RULES

1) Iberamerik Concert Associació, organizer of the Barcelona Internacional Guitar Contest Miquel Llobet, call for XVII edition that will take place in Barcelona, from 5th to 8th of November, 2020.

2) The contest is open to all guitarists, regardless of nationality, who are no older than 35 years of age at time of registration. First Prize winners from previous editions are not eligible to enter.

3) The Contest will be held this year in an extraordinary online format.

4) The presentation and the draw of the display order will be designated by a web application of random numbers of the audiovisuals. It will be viewed privately and individually by the members of the Jury and a telematic meeting will be held for its deliberation. The non-presentation of the contestant’s audiovisuals will imply their automatic disqualification.

5) All cash prizes are subject to their corresponding taxes which will be withheld according to the current legislation.

6) The Organising Committee of the Certamen Llobet will not be responsible for programming dates and cancellation for any of the concerts offered as part of a prize.

7) The travel, accommodation and living costs incurred during the competition will be covered by the participant. If required, Certamen Llobet will provide housing for participants who pass to the semi-final until they are eliminated from the competition.

8) All rights to any recordings of the participants made by Certamen Llobet during the competition will be held by the Organising Committee.

9) By registering for the competition the participant agrees to all the rules of the Certamen Llobet competition. In the case of a discrepancy or disagreement, the Spanish edition of these rules will be used. The decision of the Jury is final.

10) Anything not specified in these rules is not the responsibility of the Organising Committee.

REGISTRATION

11) Registration for the competition should be made through the website.
Deadline for registration and submission of audiovisuals for the 1st qualifying stage: Sunday, October 4, 2020. A maximum of 20 participants will be selected
The following documents will be required:
a) Biography and artist photo
b) Copy of passport or identity card
c) Proof of bank transfer

12) The registration fee is 60 Euros, to be made by bank transfer (indicating participant’s full name) to the following account:
CAIXABANK IBAN: ES71 2100 5516 8121 0016 5290 SWIFT: CAIXESBB
or through PAYPAL: certamenllobet@gmail.com 

13) By registering for the competition, participants will receive free entry and preferential attendance to other activities and concerts put on as part of the Certamen Llobet.

ROUNDS

14) The competition will be held in three rounds:
1st ROUND (Classification). For all participants. Deadline for sending audiovisuals: Sunday, October 4, 2020. Competitors are required to perform the following set works:

– Andante de la Sonata 30, Op. 109, Ludwig van Beethoven  Arr. Miquel Llobet

– Choros n°1, Heitor Villa-lobos

(+ info to Composers and works)

2nd ROUND (Semi-final). For classified participants. Deadline for sending audiovisuals: Sunday, October 18, 2020. Competitors are required to perform the following set works:

– Fantasia, Robert Gerhard

– Iznájar (Fantasía Andaluza), José Galeote

(+ info to Composers and works)

3rd ROUND (Final). For the three finalists. Deadline for sending audiovisuals: Sunday, November 1, 2020.

– 3 free choice works will be carried out from different periods between the current Baroque with a total maximum of 12 minutes.

4th STAGE (Awards Ceremony). Sunday, November 8, 2020. The prizes will be announced and the winners will be personally contacted.

Prizes

15) The following prizes will be awarded:
1st PRIZE: 5.000 Euros, Medal and Honorary Diploma Recording of a CD produced by JSM Guitar Records
Recording of a CD produced by JSM Guitar Records
SUSPENDED BY COVID-19 UNTIL NEW NOTICE – Masterclass + concerts in:
Facultad de Artes de la Universidad de Chile
Facultad de Humanidades de la Universidad de la Serena (Chile)
School of Arts & Humanities of the University of Texas at Dallas (USA)
Festival Internacional de Guitarra “María Luisa Anido” Morón (Argentina)
Concerts at:
Garrigues Guitar Festival Memorial Emili Pujol
Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Madrid
Mediterranean Guitar Festival
2nd PRIZE: 3.000 Euros, Medal and Honorary Diploma
3rd PRIZE: 1.500 Euros, Medal and Honorary Diploma
Special Prizes:
Llobet AWARD, awarded for the best interpretation of the set work by Miguel Llobet: Honorary Diploma and concert at Art Llobet 2021 (Barcelona)
Iznájar AWARD, for the best interpretation of José Galeote’s work “Iznájar (Andalusian Fantasy)”: Honorary Diploma and concert in Iznájar (Córdoba)
CAT AWARD, for the best classifying Catalan player: Honorary Diploma and concert at Clàssica a Horta-Guinardó (Barcelona)
Audience PRIZE: Honorary Diploma and concert at Art Llobet 2021 (Barcelona)

