Premier Music International Competition Pro welcomes applications from all over the world to participate in our online competition.
Please read these rules/terms below carefully:
Competition categories are:
1. Solo - Instrumentalist / Voice
2. Chamber Music / Band / Vocal Ensemble
3. Composition / Songwriting
In Solo Instrumentalist/Voice categories, the applicants will be competing according to their level - Non-Degree/BA/MA/PhD/Professional - and in the appropriate instrument groups:
(strings/plucked/percussion/brass/woodwind/piano/voice) and separate genres - classical or jazz.
In all other categories, the applicants will be competing in their respective categories and in the appropriate genres.
The application criteria are:
* ages: 18+
* musicians who have already finished their music training or are undertaking such programmes may apply.
* to perform Western culture music - classical, or jazz / popular music.
* for instrumentalists/singers to send one or two unedited video recordings of two performances consisting of one etude/short study & one music piece/song recorded in 2026/27 - the piece(s) can be performed with piano accompaniment.
* for Chamber music / Band applicants to send one or two unedited video recordings of two performances consisting of one etude/short study or song & one music piece or one longer movement /song recorded in 2026/27.
* composers/songwriters should submit one recent work - composed in 2026 or later.
Rules
General requirements:
Applicants will be judged based on level/experience (duration of study of their instrument/voice, composition), their instrument and genre.
If an applicant wishes to perform on a second instrument or in a different music category then a second application is required.
Genres: classical, jazz/popular
Instruments: strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass), piano, harp, guitar (acoustic/classical, electric, bass),
percussion (both melodic, such as marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, timpani and rhythmic; drum kit/set, snare drum, etc.),
woodwinds (recorder, flute, oboe, saxophone, clarinet, cor anglais, bassoon), brass (trumpet, French horn, trombone).
Voice
If your instrument is not listed above then please contact us.
Repertoire requirement:
Solo:
1. Etude/short study that is minimum 2 minutes and maximum 5 minutes long.
2. One piece of music / song that is minimum 5 and maximum 10 minutes long and reflective of the applicant's current level of performance.
Chamber ensemble:
Two pieces:
1. Classical/baroque shorter piece or movement, maximum 5 minutes (minimum 2 minutes).
2. One piece/or one or more movements of your choice in any style (i.e. romantic, modern, baroque) max. 10 minutes (min. 5).
Band:
Two songs:
1. A jazz standard or short song showcasing technical variety.
2. A song which is longer in duration than the first, minimum 4, maximum 8 minutes long.
Etude repertoire examples for Solo category:
Some suggestions for etudes, short studies:
Guitar: Sor 26 studies, Brouwer, (from XI onwards), Villa-Lobos Preludes I-V, or Carcassi, Aguado equivalent
Percussion: you can select either snare drum or timpani or mallet instruments. Drum set/kit players, you can prepare with snare drum etude if you would like to!
Snare Drum - classical snare drum from Hochrainer Studies, B. Lyloff: Aarhus Etude, Cirone Portraits in Rhythm, Delecluse (from any Etude books), or rudimental snare drumming by Wilcoxon, Pratt, Markovich etc.
Timpani - Etudes from Hochrainer, Keune, Woud books or equivalent.
Marimba/Vibraphone/Xylophone - 2 or 4 mallet studies from Goldenberg, Delecluse, Musser, Peters, Friedman or equivalent
Harp: Bochsa: Quarante Etudes Faciles (op.318), W. Posse: 8 Grosse Etüden für Harfe, Eric Schmidt: Six Studies, Etude de concert by Tournier, or Godefroid or equivalent
Piano: Czerny op. 299, op. 740, Moszkovski, Mosceheles, Clementi: Gradus ad Parnassum, J.B. Cramer/Bülow, Liszt: Études d'éxécution transccendante S.130, or equivalent
Violin/Viola: Rode – 24 Caprices, Dont – 24 Studies op.35, Kreutzer – 42 Studies after nr.35, Wieniawski, Campagnoli: 42 caprices etc., or equivalent
Cello: Popper, Duport, Franchomme etc.
Flute: Böhm, J. Andersen, L. Drouet, Genzmer: Neuzeitliche Etüden etc.
Oboe: A. Besozzi, Wiedemann: 45 Etudes, Flemming: 25 Melodische Etüden, Lacour: 50 Études progressives, Barret etc.
Clarinet: P. Jeanjean - Etudes progressives et mélodiques, G.B. Gambaro - 21 Caprices, Rose etc.
Saxophone: Gallois-Montbrun: Six pièces musicales d’étude, Koechlin: Quinze Études, Bozza etc.
Trumpet: Arban - Part III, collected études, Charlier - 36 études trancendantes, Bousquet - 36 celebrated studies, Brandt, Clarke etc.
Horn: Kopprasch, Alphonse, Stary, B. Krol, Nauber etc.
Voice: One short song from either the classical repertoire (which can include a folk song) or a blues/spiritual song, or excerpt from a musical theatre production.
These are only suggestions, you can choose different etudes that are at least of the same difficulty as those above!
Jazz applicants may choose to perform jazz standards instead of the above mentioned (with or without backing track)!
See here for some examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_post-1950_jazz_standards
Music Scores:
Participants must submit electronic copies of their scores (in .pdf or .jpeg format) when filling out the application form on the "Application" page.
Please do not send any sheet music through post.
Memorisation:
Playing by heart is not mandatory although our jury generally favours performances that are memorised in the solo category.
Jury:
The jury's decision is completely independent, impartial, strives to be fair and will be final.
The jury will provide all applicants with written feedback of their performances along with marking criteria.
Jury member's current students are not permitted to take part in the competition.
Rules for Solo Category
The jury will distinguish performances separately for the two different music genres (classical, jazz) and instrument families (strings/percussion/plucked/voice/brass/woodwind/piano) or voice.
The jury will also consider the level of each applicant on their instrument/voice.
The age criteria of 18 years is to be understood that the applicant has reached their 18th birthday by latest 30 November 2027,
Rules for Chamber Music/Band Category
The jury will distinguish performances separately in the two different genres (classical, jazz) and they will also distinguish according to the experience of the applicant playing music and performing music with each other.
Chamber music/band applications are welcome in all sorts of chamber music formations (duo, trio, quartet, band, etc.).
Rules for Composition/Songwriting Category:
One composition or song that is between 3 to 10 minutes long.
PDF score and MIDI/audio sound file/or Youtube file are both required with submission of application.
The score must be computer generated using music-notation software.
Composers are also required to submit the native working files of their notation software (.sib, .dorico, .mscz) in addition to the PDF score.
For Songwriters who have not submitted a Youtube video file, they might be required to turn over their individual audio track and digital audio workstation (DAW) session files.
The compositions submitted must be original: arrangements or adaptations of existing works will be excluded!
The compositions can be either published or unpublished (both are accepted).
Participants should ensure that their name/pseudonym is clearly written on the files according to the specified above.
The works presented should not be divided into parts as a song collection or suites, instead, they must be one comprehensive work.
Compositions submitted to the competition shall be deemed the Intellectual Property of the submitting composer.
Video and additional requirements - for Instrumentalists/Voice, Chamber/Band
One or two unedited video(s) of each (two) performance has to be forwarded to PMIC Pro as one or more Youtube or Vimeo unlisted or public link.
New: For applicants who are located in a country where Youtube/Vimeo is not available, you can upload your videos here instead (only for countries that do not have access to YT/Vimeo!): https://dbmastering.eu/upload-.html
The video recording must have been recorded in the year of 2026/27!
Videos edited (cut or manipulated) to alter any of the two performance will not be accepted and will lead to disqualification.
The applicant has to announce his/her name at the beginning of the video, or subtitle it onto the video.
Please make sure that the videos are set to 'Public' or 'Unlisted' on Youtube or Vimeo.
Private links on Youtube will not be accepted.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the video link is in a working condition.
Failure to provide a working link will lead to disqualification.
The video must be one continuous, single-camera recording clearly showing the performer's face, hands and instrument.
Professional level recordings are not mandatory, however, the sound must be clearly audible and in good quality.
The video must be sent by the competition deadline: 30 November 2027 23:59h (11:59pm) Central European Time (CET)
Applicants who fail to submit their videos or any part of their application before the submission deadline may be disqualified.
AI & Authenticity Policy
* Eligible Submissions: All entries must be performed - and in the case of songwriters/composers - composed, recorded, arranged and produced entirely by human creators.
* Prohibited Content: The use of generative AI tools (including but not limited to Suno, Udio, AIVA, or AI-generated vocal modelling) for any part of the composition, lyrics, melody, or instrumentation is strictly forbidden.
* Right to Disqualify: We reserve the right to disqualify any submission on the suspicion of AI usage. No formal proof is required from the judges, and entry fees will not be refunded in this case.
* Verification: Participants in the Songwriter category may be required to provide project stems, DAW session files, or raw multi-tracks to verify the human origin of the work.
Awards, Prizes
* Awards include potential Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze Prizes.
* Each participant will receive a digital certificate and written detailed feedback of their performances.
These will be sent to contestants via email.
There will be winners in each instrument category and they will receive:
* Free audio mixing/mastering of a chosen piece (both instrumentalists and composition category) by dBMastering for selected prize winners with the option of having it published digitally (on all major streaming platforms).
* special certificate of recognition.
* In addition, all category prize winners of the competition will have their videos highlighted on our social media channels and website.
* Selected winners will be interviewed and promoted on our blog and social medial channels.
* Main Prize: Winner(s) with highest points will be invited to Budapest Nádor Hall for a live concert in 2028!
(Travel fees, accommodation, other expenses not included - contestants will have to finance this themselves.)
Payment
Applicants are required to pay in full the fee of the PMIC Pro competition before filling out the application form.
Please note down the order/transaction number of your payment as you will have to provide us with the number when filling out the application form.
Your payment will be completed and processed by PayPal when ordering through this website, or alternative you can pay by Revolut (in this case a payment link will be sent separately).
You can read about Paypal's terms and conditions for more information about their services here in English: https://www.paypal.com/hu/webapps/mpp/ua/legalhub-full?locale.x=en_US
Additional t&c's
Candidates cannot claim legal rights to recordings and photos submitted to PMIC Pro or broadcasts that may be made in connection with the competition.
All legal rights are reserved by dB PMIC and no fee is payable to any competitor for performances, photos, recordings or streaming/broadcasts, and you agree that dB PMIC can use your recording/photo on their social media pages as well.
All application fees submitted are non-refundable.
We reserve the right to amend, modify temporarily or permanently the fee or t&c's with or without notice.
You shall not hold us liable for any such modification, amendments or withdrawals.
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