Draft:Universal Marimba Competition

The Universal Marimba Competition is an international music competition in Belgium, founded in 2001 by Belgian marimba virtuoso Dr. Ludwig Albert. It dedicates to develop the Marimba Art and to foster cross cultural understanding. The competition received the High Patronage of Her Majesty Queen Paola of Belgium from 2011. It is a competition for classical marimbists in the disciplines marimba solo, marimba duo and marimba Chamber music. It also used to hold the Universal Marimba Competition for composition. Eriko Daimo (JP), Simone Rubino (IT), Noriko Tsukagochi (JP), Rodrigo Fernandes Marques (PT), Axoum duo (FR/PL), Marianne Bednarska (PL) and Lucid duo (BG/PL) were, amongst many other marimbists, winning laureates in the past. Since its foundation it has been profiled as one of the most challenging and prestigious competitions for instrumentalists and composers. The competition presents marimba music as its main theme, and presents many schools and styles that boast artistic attainments and possess international professional standards, all representing innovation and skills.

Organization
The competition has taken place since 2001 in Sint-Truiden. The repertoire consists of compositions by the most prominent composers worldwide and the compulsory work included compositions by Keiko Abe (JP),  Igor Lesnik (HR), Ludwig Albert (BE), Jan Van Landeghem (BE), Eckhard Kopetzki (PL), Rodrigo Fernandes Marques (PT), Francois Glorieux (BE) and Piet Swerts (BE). This competition consists of 4 rounds. In the final, 3 to 5 finalists are admitted for each discipline and are awarded the title of laureate. The first 3 laureates will be as well ranking Prize Winners. For the final round, the finalists must play the imposed works and a short recital with their own choice of compositions. Participants must have a broad knowledge of repertoire and physical endurance. The prize pool of 70,000 Euro also includes concert instruments, cash prizes, product prizes, recordings and international publishing. A large number of the laureates also received an endorsed artist contract with leading marimba and mallet manufacturing companies such as Yamaha Corporation (JP), Adams Musical Instruments (NL), Innovative percussion (US), which gives them the opportunity to develop an international career. The laureates are also invited to perform at cooperating festivals abroad.

The competition rounds take place in the wooden acoustic historical Aula or "Academiezaal" of the minor seminary in Sint-Truiden build by the Belgian architect Louis Roelandt in 1843-1846. The participants are judged by an international jury of renowned musicians and marimbists. The jury chairmen of the competition were successively: Francois Glorieux, Ludwig Albert, Jan Pustjens and Igor Lesnik.

Extra prizes: The Ludwig Albert talent Prize
The Ludwig Albert talent Prize was awarded to candidates for their exceptional talent and musically.

Extra Prizes: best performance Prize
The Sabam Prize was awarded to finalists for their best performance of the set piece.

Extra prize: Public Prize
The public Prize was awarded to:

Extra prizes: Originality Prize
The ‘Originality Prize’ (publishing of best new composition) is awarded to candidates performing a new composition.

Past jury members
Keiko Abe (JP), Ludwig Albert (BE), Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic (RS), Mark Ford (US), Ney Rosauro (BR), Nancy Zeltsman (US), Axoum duo (PL), Rebecca Kite (US), Foo Pui Yee (HK), Angel Frette (AR), David Friedman (DE), Daniella Ganeva (UK), Momoko Kamiya (JP), Kuniko Kato (JP), Igor Lesnik (HR), Chin-Cheng Lin (TW), Anders Loguin (SE), Frédéric Macarez (FR), Nanae Mimura (JP), Biao Li (CN), Michael Burritt (US), William Moersch (US), Hidemi Murase (JP), Zefferino Nandayapa (MX), Bogdan Bacanu (AT), Leo Ouderits (BE), Jan Pustjens (NL), Emmanuel Séjourné (FR), Klaus Tresselt (DE), Pei-Ching Wu (TW), Seung-Myeong Oh (KR), Sergey Golovko (AU), Filippo Lattanzi (IT), Tanasit Siripichwattana (TH), Israel Moreno (MX), Joy Yung-Ping Liu (TW).

Extra jury members for the final round were representatives of the Belgian Cultural scene: Jan Van Landeghem (composer society SABAM), Liesbet Vereertbrugghen (producer classic National Radio Network), Alain Craens (Higher education of music), Stefaan Ottenbourgs (executive director, musicologist), Walter Mertens (composer), Maestro Francois Glorieux (pianist, composer), Eliane Rodrigues, (pianist), Michel Tilquin (conductor), Wilfried Westerlinck (composer).

Awards of honors
The award of honor was given to following artists for their tremendous contribution in the marimba & percussion field.

Endorsed laureates
The Universal Marimba Competition could establish an embarking career for most of the laureates and Prize winners which also obtained an endorsing artist contract with major companies such as Yamaha Corporation, Adams Musical Instruments,

University positions such as: