Call for entries: European Music Festival for Young People in Belgium

This year’s edition will take place online, and participants will also participate in workshops led by professionals. Applicants are required to submit a pre-recorded performance of their repertoire which will be presented to an international jury.

“We understand that it is difficult for many groups to rehearse under the current circumstances,” the organisers said. “Still, we want to emphasise that the main message the festival seeks to send out is that of fraternisation and uniting people through music. We already started preparing the necessary infrastructure and talking to professionals to make this possible both technically as content-wise.”

Note:

• A few weeks after the festival, a jury report will be sent to participating groups emphasising a positive and non-competitive assessment.
• No cash prizes or prizes in kind will be awarded.
• No allowances will be paid for possible sound and/ or video recordings of the performance.
• All rights are reserved for the festival.

Individuals interested in attending the workshops and a networking session with the jury members as part of the festival’s programming are required to pay a registration fee of  €75 ($90). More information is available here.

How to participate

The age limit for the participants is 29.  

Interested musicians can submit their entries for instrumentals in the following categories:

• Category I.A: Symphonic bands, fanfares, brass bands.
• Category I.B: Jazz ensembles and big bands.
• Category I.C: Percussion ensembles.
• Category I.D: Ensembles for chamber music.
• Category I.E: Chamber orchestras, string orchestras and symphony orchestras.
• Category I.F: Ensembles for free instrumentation, folk music and other instruments.
• Category I.G: Ensembles for ancient music.

Interested musicians can submit their entries for voice in the following categories:

• Category V.A1: Children’s choirs (12-year-old max).
• Category V.A2: Children’s (14-year-old max).
• Category V.B: Equal-voice youth choirs.
• Category V.C: Mixed-voice youth choirs
• Category V.G: Free series that could include vocal folklore, close harmony, vocal jazz, gospel and spiritual, pop choir, a capella ensembles, vocal ensembles with a limited instrumental accompaniment. The vocal music should prevail.

Interested individuals can complete the application form here and send the video footage to info@emj.be.

The submission deadline is 15 February.