VII YOUNG SOLOISTS COMPETITION
GRAMADO IN CONCERT
The Organizing Committee of the XIII Gramado In Concert – International Music Festival hereby publishes this Call for Applications, which establishes the rules and conditions for the VII Gramado In Concert Young Soloists Competition.

1. PURPOSE
1.1. The purpose of this Call for Applications is to hold the VII Gramado In Concert Young Soloists Competition, consisting of three (3) stages: the first stage, conducted virtually through video evaluation; the second stage, corresponding to the semifinal; and the third stage, corresponding to the final. The semifinal and final will both take place during the XIII Gramado In Concert – International Music Festival, to be held from January 22 to 30, 2027.
1.2. The competition aims to encourage and promote young Brazilian and foreign instrumentalists, contributing to their artistic development and to the recognition and appreciation of new musical talents.

2. AWARDS
2.1. In the final stage, the Jury Committee will select three (3) winners, who will receive the following prizes:
a) 1st place: BRL 3,500.00 (three thousand five hundred Brazilian reais);
b) 2nd place: BRL 2,500.00 (two thousand five hundred Brazilian reais);
c) 3rd place: BRL 1,500.00 (one thousand five hundred Brazilian reais).
2.2. An additional prize of BRL 1,000.00 (one thousand Brazilian reais) will be awarded to the candidate chosen by the audience as Best Soloist.
2.3. The winners may also be invited to perform as soloists with partner orchestras or with the Festival's own orchestras.
2.4. Ties may occur. In such cases, the prize shall be divided among the winners.
2.5. The winners will receive their prizes within ninety (90) days following the end of the event.
2.6. In order to receive the cash prize, the winner must submit an invoice issued either by the winner themselves or by a company representing them.
2.7. The Jury Committee reserves the right not to award the first-place prize to any candidate if it considers that none of the finalists has demonstrated sufficient distinction to merit the award.

3. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
3.1. Young Brazilian and foreign musicians aged between twelve (12) and twenty-eight (28) years may apply to participate in the following instrumental categories:
Violin;
Viola;
Cello;
Double Bass;
Flute;
Piccolo;
Oboe;
English Horn;
Clarinet;
Bass Clarinet;
Bassoon;
Saxophone;
Trumpet;
French Horn;
Trombone;
Euphonium;
Tuba;
Percussion; and
Classical Guitar.
3.2. Candidates may not turn twenty-eight (28) years of age after January 30, 2027.
3.3. Registration is prohibited for any teachers, members of the coordination or event staff, as well as their relatives up to the second degree.
3.4. The competition is exclusively open to Festival students. Therefore, applicants wishing to participate must be registered for the XIII Gramado In Concert. The first evaluation stage of the competition will take place after the Festival registration payment period has ended.
Accordingly, only candidates who have been selected to participate in the event and who have confirmed their registration by paying the applicable registration fee will be evaluated.
3.5. Candidates selected for the final stage must use their own instruments. Only percussion instruments will be provided by the event.
3.6. The availability of percussion instruments must be verified in advance with the coordination team, taking into consideration the limitations of the equipment rented by the event. For example, a five-octave marimba will not be available, as the Festival has only a four-octave-and-one-third marimba.

4. APPLICATIONS
4.1. Applications will be open from August 10, 2026, to September 28, 2026.
4.2. To apply, candidates must access and complete the Application Form available on the website www.gramadoinconcert.com.br.
4.3. When completing the Application Form, candidates must indicate the work they intend to perform in the competition. The selected work must be a concerto, a concerto movement, or another work for soloist and orchestra.
4.4. Candidates must include in the Application Form a link to a video hosted online, with no access restrictions, with a maximum duration of twelve (12) minutes, in which they must perform the proposed work in its entirety, without cuts, with or without accompaniment.
4.5. At the time of application, candidates must submit the piano reduction/score of the proposed work, as candidates selected for the semifinal and final stages will be accompanied by one of the pianists provided by the event.

5. JURY COMMITTEE
5.1. The Jury Committee shall be composed of the faculty members of the XIII Gramado In Concert.
5.2. The competition shall be coordinated by Artistic Director and Conductor Leandro L. Serafim.

