Due to COVID-19 the competition will be held online this year!

Sax Spy will reimburse the application fees of the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th places of this year’s competition!

The Carinthian International Jazz Award (CIJA)

We aim to culturally vitalize and diversify the region through this jazz competition. In addition we hope to create much needed performance and career opportunities for young deserving jazz musicians. The emphasis on “international” relates to Carinthia‘s central European geographic location as well as its proximity to the neighboring countries of Slovenia and Italy. We accept applicants from every country!

The CIJA is an annually held jazz saxophone competition for applicants from all over the world under 30 years.

How the competition works

  • When: Finalists announced on July 15th August 15th
  • Where: Send your videos to carinthiajazz@gmail.com
  • Eligibility: Saxophonists who are not older than 30 on July 15th 2020.
  • Application Guidelines: See Below
  • Application Deadline: July 7th 2020 August 7th
  • Prizes: 
    • 1.   40% of the application fees
    • 2.    25% of the application fees
    • 3.    15% of the application fees

Transparency: 80% of all application fees will be paid to the 3 finalists and 20% will be used to pay for judges and to cover the costs of running the website and advertising. We don’t get any governmental support this year – understandably so. We lowered the application fee to EUR 20,- for this year; that’s more than a 50% cut.

Application

  1. Fill out the registration form below
  2. Submit the payment of the application fee below
  3. Send your file. Follow the simple instructions below.

How to pay

CIJA Registration Fee

€20.00

HOW TO Apply

APPLICATION FILE GUIDELINES

  • Submit one video file containing two contrasting pieces from the list below. The two tunes have to be from two different categories.: 

Ballads: Body and Soul, In a Sentimental Mood, or similar.

Bebop: Donna Lee, Anthropology, Ornithology, or similar.

Blues: Tenor Madness, Billie’s Bounce, Blue Train, or similar.

Standard: I Got Rhythm, There Will Never Be Another You, Have You Met Miss Jones, or similar.

Latin: Recorda Me, Blue Bossa, Girl From Ipanema, or similar.

  • You should be accompanied by backing track or other musicians (do not violate social distancing regulations).
  • The performance should be no longer than 7 minutes in total. 
  • Recording quality does not have a baring on our assessment but try for the best sound.
  • We will not listen to your file before we have received your application fee.

JUDGES

MEET THE JUDES

Assessment

Judges will focus on the following musical parameters:

Clarity, Intonation, Technique, Interpretation, Expressiveness, Sound, Articulation, Use of Language, Individuality, Time/Rhythm, Interplay, Inventiveness, Strength of Ideas, Use of Harmonic Concepts, and Emotive Strength.