■ Professional: Featuring experienced judge panel composed of reknown professors from Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory of Music and the Department of Music of Harvard University, more chances to get a recommendation letter
■ Category: Covering four categories of Voice, Piano, Strings and Other Instruments, music genre is not limited
■ Opportunities: An international platform with constant exposure to social media, all kinds of performance opportunities to enhance artistic skills
■ Wide-Ranging: Various competition categories ranging from solo, group and orchestra, online preliminary and semi-final rounds and finalist on-site competition at Boston
■ International: Finalists are invited to attend the final round in Boston for more prizes, followed by the BIMC award ceremony and winners' concert in Boston

About

About Boston International Music Competition

The Boston International Music Competition (BIMC) is recruiting young music talents around the world to participate. This grand music event is jointly founded and organized by several professors from WeStar Academy of Music, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, and the Department of Music of Harvard University, attracting music lovers from different countries and regions, with age requirements ranging from 5 to 25 years old. BIMC is not only an international music competition, but also provides a stage for teenagers and young musicians to showcase their talents. In 2023, this grand music event has attracted more than 300 contestants from 12 different countries and regions,reported by more than 50 medias with viewing by nearly one million people.
The festival will cover four categories of Voice, Piano, Strings and Other Instruments, participants can participate as a soloist or in teams. With the progression route from preliminary round to semi-final, and then to the Finalist On-site Competition, finalists will be invited to compete on-site in front of the judges on the competition concert day to win prizes, scholarships, and have the chance to receive letters of recommendation and opportunities to perform with well known musicians.

About ASDAN China

ASDAN China was founded in September 2011, currently cooperates with top internationaleducational organizations and prestigious universities across the world, with the aim of introducing high quality education resources into China. ASDAN China hopes to connect after-class activities with schooclasses, and aims to help schools improve their overall extra curricular activities, by providing students with high quality educational resources.
Since 2021, ASDAN China has been introducing music-based programs, establishing long-term partnerships with several international youth music festivals in the UK, Austria, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

Advancement


Preliminary Round

Submission Online


April 7, 2024

Semi-final Round

Submission Online


May 19, 2024

Final Round

Offline in Boston


July 6, 2024

Certificate & Awards

Honorable Award: Awarded for candidates of preliminary round who did not qualify for semi-final round
Excellent Achievement Award: Awarded for candidates of preliminary round who are qualified for semi-final round
Outstanding Achievement Award: Awarded for candidates of semi-final round who are qualified for final round
First / Second / Third Prize: Top three finalists in each category in the final round
Audience Most Favorite Award: Candidates appreciated by the judge panel in each round
Best Stage Perormance Award: Candidates with outstanding stage presence in each round

Trophy Sample (top 3 finalists in the final round)

Honorable Award Sample

Judge Panel

James O'Dell

Chair, Other Instrument Judge
Professor of Berklee College of Music, Associate Dean (retired) of Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Tuba, Euphonium, Instrumental Music Education, Conductor

Utar Arun

Assistant Chair, Piano Judge
Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory Voting Member at The Recording Academy for Grammy Awards Classical and Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Percussionist and Director

Max Levinson

Piano Judge
Professor of Piano, Boston Conservatory at Berklee & New England Conservatory Piano, Chamber Music

Rebecca Perricone

Voice Judge
Professor at Berklee College of Music Voice, Broadway, Soul, Blues, Jazz

Ana Guigui

Voice Judge
Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music Professor at Longy School of Music of Bard College Opera/Voice, Musical Theater, Broadway

Yi-Bing Chu

String Judge
Professor at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Dance de Paris Former Professor at Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing Cello, Founder of SuperCello Festival

Sharan Leventhal

String Judge
Professor, Boston Conservatory at Berklee Violin, toured four continents as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher

Sarah Brady

Other Instrument Judge
Associate Professor, Boston Conservatory at Berklee Flute, principal flute with Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP)

Tom Stein

Other Instrument Judge
Professor at Berklee College of Music GRAMMY Awards winner Proficient Arranger and Producer of high profile events Guitar, Bass, Voice

Festival Information

Age Codes


A - Elementary

Age 6-10

B - Junior

Age 11-14

C - Senior

Age 15-18

D1 - Young Artist

Age 19-25: Non-Music Major

D2 - Young Artist

Age 19-25: Music Major

Repertoire Requirements


Preliminary Round:

1 program of free choice within 8 minutes (Age Code D2 should be no more than 12 minutes)

Semi-final Round:

1 program of free choice within 8 minutes (The piece presented in this round can be the same as the preliminary round)

Final Round:

programs of free choice within 15 minutes (The pieces presented in this round can be the same as the previous two rounds, finalists who aren't available to attend the on-site round are required to submit a video)

Categories


Voice: Classical, contemporary, folk, solo, duet, choir
Piano: Classical, contemporary, jazz
Strings Violin, viola, cello and double bass

Other Instrument: Keyboard (digital piano, electronic organ, accordion), Other Strings (guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, harp, mandolin, etc.), Woodwind (flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, etc.), Brass (trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, etc.), Percussion (marimba, xylophone, drum set, djembe, etc.), Oriental Instruments (erhu, jinghu, guzheng, dulcimer, pipa, ruan, bamboo flute, suona, hulusi, as listed in other classes)

Judging criteria & Calendar


Judging criteria

1. The scoring for each round is based on a percentage system, and the judge panel will rate the performance in terms of overall impression, music techniques and stage presence.
2. Candidates are required to perform a complete piece of music
3. The decisions of the judge team and announcements are final. Any petition for reconsideration will need to be approved by the Advisory Board.
4. Candidates are suggested to play by memory.

Calendar

  • April 7, 2024: Deadline for Application and Video Submission - Preliminary Round
  • April 23, 2024: Announcement of Semi-Finalists for Preliminary Round
  • May 19, 2024: Deadline for Semi-Finalists Video Submission
  • June 4, 2024: Announcement of Finalists for semi-final round
  • July 6, 2024: Finalist On-site Competition & BIMC award ceremony and winners' concert in Boston

Application

How to join us

Submit your performance recording online

Video Requirements

  • Videos must be in original recording from ONE camera angle with good lighting
  • Videos should not be edited or modified in any way and must be recorded within 1 year
  • Videos must show at least the performer's upper half body and hands
  • Vocalists may wear headphones while recording but need to show at least the top half of their body and any microphones
  • If you have accompanists, the pianist or the principal accompanist must be shown in the video
  • Videos for a band or an orchestra need to show all group members
  • Candidates should perform in formal attire whenever possible

Submission Instruction

Please attach your performance video (a web link of a video file in MP4 format), a PDF copy of your music score, a clear copy of your Passport or Photo ID, a JPEG file of your artistic photograph, to bimc@seedasdan.org before the deadline, and the title of the email should be named after Your Category + Your Name (e.g. C - Elementary - Strings - David Zhang)

Regional Consultants


Ms. Zhang

North China

Beijing, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia

13269709296


Ms. Zhou

East China

Shanghai, Jiangsu

13127836096


Ms.Wang

East China

Zhejiang

15618633087


Ms. Ou

South China

Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas

18576756975


Ms. Pan

Central China

Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Xinjiang, Jiangxi

13086629260


Ms. Li

West China

Sichuan, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet

18502808484