I. General Outline

In recent decades the  safeguarding and promotion of unique forms of  the Eastern peoples’ traditional music, and  particularly, Azerbaijanian Mugam, have been drawn to the forefront of attanetion on the global scale. Inclusion of Azerbaijanian Mugam ino the UNESCO World List of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity proves immense artistic value and intercultural potential laid down in this music tradition.

Competition of Mugam Performance in the frame of “Space of Mugam” İnternational Music Festival to be held in March 2009 in Baku is inclined to play a role in:

• gathering up-to-date information about the current state of the inter-related music art forms covered by the concept of makam (and titled ‘muğam» in Azerbaijan)
• restoring  historic ties  between  different contemporary ethnic/regional  music cultures
• fostering  lively creative interaction between musicians who enliven this type of music

1.  Title
“Space of Mugam” Competition of Mugam Performance/ International Music Festival in Baku -2009

2. Organizers

• Heydar Aliyev Foundation
• Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic
• Azerbaijan Composers’ Union

3. Supporters

• Friends of Azerbaijanian Culture Foundation
• Minsitry of Education of Azerbaijan Republic

4. Competition Structure

• The Competition consists of Elimination (preliminary selection) and Public Round.
• A Preliminary Selection based on documents and recordings will be held to decide which contestants qualify for the Competition.
• The chosen participants will be invited to perform  publicly during the competition in Baku, Azerbaijan

5. Competition Dates

             March 22-24, 2009

6. Venue

Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre
(Neftchiler prospekti, 36, Baku, Azerbaijan)

7.  Jury

Distinguished experts in traditional music - musicians, researchers, and music promoters from different countries will be attracted to judging the competition.  

8. Repertoire

• A program with duration about 30 min.  should reflect some particular traditional music culture  in its richness and internal diversity. Each group should exert its efforts towards presenting the given music culture in a way most clear and attractive for a foreign listener for whom this culture is not innate. Attracting additional means like lecture talk, guided performance, use of printed and new media, staging elements etc. is permissible.    
• An obligatory task (to be performed as a separate piece or incorporated into larger main piece either) for each participating group from abroad is the creative use (re-composition, improvisation, integration into existing piece) of one out of two given examples of the traditional Azerbaijanian mugam repertoire – initial melodic patterns of  Bayati-Shiraz Mugam or Garabaq Shikestesi (the sound samples will be posted on the competitions’ web-sites:  http:// www.baku-icc-2009.az/spaceofmugam  and www.mugam.az
• An obligatory task for a group/s from Azerbaijan is the same as in above point however the use of music example/model shall mean in this case any makam music culture other than Azerbaijanian mugam. The patterns could be borrowed by group/s from Azerbaijan from the recordings by competitions applicants arrived at the disposal of the Secretariat.         

Application

1. Eligibility

The Competition is open to vocal soloists born on or after March 1, 1974. The accompanying instrumental ensembles consisting of up to 5 persons are not subject to above age limit.  

2. Application Deadline

The application package must be postmarked no later than Friday, February 27, 2009.

3. Application Method

The applicant must enclose items 1) to 4) listed below, and send the package to the Secretariat of the International Mugam Competition.

Application Form (must be filled out completely)

• Two photographs taken within six months of the date of application

approximately 7x10cm, taken from the front, from the chest up, with the applicant's full name printed on the back.
Photograph may be in high-quality digital data format (minimum 300 dpi, CD-ROM.
Photographs must be free from copyrights. Photographs will be used in official programs, on the Competition's official website, and for other public relations purposes.
2.  One photocopy of an official document proving the applicant's age, such as a passport
3. A recording of the applicant's performance of the piece(s) of he or she has chosen for the Preliminary Selection on CD or other recording medium (CD, MD or DAT)
The applicant's name, the title of the chosen piece and the date and place it was recorded must be printed on the recording medium.
The recording must be made on or after Tuesday, September 30, 2008

• The application package must be sent by registered mail or by a delivery service.
• The application may not be processed if the application form is not completely filled out.
• The Secretariat will accept no responsibility for loss of documents or recording medium in the mail.
• Application materials will not be returned.

