Back to CTU 2009 Music Competition Announcement
Last Updated:Â 3 Nov 2009
1. What must I do to register for the competition?
A. You must do the following to register for the competition once registration is open:
- Review the list of Kritis
- Record your demo entry and
- Register for the competition after registration opens
- Upload your demo entry while registering for the competition.
2. Is there a fee for the Competition?
A. There is no fee for participating in the Competition.
3. How do I determine the Level at which my child should perform?
A. This is a decision to be made by the teacher of the child in question.
4. Is CTU expecting a studio recording quality for the demo entry?
A. Plain audio recording would be acceptable. CTU strongly encourages the contestants to ensure that the recording can be heard clearly by the judges without any background noise.
5. Is this competition only for people from MidWest or can people all over USA take part?
A. Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam welcomes children from all over the world to participate in this competition including children who are briefly visiting North America from other parts of the world.
6. Can a contestant select a song from Level 3 and perform at Level 1 or Level 2?
A. No. The contestant has to participate in the Level corresponding to the song selected.
7. Can the demo entries be in .wav format?
A. No. As mentioned in the CTU Competition Guidelines, the demo entries must be submitted in the mp3 format. This is in the interest of timely processing of the demo entries by following a finite set of well-defined steps for each entry.
8. Can we register our child in two categories — Level One Vocal and Level One Veena?
A. No. A contestant can participate in only one level/category combination. This means the contestant has to decide whether she wants to sing or play the Veena. Once she has decided this, she has to pick the song from the appropriate level. Thus, she can either sing in Level One or play Veena in Level One. Also, she cannot sing or play in any other level.
9. Would it be possible to extend the deadline by a few more days?
A. Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam has to work with the availability and schedule of the judges for the demo entries and subsequently ensure that we announce the contestants selected for the Live Competition on schedule. Therefore, we are not in a position to extend the deadline.
10. In Level 2 and Level 3, can we change the Kritis or Talams we select (other than the Demo Entry) after submitting them?
A. Yes. You may change the Kritis or Talams for all Levels any number of times through the CTU 2008 Competition Registration Deadline. You may not change the Kritis or Talams after the CTU 2008 Competition Registration Deadline.
11. When will the results be announced?
A. The results will be announced during the prize distribution ceremony held after the concert following the music competition held at the same venue on the day of the competition.
12. Is there public transportation available for getting to the competition venue from the airport? Should we rent a car?
A. There is no convenient public transportation available to get to the competition venue from the airport. Renting a car would be the recommended option.
13. How strictly will time limits be enforced during the Live Competition? Will participants be disqualified if they do not finish a krithi or swaram by the end of the time allowed?
A. Time limits will be enforced in the least intrusive manner. The judges have the option to request the contestant to stop even before the stipulated number of minutes has been consumed. Please note that the completion of the performance within the stipulated time is not a criterion. The extent to which the musical aspects are highlighted during the performance is more important.Â
14. Will the contestants be asked to render the krithis and alapana in Level 3?
A. As mentioned in the announcement, contestants have to 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.
15. Is the single nadai for Level 1 Percussion a minimum requirement or the only allowed requirement?
A. All contestants in a particular category are required to follow the guidelines for the given category. Thus, all contestants in the Level 1 Percussion category are required to abide by the requirements stated for this category including the one for single Nadai. If the performance highlights criteria outlined for another level, the contestant should submit their entry at the corresponding level.
16. How can we register for Kuchipudi dance competition?
A. Please note that the CTU 2009 Music Competition is for musical performances only and does not include dance performances.  Therefore, you cannot register for the Kuchipudi dance competition at this event.
30 Sep 2009
17. How many contestants are there per level/category at the live competition?
A. The number of contestants depends on the number of entries submitted and vary by level/category. CTU does not make this information available until the day of the live competition.
18. We are flying in from another state and need to decide when we need to come in and when we can leave town. Could you please provide some details around the timing of the competition and the prize distribution ceremony.
A. CTU welcomes your efforts to participate in the competition by flying in from out of state and looks forward to your continued participation in future events. The start time for the competition is listed on the Contestants Selection Announcement page. All contestants will be requested to be there at the competition venue 30 minutes before the start time. The results will be announced during the Prize Distribution ceremony held during the second half of the concert following the competition. We plan on starting this concert at 6 PM.
19. I am one of the contestants selected to perform in the Live Competition. Can I change the Kritis I specified at the time I registered?
A. No. Contestants selected for the Live Competition are expected to perform the Kriti or set of Kritis specified at the time of registration.
19 Oct 2009
20. Are there any forthcoming additions to the list of contestants selected to perform in the Live Competition to be held on Oct 31, 2009?
A. CTU has made updates to this list after being informed by some of the selected contestants about their inability to attend and perform in the Live Competition this year. There are no more forthcoming additions to this list for the 2009 Music Competition.Â
1 Nov 2009
21. Could CTU share the feedback provided by the judges?
A. Yes. CTU can share the comments in writing — if any — provided by the judges. If you are interested in this feedback on the performance of a contestant, please send an e-mail to request@tyagaraja-chicago.org between 2 Nov 2009 and 6 Nov 2009 with the following information: First Name, Last Name, Kriti(s), Ragam, Thalam, Level, Category and Instrument (if applicable). CTU will communicate the feedback — if available — for the specific entry only by e-mail on or before Dec 31, 2009. Please note that CTU can provide the available feedback only to e-mails received between 2 Nov 2009 and 6 Nov 2009 from the e-mail address registered on the Web for the Competition to request@tyagaraja-chicago.org with all the details requested for entries that can be unambiguously matched.
3 Nov 2009
22. What were the criteria that determined the contestants who were given the Special Recognition certificates?
A. The results from the evaluation of the demo entries are used to determine the contestants to be awarded the Special Recognition certificates based upon their relative ranking.