6. EVALUATION
6.1. First Stage – Virtual Evaluation
The first stage will comprise the publication of this Call for Applications and the opening of registrations in August, preferably beginning on August 10, 2026, and ending on September 28, 2026.
After the application period has ended, the Evaluation Committee, composed of members of the event's faculty, will evaluate the candidates based on the video and brief curriculum submitted at the time of application.
Up to twelve (12) candidates may be selected in this stage, preferably, but not mandatorily, two (2) representatives from each of the following categories:
a) Woodwinds: oboe, flute, bassoon, clarinet and saxophone;
b) Brass: trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba;
c) High strings: violin and viola;
d) Low strings: cello and double bass;
e) Percussion: all instruments commonly used in symphonic ensembles;
f) Classical Guitar.
The selected candidates for the second stage will preferably be announced on October 12, 2026.
Only applications submitted by students selected for the Festival who have confirmed their participation by paying the registration fee will be considered for evaluation.
If any selected candidate withdraws from participation in the event, even after having confirmed their registration, another candidate from the waiting list may be called to replace them.
6.2. Second Stage – Semifinal
The semifinal of the competition will take place during the event, in two stages:
a) Saturday, January 23, 2027, at 6:00 p.m., preferably with string and classical-guitar instrumentalists;
b) Monday, January 25, 2027, at 6:00 p.m., preferably with wind and percussion instrumentalists.
In each stage, the candidates selected in the first stage will have up to twelve (12) minutes to perform a complete work or part thereof, which must be written for soloist and orchestra. They may be accompanied by a pianist provided by the event, when necessary.
Considering the two presentation dates, the Evaluation Committee will select up to six (6) finalists, preferably, but not mandatorily, one (1) representative from each of the following categories:
a) Woodwinds;
b) Brass;
c) High strings;
d) Low strings;
e) Percussion;
f) Classical Guitar.
6.3. Third Stage – Final
The grand final of the competition will preferably take place on Wednesday, January 27, 2027.
On this occasion, the candidates approved in the second stage will also have up to twelve (12) minutes to perform the same work, in whole or in part.
The Evaluation Committee, composed of Festival faculty members, will select the three (3) top-ranked candidates.
An additional prize will also be awarded to the candidate chosen by the audience as Best Soloist.
The winners may also be invited to perform as soloists with partner orchestras or with the Festival's own orchestras, either in this edition or in the subsequent edition.
The cash prizes will be paid within ninety (90) days following the event.

7. USE OF IMAGE, VOICE, AUDIO AND VIDEO
Participation in the XIII Gramado In Concert – International Music Festival implies the free authorization for the capture, use and dissemination of the participant's image, voice and artistic performances in photographs and audio and video recordings made by the Festival's organization or by third parties authorized by it.
The participant authorizes such material to be used, reproduced, edited, adapted, published, distributed and disseminated, in whole or in part, through any physical or digital medium, whether currently existing or developed in the future, exclusively for institutional, educational, cultural, historical, journalistic and promotional purposes related to the Festival's activities, without territorial limitation and for an indefinite period.
This authorization includes, among others, the use of such material in printed publications, books, catalogs, programs, reports, promotional materials, institutional campaigns, websites, digital platforms, social media, streaming services, video channels, live broadcasts, television, radio, podcasts and other communication media. The material may also be stored in physical or digital databases and archives.
The participant also authorizes the use of their name, image, voice and biographical information related to their participation in the Festival for identification, publicity and historical documentation of the event.
The authorizations provided for in this section are granted free of charge, irrevocably and irreversibly, and shall not give the participant any right to remuneration, compensation or financial indemnification for the use of such material, without prejudice to the moral rights guaranteed under Brazilian law.
Any personal data collected during the application and participation process shall be processed in accordance with Law No. 13,709/2018 (Brazilian General Data Protection Law – LGPD), and shall be used exclusively for the management, implementation, communication and institutional promotion of the Festival, in compliance with the principles of purpose limitation, necessity, security and other applicable legal provisions.
The Festival organization may authorize sponsors, supporters, institutional partners and media outlets to use such material exclusively for the promotion of the Festival and its activities. Its use for commercial purposes unrelated to the event is prohibited.

8. FINAL PROVISIONS
8.1. Submission of an application implies full and unrestricted acceptance of all rules and conditions established in this Call for Applications.
8.2. In order to receive the prizes, selected candidates must issue an invoice through their own company or designate a representative company authorized to issue such invoice.
8.3. Any matters not expressly provided for in this Call for Applications shall be decided by the Organizing Committee of Gramado In Concert.
8.4. Requests for clarification regarding this Call for Applications may be submitted by email to: gramadoinconcert2027@gmail.com.
Gramado, August 10, 2026.
NESTOR TISSOT
Mayor of Gramado