Applicant FAQ
Below is a list of frequently asked questions for the 2023 competition. If you have more questions, please email pianostar@thepianoleague.com.
General Questions
• Virtual Performance: Most online competitions do not contain a virtual performance. The final rounds of the Piano League Piano Star International Competition happen in real time via Zoom or equivalent software. Our judges are also present in the Zoom meeting and listen live to the contestants and give instant verbal comments.
• In-Person Performance: Contestants can choose to play in-person in the Final Round.
• Transparency: We release all scorings and rankings from the Final Round & Grand Final Round from all judges. Click here for an example from the Final Round announcement of our 2022 competition.
• Renowned Judges: Judges at our competition are top-notch concert pianists and/or conservatory professors.
• Carnegie Hall Performance: Select winners will perform in the Carnegie Hall Winners Concert. Check the prizes page for detail.
Professionalism and Reputation. Run by professional pianists, Piano League is the official partner of numerous major piano competitions in the world, including the Beethoven International Piano Competition Bonn and the Liszt International Piano Competition. We also have a 5-star rating and over 10k fans on Facebook, most of whom are pianists themselves.
Application Questions
- Applicants can apply to compete in an older age groups if they wish to play a longer program and/or wants the challenge.
- Applicants may NOT apply to a younger age group.
Repertoire Questions
For the Preliminary Round and Final Round, you may submit a program that exceeds the time limit. However, please note that only the portion up to the time limit will be adjudicated.
In the Final Round, your performance will be stopped by the judges at the time limit mark.
We do NOT allow programs that exceed the time limit in the Grand Final Round. This is strictly enforced.
You can re-use programs from the preliminary round in later rounds. However, the Final Round program & the Grand Final program must be different.
No. You will not be able to change your repertoire after you submit your application.
PL STAR sCORES
Contestants receive the PL Star Score in the Preliminary Round & Final Round of the competition, which determines their marks or prizes:
Preliminary Round:
9.5 – 10.0 = High Distinction
• 9.0 – 9.4 = Distinction
• 8.0 – 8.9 = Merit
• 6.0 – 7.9 = Pass
Final Round:
• 9.5-10.0: First Prize
• 9.0-9.4: Second Prize
• 8.5-8.9: Third Prize
• 8.4 or below: Finalist Certificate
All contestants will receive their scores. A Star Score only contains the numerical score – no comments are added.
All contestants who scores 8.0 or above in the Preliminary Round automatically advance to the Final Round. Contestants who score below 8.0 will not advance to the Final Round.
Lastly, PL Star Scores will also be used to determine teacher prizes. Teachers of students scoring 9.0 or above in either the Preliminary Round or the Final Round will receive a “PL Excellence of Teaching” award after the competition concludes.
Judges give their scores based on your overall piano skills, which includes but not limited to: technique, musicality, rhythm, tempo, tone color, accuracy, styles, voicing, and much more.
There can be a variety of reasons why scores may be lower than previous years despite the fact that you probably improved.
One obvious reason may be that you switched to a different group. In general, it is harder to get a high score in an older group than a younger group. It is also harder to get a high score in the professional division than the amateur division.
It could also be that the judges this year have a lower scoring scale, since everyone’s scale of scores can be slightly different.
The short answer is no. The long answer is that, while difficulty of pieces certainly plays a part in judges’ mind, simply choosing to play a difficult piece will not get you a higher score at all. Of course, it would be impressive if you played a difficult piece phenomenally. However, playing a piece that you can execute well, one that is appropriate to your level, is your best bet to receiving a high score.
Final Round Questions
We do not set a quota on how many people can get into the Final Round.
Final Round admittance is based on the PL Star Score. All contestants who scores 8.0 or above in the Preliminary Round automatically advance to the Final Round.
A total of three judges will be listening to you.
We may record the Final Round for our marketing purposes, but we cannot share the recording with you.
Yes, you may record your own Final Round as well as the judge’s comments for your personal use.
For the virtual final round, you will be asked to leave the Zoom meeting after the judges finish commenting on your performance.
In-person final rounds are open to the public.
No, the judges for in-person and virtual final rounds will be different. Please see our Rules & Regulation page for details on how Grand Finalists are selected.
Grand Final Round Questions
No. The Grand Final Round consists of newly recorded videos, which must be recorded after the Final Round. The Judges join virtually to watch these videos. The entire event is livestreamed on our Youtube page.
We will send detailed instructions to the grand finalists following the announcement of the Final Round results, which will contain methods of verifying that these recordings are newly made after the Final Round.
Selection for the Grand Finals will be based on a combination of score and percentile rank within each age group (virtual or in-person). Participants must achieve a minimum score and be within a high percentile of performers in their age group (virtual or in-person) to be considered for the Grand Finals.
Up to 8 grand finalists will be selected for Group A & B, and up to 6 grand finalists will be selected for Group C, D & E.
Carnegie hall winners concert Questions
The Winners Concert will automatically be eligible for the Gold and Silver Medalists from the Grand Final Round. However, we are likely to select additional winners to participate in the concert, even if they were not selected as a grand finalist.
It will be on Sunday, June 30th, 2024 at 7:30pm.
Due to extremely limited space, all invited performers must confirm within one week of invitation notification, or the spot will be given to another performer. All fees are due at the time of confirmation of participation.
