RKC 2016

The Yarava Music Group, in collaboration with Contemporary Music Records, is organizing an Electronic Music Composition Competition.

According to Mehdi Jalali, this competition, titled the “Reza Korourian Award,” is being held in commemoration of the contemporary Iranian composer Reza Korourian.

The artistic director of Yarava stated in this regard: God willing, this competition will be held annually from now on. Through this initiative, we aim both to keep alive the name and memory of our dear Reza and to create an opportunity for composers in the field of electronic music to experience a competitive environment, and more importantly, to support electroacoustic music (to the best of our ability) and to further introduce this genre in Iran.

Referring to the jury, he added that the judges of the competition are internationally recognized professors and composers in this field of music. He continued: From the time this project was proposed by the group’s International Relations Director, Arsalan Abedian, nearly nine months of collective thinking and teamwork have gone into it. The research department, the board of directors and trustees of the Yarava group, together with the jury and the Korourian family, have devoted a great deal of time and effort to bring the competition as close as possible to international standards.

Jalali also announced the timeline of the competition and the results, stating: The results will be announced in Ordibehesht 1395 (May 2016), and during a concert in the summer, awards will be presented to the selected winners. These awards include the competition’s trophy—created by master sculptor Jamshid Moradian—along with a certificate of appreciation and a cash prize. In addition, the selected works will be published by Contemporary Music Publications.

This text was originally published in Persian on the old Yarava website on 16 Azar 1394 (December 7, 2015).

Call for Piece
Jurry Members
Winners
CD

The annual competition held in honor of the innovative Iranian composer Reza Korourian invites composers active in the field of electronic music, with no age limit, to participate by submitting their works. The aim of the competition is to support electroacoustic music (Fixed Media) and to further introduce this genre in Iran.
This competition is organized by the Yarava Music Group in collaboration with Contemporary Music Records.

General Regulations

The submitted work must be composed exclusively for this competition and, for the first edition, should preferably be inspired by one of Reza Korourian’s pieces from the two collections published by Contemporary Music Publications (the albums Electrominimal and Purple Room). This influence may appear in sound materials, compositional approach, structure, or other technical aspects.
The submitted work must not have been previously published by any publisher inside or outside Iran.
If the submitted works do not meet the required standards, the jury (selected from among international professors and composers in this field from various countries) reserves the right to select fewer works for awards and commendation. The jury’s decision is final.
All submitted works will be kept in the Reza Korourian Award archive.
All material and moral rights of the selected works published in Iran by Contemporary Music Publications shall remain the property of the publisher.

Technical Regulations

The duration of the submitted work must be no less than 5 minutes and no more than 12 minutes.
Works must be submitted in WAV format (sample rate: 44,100 Hz) or AIF format (bit-depth resolution: 16-bit) and sent via wetransfer.com to the email address:
reza.korourian.competition@gmail.com
A stereo version of multichannel works must be submitted along with the separate main channels. A maximum of four channels is permitted for the first edition of the competition.
Submission of a short biography (maximum 100 words), a brief text explaining the technical and aesthetic aspects of the composition and performance (maximum 500 words), and a digital photograph, along with the audio files, is mandatory.
Submitting a score or sketch of the work is optional.

Awards

Selected works will be presented in a concert of electronic music in the second half of summer 1395 (2016), accompanied by the release of the album published by Contemporary Music Publications.
Awards include a certificate and the Reza Korourian Trophy, designed and created by sculptor Jamshid Moradian, to be presented to the top works. In addition to publication and the certificate and trophy, cash prizes will be awarded as follows:

First Prize: 10,000,000 rials
Second Prize: 8,000,000 rials
Third Prize: 6,000,000 rials

A maximum of seven works may be selected for commendation and publication.

Submission Deadline

The deadline for submitting works for the first edition of the Reza Korourian Award is 12 Esfand 1394 (March 2, 2016).
The jury will announce the selected winners in Ordibehesht 1395 (May 2016).
Performances of the selected works and the unveiling of the published album will take place in a concert between the second half of Mordad and the first week of Shahrivar 1395 (August–early September 2016).

You can follow news about this competition on the official website of the Yarava Music Group at www.yarava.com.
For further information, please contact info@yarava.com

Peter Becker (RIP)

1st RKC Jury

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Arsalan Abedian

Co-founder of RKC | Founder of Contemporary Music Records

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Joachim Heintz

Electronic Department Director

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Results of the First Electroacoustic Music Competition in Iran
Reza Korourian Award – 2016

First Prize: Aso Kohzadi – Engareh
Second Prize: Mahoor Pourmoghadam – Another World
Third Prize: Golareh Soleimani – La Speranza Della Pirmavera (Waiting for Spring)

Other Selected Composers:
Milad Bagheri & Maryam Sirvan – Isolated Room
Babak Badiei – Workshop of Creation
Ehsan Banitaba – Into the Black hole
Behrang Shokrian – Requiem for Village by Metropolitan

Every year, after the competition is held and the selected pieces are announced, the winning works are released on a CD with the support of the Korourian family and under the supervision of the Yarava Music Group. The title of each CD is chosen based on the name of the first-place winning piece. The CD of the first year of the competition was released by Contemporary Music Records.

Engareh CD Booklet

Call for Piece