English<< Participation Requirements
Revised April 27th, 2023 >>Revised November 25, 2022
Revised February 27, 2023

Presented by: Sony Music Foundation
Supported by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan / Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan /Musashino city / Japan Oboe Association
With the cooperation of: Sony Group Corporation / YAMAHA CORPORATION
In collaboration with: The Musashino Foundation for Culture and Lifelong Learning /Japan Double‐Reed Inc. / Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Ⅰ. COMPETITION OVERVIEW“THE INTERNATIONAL OBOE COMPETITION OF JAPAN” began with an idea by the former chairmanof the Sony Music Foundation, Norio Ohga (1930–2011), who was intrigued by the innocent andcomforting sound of the oboe and advocated its importance as the instrument that could determine thequality of an entire orchestra. The Sony Music Foundation has been presenting the Competition every
three years since 1985. It aims to promote the true artistic value of the oboe, as well as to contribute to thedevelopment of music culture with an international perspective through discovering and fostering
talented musicians and helping them expand their scope of activities in Japan and abroad. It hasestablished a reputation as a unique international Competition solely dedicated to the oboe, with pastwinners going on to become international music figures who have obtained principal and solo positions
in world‐renowned orchestras. The first seven Competitions were held in Tokyo. Starting with the 8thCompetition in 2006 up to the 11th in 2015, it has been held at Karuizawa Ohga Hall in Nagano Prefecture.
The 12th Competition took place in Tokyo in 2018. The 13th Competition has been postponed due to the
COVID‐19 pandemic and will be held anew in 2023. The Competition is a member of the World
Federation of International Music Competitions.

1. Name of Competition
THE 13th INTERNATIONAL OBOE COMPETITION OF JAPAN 2023 in Tokyo

2. Committees of “The 13th International Oboe Competition of Japan 2023 in Tokyo”
ChairmanMichinori MIZUNO (Chairman, Sony Music Foundation)[Management Committee]
Shigenobu KARUBE (Secretary General, Secretariat /Executive Managing Director, Sony Music Foundation)
Fumihiko KANAGAWA (Deputy Secretary General, Secretariat /Managing Director, Sony Music Foundation）
Ken‐ichi FURUBE
Isao TSUJI
Masaru YOSHIDA[Review Committee]
Jury Chairman
Hansjörg SCHELLENBERGER (Oboist / Conductor / Professor, Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid)
Jury members (in alphabetical order)
Ken‐ichi FURUBE (Specially Appointed Principal Oboist, New Japan Philharmonic /Associate Professor, Tokyo College of Music）
Gordon HUNT (Principal Oboist, London Chamber Orchestra / Former Principal Oboist,
Philharmonia Orchestra / Conductor)
Ramón Ortega QUERO (Principal Oboist,Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra)
Dwight PARRY (Principal Oboist, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
Isao TSUJI (Oboist / Professor and Assistant to Dean, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music)
Masaru YOSHIDA (Principal Bassoonist, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo)

13. Secretariat
Secretariat of the “13th INTERNATIONAL OBOE COMPETITION OF JAPAN 2023 in Tokyo”
c/o Sony Music Foundation
Address: SME‐Rokubancho Bldg. 4‐5, Rokubancho, Chiyoda‐ku, Tokyo 102‐8353 JAPAN
Phone: +81‐(0)3‐3515‐5261 (10:00–18:00 Japan time, on weekdays)e‐mail: smf@sonymusic.co.jp
URL: https://oboec.jp/index_e/Please note: Any inquiries from abroad will only be accepted via e‐mail.
4. Dates
Period for application: *Application must include the video for preliminary screening
February 15 (Wed.) – March 14 (Tue.) 24(Fri.), 2023 * Please see II‐2 for details[Must arrive by this date, Central European time]
Preliminary screening by Jury (with videos): April – May 2023 (Closed to the public)◇ Results announcement: Around June 19 (Mon.)First round (with videos):
Deadline for video submission: August 8, 2023 (Tue.) (tbc)◇ Results announcement：Around September 11 (Mon.)(The following will take place in Tokyo, Japan)
Registration:
Second round :September 30, 2023 (Sat.)
October 3 (Tue.), 5 (Thu.), 6 (Fri.), 2023
◇ Results announcement: October 6 (Fri.)
Final Round and Award Presentation Ceremony: October 8, 2023 (Sun.)
Prize Winners & Jury Concert:
October 9, 2023 (Mon.)