4. Address for Applications

Secretariat of International Mugam Competition
Istiqlaliyyat prospekti, 2,  AZ – 1001  BAKU, Azerbaijan
Phone: + 994 12 497 29 03 or +994 50 220 42 39
E-mail:  mugam@baku-icc-2009.az

5. Preliminary Selection

• The Preliminary Selection shall be done by way of documents and CD or other recording medium submitted by the applicants.
• The results of the Preliminary Selection shall be sent out to the applicants by March 07, 2009.

Participation in the Competition

1. Travel Expense Grants for Contestants

The Secretariat shall provide the grants specified below to the contestants who live outside of Azerbaijan to help them pay for roundtrip transportation to Baku. The grants will be provided in EUR upon arrival in Azerbaijan on the basis of airfares preliminarily agreed with and approved by the Secretariat.

2. Accommodation for Contestants

If the contestant uses the accommodation of the Secretariat's choice from the day of registration until the day specified below, the organizers shall pay the accommodation (one single room basic room charge) expenses and arrange full board for the contestant for the duration of his or her stay. All other expenses shall be borne by the contestant.

3. Order of Performances

The order of performances in the Public Round shall be decided based on a drawing on March 22,  at 10:00 AM.

4. Competition Performances

• The Competition is open to the public.
• All performances from the Public Round to the Prizewinners' Gala Concert may be distributed live on TV and/or radio and/or the Internet. Video and audio recordings of the performances may also be distributed on TV and/or radio and/or the Internet. Sale of CD, DVD and other media recordings of performances is also planned.

7. Judgment

• A Judging Committee consisting of 7 jury members shall judge the performances according to the rating system. Rating lists complied by individual experts will be drawn into a general table and results of rating calculations will be discussed within the jury before getting publicly announced      
• The jury members and contestants are not permitted to be in contact during the Competition. Once a contestant fails to pass a round, this condition will no longer apply.
• No objection or complaint shall be allowed concerning the decision made by the Judging Committee.

8. Prizes

Grand Prix     Cash prize of EUR 20,000
First prize       Cash prize of EUR 15,000
Second prize   Cash prize of EUR 10,000
Third prize     Cash prize of EUR   5,000  

• Judging Committee may decide not to award a place or to award the same ranking for several prizewinners.
• If several prizewinners are awarded the same rank, the total amount of cash prizes at that ranking and the following ranking(s) shall be divided equally.
• Other special awards, such as Audience Prize, may be presented.
• Supplementary prizes provided by organizations and individuals that support the aim of the Competition may be awarded to the prizewinner(s).
• The prize money shall be paid as a cash net sum at the Closing Ceremony of the Competition 

9. Prizewinners' Gala Concert

• The organizers shall hold Prizewinners' Gala Concert in Baku on March 24 afternoon. The winners of the Grand Prix, first, second and third prizes must agree to perform at the Prizewinners' Gala Concert.
• In the Prizewinners' Gala Concert, the winners will perform the pieces that they performed in the Public Round. The pieces to be performed will be specified by the Festival’s Artistic Committee.

Other

1. Visa Acquisition

The Secretariat will do its best to arrange for waive visa fee for the contestants entering Azerbaijan. However applicants themselves must be ready to obtain the appropriate visas to enter the country to participate in the Competition. If an invitation letter or any other document is required for travelling, the applicant must request it from the Secretariat.

2. Insurance

Whether or not insurance is purchased is entirely the responsibility of the participants and contestants. This applies to health and injury insurance, as well as loss or damage to the instrument or to luggage, in the case of accident, fire, or theft during the travel.

5. Restrictions

The contestants shall not give any public performance during the period of the Competition other than those required for the Competition.

10.00 – 11.00

Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre
(36, Neftchiler Prospekti)

Official Opening of the International Mugam Contest

11.00 – 16.00

Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre
(36, Neftchiler Prospekti)

International Mugam Contest

11.00 – 18.00

Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre
(36, Neftchiler Prospekti)

International Mugam Contest

11.00 - 16.00

Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre
(36, Neftchiler Prospekti)

International Mugam Contest
Announcement of results of the contest and the concert of laureates

 Top of the page

Organizing Committee of the All-National and International Mugam Contest

Members of Jury of the All-National Mugam Contest

Prizes: 

        
Contact phone: (+994 12) 496 3292
E-mail: novruzov@edu.gov.az

Members of Jury of the International Mugam Contest

Prizes: 

 Contact phone: (+994 12) 510 5328
E-mail: kemancha@rambler.ru