OFFICIAL RULES
Solo Competition – FEMUSC 2027

Work: Scheherazade, Op. 35 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
FEMUSC Symphony Orchestra | Conductor: Ligia Amadio

Instruments included: Violin and Harp

1. Presentation and objective

1.1. These rules govern the selection process for choosing the soloists (Violin and Harp) who will perform with the FEMUSC Symphony Orchestra in the 2027 edition, under the baton of Maestra Ligia Amadio.

1.2. The FEMUSC Symphony Orchestra is the highest-quality and most ambitious
student orchestral group at FEMUSC. This orchestra has performed major and
challenging works from the symphonic repertoire such as “Don Juan” (Richard Strauss), “The Rite of Spring” and “Petrushka” (Igor Stravinsky), “Pictures at an Exhibition” (Modest Mussorgsky), Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 10”, and Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 5”.

1.3. Following this tradition, on January 16, 2027, the FEMUSC Symphony Orchestra
will present the Symphonic Suite Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the most expressive and admired orchestral works, which requires great virtuosity from all sections. Furthermore, the work offers distinct solo participation for violin
(concertmaster/spalla) and harp.

1.4. The orchestral direction of Scheherazade will be provided by Ligia Amadio.
Acclaimed for her high artistic standards, charisma, and expressive performances, Ligia Amadio is considered by critics to be one of the finest conductors of her generation. Endowed with a passionate and intense personality, she has been praised by great artists of our time for her energetic and natural stage presence, as well as her versatile technical prowess. She was the first woman to be awarded at the renowned Tokyo International Conducting Competition in 1997. The following year, she won the 2nd Latin American Orchestra Conducting Competition in Santiago, Chile. In the Netherlands, she was selected among the top four out of 180 candidates worldwide to participate in the 35th Kirill Kondrashin Masterclass, during which she had the honor of conducting the famous Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. In Brazil, Amadio was honored by the São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA) with the “Conductor of the Year” award in 2001. In 2012, she was recognized once again as “Best Conductor” by the Carlos Gomes Award, also in Brazil. Ligia Amadio is known as one of the most steadfast defenders of orchestral musicians’ labor rights.

2. Registration and feee

2.1. Registration for the competition does not require an entry fee.

3. Requirements, deadlines, and submission format (anonymous evaluation)

3.1. To ensure absolute impartiality and the integrity of the artistic evaluation — free
from any visual, geographical, institutional, or personal profile bias —, the competition will adopt an anonymous audition system.

3.2. Applications must be submitted exclusively through audio files sent via a common audio platform, easily accessible and containing no form of identification (no name, image, or user data on the interface or sharing link). All required excerpts must be contained within one single audio file.

3.3. Deadline and Submission Method: Candidates must submit their recording
containing all required excerpts no later than October 30, 2026, strictly to the email festival@femusc.com.br, with the “Subject” line containing mandatory text: “Concurso Scheherazade”.

3.4. Technical guidelines for recording:
• Positioning: It is recommended to use a single microphone placed 2 (two)
meters away in front and at a height of 2 (two) meters relative to the
instrumentalist.
• Environment: The capture must take place in a silent environment, preferably
with favorable natural acoustics (such as churches or large halls).
• Prohibition of Effects: The use of any editing that adds equalization,
compression, or artificial reverberation is strictly prohibited. The use of artificial
sound may result in the immediate disqualification of the application.
• Cuts and Edits: Pauses and cuts between the different requested excerpts are
permitted. However, each individual excerpt must be recorded from
beginning to end without any internal cuts or edits.
• Identifiable Noises: External noises (such as passing cars, motorcycles, barking
dogs) or accidental noises (such as clearing the throat, minor pizzicatos, string
tuning, or others) that could serve as an identifying signal for the jury will result in
immediate disqualification.

4. Repertoire – Excerpts for violin competiton

4.1. Candidates for the violin soloist position must record all of the following excerpts, in the order presented here, based on the parts available on the official FEMUSC website (www.femusc.com.br):

• First Movement:
1. ”Recitativo Lento” (from measure 14 to Allegro non troppo).
2. From letter “C” to the first note of letter “D”.
3. From letter “G” to the first note of letter “H”.

• Second Movement:
4. From the beginning to Andantino.
5. 17 measures after letter “Q”, for three measures.

• Third Movement:
6. From the “Recitativo Lento” after letter “K” to letter “N”.

• Fourth Movement:
7. From measure 8 (“Recitativo Lento”) to Allegro molto e frenetico.
8. From “Recitativo adagio” to Vivo.
9. 7 measures after letter “Z” to the end of the work (playing only one measure of
each high E is permitted).

5. Repertoire – Excerpts for the harp competition

5.1. Candidates for the harp soloist position must record the following excerpts, based on the parts available on the official FEMUSC website (www.femusc.com.br.):

• First Movement:
1. From the beginning (“Recitativo Lento”) to the first chord of Allegro non troppo.

• Second Movement:
2. From letter “A” to the first chord of letter “B”.
3. From 9 measures before letter “Q” to the end of the movement.

• Third Movement:
4. From letter “H” to letter “K”.
5. From letter “M” to letter “N”.

• Fourth Movement:
6. From the fifth measure after letter “F” to the first chord of letter “G”.
7. From the “Recitativo lento” after letter “Z” to the first chord of Tempo come I. Alla breve.

6. Anonymity workflow and organization

6.1. Upon receipt of the recordings by the FEMUSC coordination, the administrative
team will generate an internal control list matching each candidate’s real name with an exclusive and confidential Identification Number (e.g., Candidate A = No. 01, Candidate B = No. 02, etc.).

6.2. Only the administrative coordination will have access to the correspondence key between names and numbers.

6.3. The audio files sent to the members of the jury will strictly contain the Identification Number, with no mention of the candidate’s name, origin, or application history.

7. Judging process (first phase) and results

7.1. The jury will be composed of FEMUSC faculty members.

7.2. The jurors will evaluate the audio files anonymously and must:
• List the auditions in qualitative order.
• Classify each audition into one of three performance categories: “Among the
best”, “Average”, or “Lower performance”.

7.3. Candidates’ anonymity will be strictly maintained until after the final definition of the winners by Maestro Ligia Amadio and the Artistic Director. The selection of the winning candidates and their respective alternates will take place exclusively while their identification numbers are in use, with their real names being publicly revealed only after the final decision.

7.4. Candidates will be informed of the outcome of each stage by November 16, 2026, via the email and/or WhatsApp registered in their FEMUSC application form.

8. Final phase and tie-breaker criteria

8.1. Direct Selection: Applications that receive exclusively qualifications in the “Among the best” category will advance to the final decision.

8.2. In-Person Audition (If Applicable): If the total number of candidates rated as
“among the best” exceeds 15 (fifteen) per instrument, an in-person audition will be held in Jaraguá do Sul, scheduled for January 10 (the Sunday of the festival’s arrival).

9. Personal data protection (privacy)

9.1. By registering for the competition, candidates authorize the FEMUSC organization to collect and process personal data strictly necessary for the management of the contest, such as full name, email address, WhatsApp number, resume, and submitted audio files.

9.2. The collected data will be treated with confidentiality and used exclusively for the purposes of processing, organization, evaluation, and official communication of the competition, in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

10. General provisions

10.1. Registration for the competition implies full and unreserved acceptance of the
terms of these rules.

10.2. Omissions or exceptional cases will be resolved sovereignly by the Artistic
Direction of FEMUSC. 

10.3. In case of any discrepancy or doubt in the translations into Spanish and English, the original version in Portuguese shall prevail.