5. VenueMusashino Civic Cultural Hall
3‐9‐11 Nakacho, Musashino City, Tokyo 180‐0006 Japan
https://www.musashino.or.jp/bunka/◆ Second Round: Small Hall
◆ Final Round / Award Presentation Ceremony / Prize Winners & Jury Concert: Large Hall

6. Prizes & Awards◆◆◆◆

First Prize (Ohga Award) Certificate / cash prize of JPY 1,300,000 / trophy
Second Prize
Certificate / cash prize of JPY 700,000
Third Prize
Certificate / cash prize of JPY 300,000
Honorable Mention
Certificate / cash prize of JPY 100,000* Presented to all finalists other than the winners of the top three prizes.
Certificate◆ Audience Award
Certificate◆ Encouragement Award* Presented to one contestant with Japanese citizenship, selected by the jury. If no one is deemed
qualified, the relevant place will be left vacant. The winner will be given an opportunity toperform in a concert organized by Sony Music Foundation.
Commemorative gift
◆ Sony Award* Presented by Sony Group Corporation to all finalists.
◇ If there are two or more winners for the First, Second, and/or Third Prizes, the Committee willrevise the amount of the cash prize at its own discretion.
If no one is deemed qualified, the relevant place will be left vacant.
◇ Other prizes and awards, such as a Special Award, may be offered.
◇ The amounts of cash prizes are inclusive of taxes according to the tax laws of Japan.
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Ⅱ. APPLICATION
1. Eligibility
Anyone born between January 1, 1993, and December 31, 2005, is eligible, except for past first‐prize
winners of this Competition.

2. Period for application
February 15 (Wed.) – March 14 (Tue.) 24(Fri.), 2023 [Must arrive by this date, Central European time]*We have extended our application (with video) submission deadline as we realized that our rather
insufficient description in this Participation Requirements document had caused unwanted
misunderstanding and confusion as to the deadline date of the Video submission for the Preliminary
Screening (Pre‐screening).

3. Where to apply
All applications must go through MUVAC, an online application facilitation service. “MUVAC”（https://www.muvac.com/）* Need to sign up for an account prior to application.
* Application through other methods are not accepted.

4. How to apply
Applicants must go to the MUVAC website within the application period and submit all of thefollowing items, namely (a) through (e), by typing in or uploading.
1) First of all, register the information required to apply for this competition (see the chart below)
from “Join muvac” at the top right side of the MUVAC home page.
2) After registering the required information, go on to the “13th INTERNATIONAL OBOECOMPETITION OF JAPAN 2023 in Tokyo” page (search by the keyword “Sony Music
Foundation”) which will be launched within the “Institutions” section on the MUVAC website,and send your application through “Apply”.
3) After you have completed the application, there will be an application confirmation e‐mail sent toyou from MUVAC automatically. Make sure you have received the confirmation.
4) The Japanese manual is available on the official website of the “13th INTERNATIONAL OBOECOMPETITION OF JAPAN 2023 in Tokyo” (https://oboec.jp/) as needed.
* The data can be modified or added as needed, within the period of application (February 15 throughMarch 14 24, 2023).
* Applications with any fraud and/or deficiency will be disqualified immediately upon detection.

Notes etc.

Where to lookon the MUVAC
website（a） Basic
information

Basic information of the applicant‐ Name / gender / date of birth‐ Nationality / address / phone #, etc.

Personal
Data（b）Profile

Current occupation / musical background / performing history /competition award‐winning experience/s, etc.

Résumé

（c） Photo‐ Front face / from the waist up‐ Taken within the last 6 months of the application date
‐ Color photo that is not subject to copyright restriction (A clipping from

Documents

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flyers, magazines, etc. is unacceptable.)‐ The image should be a JPEG 200KB or larger.
‐ The photo will be used in the official pamphlet, website, and for theCompetition’s publication, etc.
(d) Proof ofage

ONE official documentation as proof of age (passport, etc.)

