CONCOURS

The 8^th International Adolphe Sax Competition

The 8^th edition of the International Adolphe Sax Competition of Dinant will take place from 31 October to 11 November 2023.  

• The eliminatory round will take place at the Cultural Centre of Dinant, from 31 October to 04 November 2023 (free of charge - no reservation required).

•  The semi-finals will also take place at the Cultural Centre of Dinant, on 06 and 07 November 2023 (free of charge - no reservation required).

•  The finals will be held at the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame in Dinant on 10 and 11 November 2023.

  Follow the whole competition on adolphesax.com and the finales on Matélé and RTBF Auvio. And Antenne Centre, Bx1, Vedia, Télé MB, Boukè.

Download

• The general programme
• The finals programme and schedule

Book your tickets for the finals

Online bookings for the finals are now open.

The competition will precisely starts at 8:00 pm on November 10th and 11th. Please be informed that it won't be possible to enter the Collediate Church after 8:00 pm. Thank you for your understanding.

2 FINALS PASS Normal: 25€ -26 years: 18€ Book tickets	FINAL 10 NOV Normal: 15€ -26 years: 10€ Book tickets	FINAL 11 NOV Normal: 15€ -26 years: 10€ Book tickets

The Adolphe Sax International Competition in brief...

The Adolphe Sax International Competition is open to saxophonists of a high standard, of every nationality, who have not yet reached the age of 31 when the final of the competition takes place. Musically, it is overseen by a Musical Committee, chaired by Alain Crepin, composer and Saxophone Professor at the Royal Brussels Conservatory, and made up of saxophone teachers from Belgium's Royal Conservatories and Academies.

The competition is made up of:

• a video-based pre-selection;
• a first round lasting a maximum of 20 minutes per candidate;
• a semi-final, lasting a maximum of 40 minutes per candidate, open to the 18 candidates ranked highest in the first round;
• a final, lasting a maximum of 40 minutes per candidate, open to the 6 candidates ranked highest in the semi-final.

All kinds of saxophones are accepted for works of the candidates' own choice, but only the alto may be used for the compulsory works. In the first round and the semi-final, candidates are accompanied on the piano; in the final they are accompanied by an orchestra.

 The compulsory works in the finals of previous editions, commissioned by the International Adolphe Sax Association, were:

• Caprices de Saxicare by Henri Pousseur (1994),
• Ostinati by Frédéric Devreese (1998),
• Pathetic Story by Frederik van Rossum (2002),
• Kotekan by Piet Swerts (2006),
• Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra by André Waignein (2010),
• Images by Jan Van der Roost (2014),
• Noema by Claude Ledoux (2019).

For the first round and for the semi-final, the Competition Organising Team makes official pianist accompanists available to candidates who wish to avail of them.

The finalists are accompanied by a chamber orchestra.

The Jury is made up of musical personalities representing different schools around the world.

The Jury is assisted by a Secretary General. An Arbitration Committee, chaired by a magistrate and made up of saxophonists, ensures that the Competition's rules are correctly applied.

FIRST LAUREATES:

• 1^st Adolphe Sax International Competition – 1994: Vincent DAVID (France)
• 2^nd Adolphe Sax International Competition – 1998: Alexandre DOISY (France)
• 3^rd Adolphe Sax International Competition – 2002: Hiroshi HARA (Japan)
• 4^th Adolphe Sax International Competition – 2006: Sergey KOLESOV (Russia)
• 5^th Adolphe Sax International Competition – 2010: Simon DIRICQ (Belgium)
• 6^th Adolphe Sax International Competition – 2014: Nikita ZIMIN (Russia)
• ^7th Adolphe Sax International Competition – 2019: Saito KENTA (Japan)

Thanks to our loyal partners,
essential support of the Dinant Competition: