Organisers and some judges of the RSIAF competition. Photo toquoc.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Rising Star International Arts Festival (RSIAF) 2020 – a music festival for children – has started this month in the form of an online contest, according to the organisers.

The event, hosted by the MaySpace Music Academy, this time is focusing on a piano contest instead of other multiple events such as guitar, cello, violin, flute, western musical instruments, vocals and dance as in the original plan, according to a statement from the MaySpace on Friday.

The reduction of the scheduled performance competitions was announced after many delays due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"MaySpace only organises the piano contest this year, while the rest will be held in 2021 due to the limited online form," according to the organisers' statement.

The contest opened for registration early this month and candidates can apply at https://competition.mayspace.edu.vn, with the deadline for submission to the preliminary round being on July 31, while the deadline for submission to the final round is August 30. The preliminary results will be announced on August 6.

Contestants will compete through sending videos of themselves playing piano for no longer than five minutes, as well as introducing their name and work.

They are advised to play a grand piano to get the best sound quality. Organisers do not allow videos of electric pianos.

The videos can be posted to YouTube or contestants’ personal social media pages then sending a link to the organising committee, according to the organiser.

In case the COVID-19 pandemic is completely controlled in Việt Nam and there is an announcement on the end of the pandemic from the Government, the final round of the competition will be held offline at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music.

The judges of the RSIAF competition include famous domestic and international music teachers and artists from Poland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong (China) and Malaysia. 

Each candidate will be assessed and commented on directly by two judges and their assessments will aim to not only reflect the quality of the test but also help the candidate develop their strengths and overcome weaknesses so that they can develop their talents more comprehensively in the future.

Logo of the festival. Photo courtesy of the MaySpace Music Academy

The competition is expected to give competitors an opportunity to interact with famous artists and teachers in the role of the jury, while helping them to develop their abilities and have the opportunities to compete at other international contests.

In addition to awards from the organisers, the winners will represent Việt Nam to attend two more international events of a competition and a festival taking place at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, New York and Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia.

The Rising Star International Arts Festival 2020 promises an opportunity for young talents to not only boost their music skills but also interact and learn from experts and judges from many countries around the world, the organiser said on its website.

According to MaySpace, before the event was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 125 Vietnamese and 43 international contestants registered to join the competition by the end of March. — VNS