Documents（e）Video forpreliminary
screening

The URL of the page on YouTube or Vimeo where the applicant
has uploaded the video of the Required Repertoire (stated in the latterpart of this document*Those who have participated in the Second Round in any of our past
Competitions are exempt from submitting the recording for the
preliminary screening. If applicable, make sure to notify the Secretariat
by email (smf@sonymusic.co.jp) prior to the application.
- Recording should be made no earlier than October 2022; non‐edited
recording only. “Non‐edited” means that audio adjustments orediting during the performing of the tune has not been done.
- The screening will be done without letting the jurors know theapplicants’ names. Therefore, make sure that anything that may
identify you, such as your name, your school logo, etc., does notappear in the video.
- Camera angle should be horizontal and fixed. Make sure that theoboist’s hand and face show clearly from the front. As for theaccompanist, make sure that his/her face shows too.
- Audio‐only applications are not accepted.
- Upload your video as Public or Unlisted on YouTube or Vimeo andtype in the URL of the uploaded video. Be careful NOT to set a
password.
- We recommend you to use the highest quality available for theaudio/video.
- The title of the video should be the video shoot date (dd/mm/yyyy).
Do not state anything in the Description section, etc.

Media

5. Preliminary screening (closed to the public)
In order to select the contestants for the First Round, Preliminary Screening will be done by way ofreviewing the submitted videos stated in II‐4.
The Preliminary Screening will be done by the Jury Chairman and the Jury members who reside inJapan, after the Secretariat has confirmed the applications’ eligibility. It will be a “blind screening”
process, so no applicant’s information will be disclosed to the Jury members at the time of thescreening.
The results of the Preliminary Screening will be provided to all applicants via e‐mail from MUVAC(messages@muvac.com), aiming for no later than Monday, June 19, 2023. If you do not receive yourresult by Monday, June 19, please contact the Secretariat via e‐mail (smf@sonymusic.co.jp). Any
inquiries regarding the Preliminary Screening will not be answered prior to that date.

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Ⅲ. COMPETITION PARTICIPATION
1. Participation fee
Those who have passed the Preliminary Screening must remit JPY 20,000 as the participation fee.
The fee, once paid, is not refundable under any circumstances.

2. First RoundThe first round will be done with the submitted videos, reviewed by all Jury members.
Details of the First Round, such as how to submit the video, etc., will be informed at time ofnotification only to those who have passed the Preliminary Screening.
After confirming the submission of the video from the contestant, the Secretariat will provide
JPY 70,000 (including taxes based on Japanese tax law) to support the expenses for theshooting of the video in concern. The amount will be wired to the designated bank account.
The deadline for the submission of the video for the First Round is Tuesday, August 8, andthe results are announced around Monday, September 11.
Orders of performance in the Second and Final Rounds will be designated after the results of
the First Round has been confirmed, and will be based on the careful drawing by the
Secretariat. The order of performances, once decided, will be applied to the entire
Competition.
The submitted videos will be viewable to public.
Applications
with any fraud and/or deficiency will be disqualified immediately upondetection.

3. Second and Final Rounds
The Second and Final Rounds will take place in Musashino City, Japan, reviewed by all Jury members.
The contestants for the Second Round must register for participation on Saturday, September 30, 2023,
at the registration site in Tokyo designated by the Secretariat. Contestants must attend the receptionthat follows the registration process on the same day.
Details of the Second Round will be informed at time of notification only to those who have passed theFirst Round.
Upon qualification from the First Round, the contestant should notify the Secretariat of the required
information, such as his/her choice of required repertoire for the Second Round and the performing
order, as well as requests for accommodations and accompanists.
Details of the Final Round will be informed at time of notification only to those who have passed theSecond Round.

4. Stipend for contestants from abroad
Those who reside outside Japan and come/return to Japan solely for the Competition shall receive astipend as stated below in Japanese yen cash upon registration for participation in the Second Roundin Japan, if deemed applicable by the Secretariat.
A stipend will not be provided if a contestant comes/returns to Japan without an intention to go backto the place of residence for a certain period of time and/or with the purpose other than participationin the Competition.
The applicable region should be the place of embarkation/disembarkation for participation in theCompetition.
The contestant shall receive the amount after tax withholding according to the tax laws of Japan. (Taxrate is 20.42% in principle.)5

Contestants fromthe Americas /Europe / Africa
Contestants from
Asia / Oceania

Amount (gross)Amount to be received after
tax reduction (net)

JPY 100,000

JPY 79,580

JPY 50,000

JPY 39,790

5. Accommodation for Contestants
The Secretariat will provide the accommodation at a hotel designated by the Secretariat (one single roomfor one person with breakfast) from the date of registration to the following dates.
All other accommodation expenses must be taken care of by the contestant.
◆ Contestants in the Second Round:
September 30 until the morning following the Second Round (October 7)◆ Contestants in the Final Round:
September 30 until the morning following the Final Round (October 9)◆ Contestants appearing in the “Prize Winners & Jury Concert” (described later in this document):
September 30 until the morning following the “Prize Winners & Jury Concert” (October 10)

6. Accompaniment- The contestant may bring his/her own piano and/or harpsichord accompanist, in which case, thecontestant is responsible for all the costs to do so.
- If the contestant is not bringing his/her own accompanist, the Secretariat will arrange for the official
piano and/or harpsichord accompanist of the Second Round.
- The Secretariat will provide an orchestra, a conductor, and chamber musicians (a string trio) for allcontestants in the Final Round.
- The Secretariat will determine the details, such as the time and place of the official rehearsal/s withthe piano and harpsichord accompanists, the orchestra, the conductor, and the chamber musicians.
- Official accompanists will be assigned for the Second Round, Final Round, and the “Prize Winners& Jury Concert” respectively by the Secretariat. It is not guaranteed that the same accompanist/s
will be assigned.

7. “Prize Winners & Jury Concert”- The winners (of the top three prizes, in principle) must perform at the “Prize Winners & Jury Concert”
on October 9, which is the day following the Final Round, at the Musashino Civic Cultural Hall (Large
Hall).
- No fee will be paid to the Prize Winners for the performance in this concert. However, accommodation
expenses for the concert (extension of check out timing to the Oct. 10th) will be covered by the
Secretariat accordingly.
- The Committee will decide on the pieces that will be performed from among the Required Repertoire(described later in this document) that the winners performed at the Competition. It may suggest thesection of the repertoire to perform.

68.

Others[A] Contestant/ Participant
An applicant who has passed the Preliminary Screening and paid the participation fee is referred toas a “contestant.” He/she will be referred to as a “participant” if he/she fails to proceed to the next
round.
[B] Visa
The contestant and/or the accompanist is/are responsible for obtaining the visa/s to enter Japan, as
necessary. For documents required for a visa application to enter Japan, please contact the Secretariat.
[C] Insurance
The contestant and/or the accompanist is/are responsible for obtaining insurance against illness, aswell as accidents, fire, theft, damage to belongings (including his/her instrument), and/or otherliabilities for the entire period of the Competition.
[D] Copyrights
Any rights including neighboring rights related to photographing, recording, filming, broadcasting,and streaming of all performances during the Competition including the “Prize Winners & Jury
Concert,” which take place on the day following the Final Round, will belong to the Secretariat.
[E] Presentation of the Performances
All the rounds of this Competition are open to the public, except for Preliminary Screening.
The First, Second, and Final Rounds, as well as the Award Presentation Ceremony, may be broadcast
live and/or recorded for TV, radio, and/or live/archive streaming on the Internet (on YouTube andother streaming services), and on the Competition’s official website and social media accounts, andthe contestants and accompanists shall agree to such broadcasting. Please note that no fee will be
paid to the Contestants for these broadcasting, streaming, and sharing.
[F] Personal Information
The following information of the contestants in the First Round will be disclosed:[nationality / region / full name / date of birth / titles of the repertoire to be performed / educational
background / musical background]
The Secretariat will take necessary measures to keep the personal information provided by applicantsin an appropriate manner and protect it against leakage, loss, and illegal access.
[G] Compliance with the Japanese Law
Any dispute in connection with these Participation Requirements shall be settled based on theoriginal version (Japanese language) of this document and in accordance with the Japanese law.
[H] Review Method
The Review Committee will evaluate the contestants’ performances based on the reviewing criteria
specified separately. The decision of the Review Committee is final and absolute.

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Ⅳ. REQUIRED REPERTOIREThe Secretariat will designate the Required Repertoire for the Preliminary Screening and the First, Second,and Final Rounds, respectively.
Throughout the Competition period, all instruments used for accompaniment (piano, harpsichord,orchestra, chamber music) will be tuned to A=442Hz.

1. Preliminary Screening (with video)
The Participant must record in audio and video the performance of the required repertoire below:
１）A. Ponchielli: Capriccio[Publisher: Not designated]

2. First Round (with video)
The Contestant must record in audio and video the performance of the two pieces below (performing
order of the pieces is optional)
１） G. Ph. Telemann: 12 Fantasien für Querflöte ohne baß ‐ Ⅺ. Fantasie G‐dur TWV40:12[With all repeats][Publisher: Bärenreiter/ Henle]
２） P. Hindemith: Sonate für Oboe und Klavier[Publisher: Schott]

3. Second Round (Public review in Japan)
The Contestant must choose one piece each from groups <A>, <B>, and <C>, which makes a total ofthree pieces, to constitute a recital of about 45~55 minutes in length. (From entering the stage toleaving the stage must be 60 minutes at the most.) Up to one piece can be selected for the
performance without accompaniment. (performing order of the pieces is optional)<A>１） J. S. Bach: Sonate g‐moll BWV1030b[No repeats for the 3rd Movement][Publisher: Peters]２） J. S. Bach: Partita a‐moll für Flöte (oboe) solo BWV1013 version in g‐moll
Both versions in a‐minor and in g‐minor are acceptable.
[1st repeats only in all movements][Recommended editions‐for g‐minor‐version: Karthause‐Schmülling (Revised by Birgit Welpmann) /Alexander Gagarinov* (IMSLP=International Music Score Library Project) ]‐for a‐minor preferably: Henle / Bärenreiter]* Make sure to correct Bach’s mistakes when you perform.
Do not correct „Errors“ of Bach (in Sarabande and Bourree anglaise) because those might not befrom Bach. But any selected version will be accepted.
３） F. Couperin: “Les gouts reunis” ou “Nouveaux Concerts” with Harpsichord concert No.7 or No.9 or No.11[Accompanied by the harpsichord, repeats optional][Publisher: Fuzeau]
8<B>
１） A. Doráti: Duo concertante [Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes]
２） D. Milhaud: Sonatine pour Hautbois et Piano op.337[Publisher: Durand]３） N. Skalkottas: Concertino für oboe solo und Klavierbegleitung[Publisher: Margun]４） A. Pasculli: Fantasia sull’opera “Poliuto” di Donizetti[Publisher: Musica Rara (Breitkopf & Härtel) ]５） A. Pasculli: Gran Concerto su temi dall’opera “I vespri siciliani” di Verdi[Publisher: Musica Rara (Breitkopf & Härtel) ]６） G. Silvestrini: 6 Etudes pour hautbois No.1,2,5,6[Publisher: Delatour]
７） T. Hosokawa: Spell Song for oboe
Commissioned by Sony Music Foundation for “THE 11th INTERNATIONAL OBOE COMPETITION OF JAPAN 2015 in Karuizawa”[Publisher: Schott]<C>１） W. A. Mozart: Oboe Concerto in C major, K.314 (285d)［Should be performed by memory. Accompanied by the piano.］[Publisher: Breitkopf & Härtel (Revised by Henrik Wiese) / Henle (Revised by Ingo Goritzki) / thelatest edition of Bärenreiter (Revised by Frank de Bruine)* ]* You must perform the “Ossia Version” if you are using this edition.
２） B. Martinů: Concerto pour hautbois avec petit orchestre, H.353[Publisher: Max Eschig(Revised by M. Bourgue & G. Porat)]３） R. Vaughan‐Williams: Oboe Concerto for oboe and strings in a minor[Publisher: Not designated]

4. Final Round (Public reviewing in Japan)
The Contestant must perform the following two pieces:
１） W. A. Mozart: Quartet in F major for Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Violoncello K.370 (368b)[Accompanied by strings, with the first repeat][Publisher: Bärenreiter / Henle / Fuzeau]
２） R. Strauss: Concerto in D major for Oboe and small Orchestra AV144[Should be performed by memory. Accompanied by the orchestra.][Publisher: Henle]9