. Sancan. No previous piano rehearsal

5.- Sonata……….W. Albright (1 y 4 mov.). No previous piano rehearsal

 

A maximum of 5 contestants will be selected for the FINAL Phase, which will be announced at the beginning of the concert scheduled for Tuesday, July 8, as part of the XIII Gran Canaria Sax Festival 2025 program.

3.- FINAL PHASE

  • The FINAL Phase will take place on Thursday, July 10, starting at 10:00 am in the Auditorium of Teror.

Participants will have a warm-up room available at the Teror Music School from 60 minutes before their performance. Likewise, they must arrive 15 minutes before the beginning of the assigned performance time.

The contestants who are selected for the FINAL Phase, will have a rehearsal of 30 minutes with the pianist accompanist of the Competition. The rehearsal will take place the day before the Final, Wednesday July 9th at the Auditorium of Teror, starting at 10:00 am. 

Both the order of rehearsals and participation in the Final will be published on the notice board of the Teror Music School and on the official website of the Festival on July 8th.

The contestants who pass to the Final Phase will have to perform the following repertoire: 

Obligatory piece: L´éveil de la toupie………….Vincent David

Free piece for saxophone only (original or transcription) with a maximum duration of 10 minutes.

 

The performance in this phase may not exceed 25 minutes in length and the order of the works will be first the piano work and then the solo saxophone work.

Once the performance of each finalist contestant has been completed, the closing ceremony will take place and the winners will be announced.

4.- VENUE

The venue for the IV Gran Canaria International Saxophone Competition 2025 for both the SEMIFINAL and FINAL stages will be the Auditory of Teror.

Plaza de Sintes S/N. 35330, Teror (Gran Canaria)

5.- THE JURY

The jury of the Competition is composed by the teachers of the XIII Gran Canaria Sax Festival 2025.

The jury, before beginning its performance, will examine the circumstances of abstention due to incompatibility, and in the event that there is a candidate who is currently a student of one of the jury members, this jury member will abstain from scoring the candidate.

The deliberation of the Jury will take place after each PHASE. The Jury's decisions are final and will be announced at the end of each phase. Applicants eliminated in each phase will have the opportunity to discuss their results with the members of the jury. The Jury reserves the right not to award any prize.

6.- PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT

The competition organization will provide a pianist who will accompany the candidates in the SEMIFINAL and FINAL stages of the competition.

SEMIFINAL PHASE: pianist without previous rehearsal

FINAL PHASE: 30 minutes rehearsal and rehearsals will be scheduled on Wednesday, July 9, at the Auditorium of Teror, starting at 10:00 am.

Price of the pianist: 30€.

7.- PRIZES

First Prize:

2.000€

Expenses paid (accommodation and airfare) for one concert in the program of the XIV Gran Canaria Sax Festival 2026

Second Prize

1.000€

Free registration to attend the XIV Gran Canaria Sax Festival 2026

Third Prize

500€

Important: For the payment of the Prizes, it will be obligatory to present an invoice addressed to the Asoc. Cultural Sax-Gran Canaria where the withholdings applied by the Spanish state will be applied.

8.- PRICES

Registration for the SEMIFINAL AND FINAL PHASE of the Competition: 130 €.

Piano accompanist: 30€

In case of force majeure (natural catastrophe, pandemic, etc.) that forces the organizing team of the Competition to cancel the Stages taking place in Gran Canaria, the registration fee for the SEMIFINAL AND FINAL Stages (130 euros) as well as the accompanying pianist's fee (30 euros) will be reimbursed to the participant.

Important: Registration fees will not be refunded in case of cancellation, no-show, illness or any other reason.

9.- TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

The applicant's travel and accommodation expenses will be at his/her own expense. The organization will provide accommodation for those who request it during their stay at the competition. This must be requested on the competition registration form, where you will be informed of the corresponding prices.

10.- PUBLICITY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

By submitting the entry form the applicant authorizes the organization to use his/her name, biographical details and image in connection with the competition. The GRAN CANARIA SAX FESTIVAL, as the organizer of the competition, is the exclusive owner of all intellectual property resulting from and related to the competition. This includes but is not limited to all rights to any recordings, photographs, videos and/or transmissions/broadcasts (live, delayed or future), in all current and/or future formats, nationally and internationally, of all phases and performances. Applicants will not be entitled to any compensation. The performances of the competition will be streamed on the Festival's Facebook page.

11.- RESPONSIBILITY

The organization will not be responsible for any accident that the applicant may suffer as a result of his/her participation in the competition, nor for any loss or damage to his/her instrument or personal belongings. It is recommended to have medical and travel insurance.

12.- OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

The decisions of the organization for all questions not included in these rules will be final. In case of appeal, communications must be written in Spanish. The laws applicable to the contest and all contractual and other rights arising therefrom shall be the laws of Spain.

For more information, please contact the organization at grancanariasaxfestival@gmail.com.

Note: The organization of the Gran Canaria Sax Festival reserves the right to make, at any time and without prior notice, any modification, update or cancellation of the acts and events programmed and announced in any media.

REGISTRATION FORM
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