16) These prizes may increase. Any changes will be identified on the website until the end of the registration period.

CLASSIFICATION

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Andante de la Sonata 30, Op. 109

Arr. Miquel Llobet

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)

Choros n°1

SEMIFINAL

Robert Gerhard (1896-1970)

Fantasia

José Galeote(1978)

Iznájar (Fantasía Andaluza)

FINAL

3 free choice works of different stages from the Baroque to the present with a maximum time of 12 minutes.

JACOB CORDOVER

Whilst performing repertoire from a wide range of music periods, his enthusiasm for contemporary music has brought about a number of world premieres, and a strong interest in the application of appropriate performance practice of 19th-century music has led to numerous performances of this repertoire on a variety of period guitars. Critics have equally praised his interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach as well as that of contemporary composers. Mr. Cordover has released five CDs, all of which to much critical acclaim.

WINFRIED KELLNER

Winfried Kellner studied composition with Jörg Birkenkötter and Tilmann Claus in Detmold (Germany). His first published works, published by german publishers, include works for Accordion, Flute and Recorder. Later he published works for guitar and chamber music for different chamber ensembles.His works have been premiered in Mexico and Europe by relevant orchestras, ensembles and soloists, in recordings, concerts , and contests. He lives currently in Guadalajara, he is a member of the teaching team at the University of Colima and he often participates in guitar contests and festivals.

MANEL RIBERA

Composition studies with Helmut Lachenmann, Walter Zimmermann John Rahn, Michäel Levinas, and Joao Pedro Oliveira. Winner of relevant international prizes such as SWR Stuttgart musik preiss 2013-2014, Après l’Histoire centennial Chicago 2019, European Union Composers Meeting 2004. Since 2013 he teaches music composition at ESMUC (University School of Music of Catalonia, Barcelona), and he is currently a member of the jury of several composition competitions.

FIRST PRIZE | IZNÁJAR AWARD

Sergey Perelekhov (Russia)

Sergey Perelekhov was born in Kemerovo, Siberia. At the age of 6 he began to play the guitar under the tutelage of his father, Valery Perelekhov. He started attending music school and studied with Y. P. Kuzin in Novosibirsk. Since 2017 he has been studying at the Russian Academy of Music in Gnesins in the class of the renowned Russian musician N.A. Komolyatov. He received a scholarship from the Russian Presidency and the Kuzbass Young Talents fund. He has been a winner in more than 40 music competitions.

SECOND PRIZE

Sara Guerrero (Spain)

Sara was born in Zamora. She finished her higher studies at the Navarra Conservatory of Music receiving the Extraorinary End of Degree Award. She has a Master’s Degree in Research and Interpretation of Spanish Music from the Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid. She has obtained numerous awards since she was 9 years old. At the age of 12 she gave her first concert. She made her debut at the age of 16 as a soloist with the Young Symphony Orchestra of the City of Salamanca. In 2016, at the age of 18, she presented her first album as a solo guitarist, entitled «Saudades y Danzas».

THIRD PRIZE | CAT AWARD

Izan Rubio (Spain)

Catalan guitarist who began his studies at the Barcelona Municipal Music Conservatory. In 2012 he graduated from the Superior School of Music of Catalonia. In May 2014 he received the audience award in the final of the Fundación Arjau contest, in the category of contemporary Catalan music. In November 2013 he was awarded the third prize at the Miguel Llobet International Guitar Competition and in November 2010 he won the prize for the best classified Catalan.

