In 1969, in commemoration of the 450th anniversary of the death of Emperor Maximilian the city of Innsbruck established the “Paul Hofhaimer Prize” for the interpretation of classic organ masterpieces. An international invitation for entry is hereby announced for the fifteenth competition which will take place from 31 August to 6 September 2007
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The “Paul Hofhaimer Prize” will be awarded as the “Paul Hofhaimer Plaque” of the city of
Innsbruck together with a certificate and the sum of € 5000,-.

Two further prizes of  € 3500,- and € 2000,- each with a certificate will also be awarded.

The competition for the “Paul Hofhaimer Prize” is a contest of interpretation. To determine
the winners, two eliminative or qualifying rounds and a final are required

For the first qualifying round each participant is obligated to play the following pieces in the
Parish Church of St. Nikolaus on the Pirchner-Organ:

The jury determines the competitors who may compete in the second qualifying round, which will be played on the organ in the Silver Chapel and will consist of the following obligatory compositions:

The jury then determines the competitors who have qualified for the final competition, which will be played on the Ebert-Organ of the Innsbruck Court Church. The following obligatory pieces are to be played:

Nota bene: The critical analysis of the source material of the respective musical texts will be considered in the assessment of the candidates.
Each competitor is free to choose the sequence in which he will play the prescribed pieces.
The jury will select the prize winners from among the finalists. To conclude the competition, the winners will present a festive concert during which the presentation ceremony will take place

The jury of the competition, “Paul Hofhaimer Prize 2007” will consist of:

Cathedral Organist Prof. Reinhard Jaud, Chairman, Innsbruck;
Prof. Edoardo Bellotti, Milano;
Prof. François Espinasse, Lyon;
Prof. Brett Leighton, Linz;
Prof. Michael Radulescu, Wien.
Prof. Jose Luis Gonzalez Uriol, Zaragoza

The jury will deliberate in seclusion. Their decisions are irreversible and incontestable. The jury’s decision is based on a point system which shall be agreed upon by the competition management and the jurors before the competition. Each juror will give his secret vote to the competition director so that his evaluation remains private.
The jury is not under obligation to award any of the three prizes. The “Paul Hofhaimer Prize” cannot be shared between participants. Membership of the jury can be altered due to unforeseen circumstances.
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Participants are in agreement with the following conditions: The organizers retain the right to offer these recordings for transmission at home or abroad without the empetitor being entitled to a fee.
Filming for television or other purposes is, without exception, to take place outside the framework of the contest and the prize winner’s concert and requires in each case a specific agreement between the competitor and the organizers.

Each day the order in which the competitors play will be drawn by lots. The music competition is open to the public. The names of the  participants and a history of their studies will be shown to the jury and the public.

During the week preceding the competition, each contestant is entitled to the following practice time:
For the first qualifying round: the Pirchner Organ of the Parish Church of St. Nikolaus for a period of one and a half hours and one hour (on two different days).
For the second round, the organ in the Silver Chapel for one and a half hours.
Practice times on the Ebert-Organ will be available only during the week of the competition to those contestants who have qualified for the second round, each being entitled to one hour of practice on the first day free of competition (September 2, 2007). The contestants who are entering the final round receive yet another practice time of 1 ½ hours each on the day of no competition before the final competition (September 4, 2007).
The arrangement of practice time for the first and second qualifying rounds will be regulated  by the organizers. The sequence of practice times for the final round will be determined by lots drawn by the contestants.

For each of the three rounds, an experienced organist is provided to assist in registration and the turning of pages. The same organist will be available as often as possible during the practice times of the participants.

Participation in the contest for the “Paul Hofhaimer Prize” is not limited by age, training or nationality. Participation is limited to a maximum of 25 persons, who are selected on the basis of the date of receipt of registration (postmark). If a participant is studying under one of the
jurors in the time of the competition, the juror concerned will relinquish his vote to the chairman, who otherwise has no right to vote. Closing day for entries is 31 March 2007 (date of postmark),

To enter, fill out the application , which you can find on the official website, mentioned here below. A notification confirming entry will be sent to the participants whereupon an entrance fee of  € 70. is required. The entry will be considered valid as soon as the entry fee has been received by the organizers. The fact of entry implies consent to all the competition regulations. Upon failure to attend the competition, restitution of the entrance fee will not be possible.

Correspondence between the organizers and the competitors will be carried out in German.
The official language of the competition is German.

The next competition for the “Paul Hofhaimer Prize” is expected to be held during the first half of September 2010.

Entries and inquiries are to be sent to:
Musikschule der Stadt Innsbruck
Reference: Paul Hofhaimer-Wettbewerb
Innrain 5
A-6020 Innsbruck
Austria
Tel. +43/(0)512/585425
Fax: +43/(0)512/585425-5