CTU 2015 Annual Music Competition

March 17, 2015 by Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam

Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam will be conducting its 12th Annual Music Competition during the Memorial Day weekend 2015 at Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Lemont, IL.

CTU 2015 Competition Day: Mon, 25 May 2015  (Competition starts in the morning)

CTU 2015 Competition Registration Deadline: Fri, Apr 3, 2015

How to participate?

Participation is a 5 step process: 1) Update, 2) Record, 3) Register, 4) Modify and 5) Perform.

  1. Update. Ensure that you provide CTU your updated contact information. Doing so will ensure that you are kept informed about all the logistical details about the competition this year. This will be the only method employed for communication in addition to updates made on our our website.
  2. Record. Record a demo entry in MP3 format.
  3. Register. Complete the registration form and upload the demo entry before the CTU 2015 Competition Registration Deadline. Note: The registration for the CTU 2015 Competition is now closed.
  4. Modify. This is an optional step in the event you want to make changes to your registration including the submission of a revised demo entry.
  5. Perform. If your entry is selected, you will get to perform live on CTU 2015 Competition Day.

Participation Guidelines

  • Students in K-12 school grade can participate. Adults cannot participate in this competition.
  • Contestants can participate in one and only one level/category combination.
  • All contestants must submit one and only one demo entry.

Categories: Vocal, Instrument, and Percussion.

There is no other grouping of contestants other than levels and categories. There is no separate grouping of categories by the age of the contestant.

Contestants may use any instrument for the Instrument and Percussion categories.

Levels for Vocal/Instrument Category

CTU has worked with professional musicians to determine a set of Kritis for various levels.

CTU 2015 Competition List of Kritis

There is no Level One.

Level Two

  • Kriti only – Select 2 kritis from the CTU list for this level. Record the rendition of one of these Kritis and submit this entry as the demo entry. Specify the entry being submitted as the demo entry. Perform one of these entries in the Live Competition as directed by the judges. Judges may engage the contestants in interactive Q&A during the Live Competition.

Level Three

  • Neraval and Kalpana Swaram only. Select 3 kritis from the CTU list for this level. Record the rendition of Neraval and Kalpana Swaram only for one of these Kritis and submit the recording as the demo entry. Render combinations of Neraval and Kalpana Swaram only in one or more of the three Kritis selected as directed by the judges in the Live Competition. Judges may engage the contestants in interactive Q&A during the Live Competition.

Level Four (Accompanied)

  • This level is for vocal contestants only.
  • For the Demo entries, Select 3 kritis from the CTU list for this level. Record the rendition of Neraval and Kalpana Swaram only for one of these Kritis and submit the recording as the demo entry.
  • In the Live Competition, vocal contestants will be accompanied by a seasoned violinist and a seasoned Mridangist.
  • The focus in this level will be on the Manodharmam aspects which may include rendition of Alaapanai, Neraval and Kalpana Swaram at the judges’ request.
  • Vocal contestants will be asked to render these Manodharmam aspects in the three Krithis they selected.

Levels for Percussion Category

      There is no Level One in this year’s Competition.

Level Two

  • Select two Thaalams.Two nadais OR off-samam eduppu.Submit demo entry in one of these Thaalams.Perform Thani in the Thaalam specified by the judge in the Live Competition.

Level Three

  • Select three Thaalams. Three nadais AND off-samam eduppu. Submit demo entry in one of these Thaalams. Perform Thani in the Thaalam specified by the judge in the Live Competition. Contestants will be engaged in interactive Q&A by judges including Konnakol.

Note: Only solo entries can be performed in Levels Two and Three. There are no accompaniments.

Demo Entry:

  • CTU is not in a position to process any entries that do not conform to the guidelines below.
  • Demos must be in MP3 format.
  • Demo entries are required for all categories
  • There is no payment required to submit a demo entry
  • Demo entries must be submitted at the time of Registration before the CTU 2015 Competition Registration Deadline.
  • Plain audio recording would be acceptable. CTU strongly encourages the contestants to ensure that the recording can be heard clearly without any background noise.
  • The MP3 recording of the demo entry must contain the complete performance for the given Level on a single track. It must represent all the aspects specific to the Level for which it is being submitted. The demo entry recording must not contain any content other than the performance itself. Contestants are requested to ensure that they do not narrate any details about themselves or the performance within the demo entry.
  • Even though there is no specific time limit for the duration of the demo entry, the size of the MP3 audio files should not exceed 20 Megabytes (MB). When recording these MP3 entries, we would recommend a sampling rate of 128 KBps at a frequency of 44 KHz.
  • Updates to the registration information as well as the demo entry may be submitted. CTU will work with the latest registration and recording received before the CTU 2014 Competition Registration Deadline.
  • Professional artists, with no ties to CTU, will be ranking the demo entries.

Evaluation Criteria

Traditionally, the evaluation criteria used during CTU competitions include Sruthi Suddham, Laya Suddham, Bhavam, Diction, Instrument Handling, Kaalapramanam, Manodharmam and Overall Presentation. Each year, the judges work with CTU to refine the criteria on an as-needed basis.

Live Competition:

  • Based on the ranking of the demo entries by judges, CTU will determine the contestants who perform at the live competition on CTU 2015 Competition Day.
  • Subject to the timely communication of the demo entry results by the judges, CTU is planning on announcing the names of the contestants selected to perform in the Live Competition approximately three weeks before the CTU 2015 Competition Day.
  • CTU will establish time limits, if necessary, and communicate them to the selected contestants after the number of qualifying contestants for the Live Competition has been determined.
  • Professional artists, with no ties to CTU, will be judging the performances during the Live Competition.
  • The questions posed to the Live Competition contestants are determined by the judges during the competition.
  • The judges may request the contestant to stop at any time during the performance.
  • Contestants are welcome to bring their own Sruthi box and/or Talometer. If they don’t bring one, they are welcome to use the one provided by CTU.
  • CTU will not be providing the exact time of performance in advance. CTU requests all families to encourage all the young contestants by attending the entire Live Competition.

Entry fee for Live Competition:: $25 per contestant.

  • Contestants selected to perform in the Live Competition are required to pay a fee of $25 per contestant prior to their performance in the Live Competition.

Prizes:

Prizes are awarded to the winners of the live competition. These can include trophies, certificates, and cash prizes. Prize Distribution ceremony will be held during the event following the Competition on CTU 2015 Competition Day.

Sponsorship:

Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam’s Annual Music Competition is sponsored in part by CTU well-wishers and the IL Arts Council, A State Agency. Please review the various sponsorship opportunities available and consider being an Event Sponsor for the 2014 Annual CTU Competition.

Please check our FAQ page before sending any questions you have to CtuComp {AT} ChicagoTyagarajaUtsavam.org.