LLOBET AWARD

Jonathan Parkin (UK)

Born in Teesside, England, Jonathan has earned honors from the Royal High Conservatory of Wales. In 2012 he studied at the Central Superior Conservatory of Finland and in 2017 he obtained his Master with honors at the Trinity Laban Conservatory of Dance and Music. In addition to performing across Europe, Jonathan has performed at prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Auditorium, Kings Place, Barbican, Madrid Museum of Fine Arts, St James’Piccadilly, among others.

HONORARY AWARD 2020 “A lifetime for the guitar”

Ernesto Bitetti (1943)

Outstanding Argentine guitarist and pedagogue with an extensive contribution to the dissemination and premiere of works of great reference, a forerunner in the spirit of composers and his pedagogical dedication with the creation and direction of different guitar chairs around the world.

RUSSIA WINS THE LLOBET COMPETITION FOR THE FIRST TIME

• The young virtuous Sergey Perelekhov wins the seventeenth edition of the 2020 Llobet Contest. In second and third place went to Spain, Sara Guerrero and Izan Rubio
• Maestro Ernesto Bitetti receives the Honorary Award for a Lifetime for the Guitar. Anecdotal the annulled Audience Award for a security breach in electronic voting

Barcelona | November 9, 2020 | 8:13 p.m.

One more year, the Llobet Contest has had to deal with a new inclement in its development. If in the last edition the challenge was to overcome the political strangeness and social disturbances that occurred in the city of Barcelona; in this edition, it is the human species that is being challenged against the nature of a pandemic with social restrictions and a global dimension.

This new challenge caused drastic decisions and changes in the usual course of the Contest rules so as not to have to suspend it. The realization of an online edition and the cancellation of the development of the final with a string quartet.

But it was not all bad news. The participation of contestants increased considerably, something unusual in a contest of the rigor and difficulty that characterizes this contest; compulsory works and chamber finale, which defines the hard preparation of a complete musician. The fact of doing it online caused a record in the registrations of international talent that would hardly have been possible in person…

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25 years of Llobet’s Contest | 17 editions | 1995-2020

Since the endings of the XIX century and beginnings of XX, until the arrival of the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona was considered as the global centre of classical guitar. Researchers and historians note this time as the Golden Age of Classical Guitar, this being confirmed by the front pages of newspapers. Nevertheless, the historical circumstances left the musical instrument in the background and its lack of support made this historical art disappear from the Catalan cultural movement.

In 1995 the I International Competition of Guitar of Barcelona was created, tribute to María Luisa Anido, under the direction of its founder, the Chilean maestro Eulogio Dávalos. On that occasion, an altruist event was organised, which maestros and professors claimed as a collective need. Once the contest was finished, the distinguished Lady of the Guitar, María Luisa Anido, requested as an act of generosity that the recognition of the event became the assertion of her beloved maestro guitarist and Catalan composer, Miquel Llobet.

After ten years of insistent requests, in 2005 receives the necessary public support to reaffirm this second edition, in which definitely acquires the name of Certamen Internacional de Guitarra de Barcelona Miquel Llobet, rendering justice to this virtuous forgotten musician, that made famous the harmonisations of traditional Catalan songs all over the world.

A year later, the rediscovery of his mortal remains, nowadays, kept by the Cercle Guitarristic a Catalunya, worldwide musicians vindicate his figure with an annual tribute.

Since its creation, the official headquarter has been the Conservatori Municipal de Música de Barcelona. In the period of 2014 until 2019, due to restoration works of the Conservatory, the new placement was the Museu de la Música and l’Auditori de Barcelona. Currently, the Municipal Conservatory is again the official headquarter.

The Llobet Contest has gained a place among the most important guitar contests of the world. Validated by the compliments of important figures of the musical world and recognised by the most important specialized entities, is considered as an event of excellence and artistic quality that contributes to the enrichment of the musical fabric of the city, returns the lost prestige of the classical guitar and encourages young talents to gain momentum in the new concert challenges.

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