Music Sharing

International Community Engagement Program (ICEP)

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM (ICEP) 2024 Bangladesh & 2025 Japan

Guidelines for Quartet Member Applicants

 

Application Overview

■ Positions
1 Violist, 1 Cellist, plus alternates

■ ICEP Activity Period
Quartet members are required to participate in the entire schedule, as follows:

Period	Location	Activities
Dec.12 to 27, 2024 (projected dates)	Bangladesh	Assembly, rehearsal (Rehearsal may also be outside of Bangladesh)
		Various events, performances and presentations to include those at educational institutions and other facilities for children, the disabled and the aged for the purpose of promoting global friendship and cultural exchange
June 2 to 18, 2025 (projected dates)	Japan	Assembly, rehearsal (Rehearsal may also be outside of Japan)
		Various events, performances and presentations to include those at schools, hospitals and other facilities for a diverse population Public performances for the purpose of reporting to the community engagement activities in Bangladesh
		End of Japan period - Dismissal

■ Eligibility

• Young musicians between 20 and 29 years old, as of December 1, 2024, with a strong interest in community engagement activities.
• Applicants must have no health, philosophical or nationality issues that would prevent them from performing in Bangladesh and Japan.
• Ability to communicate in English.
• Musicians who have successfully auditioned and participated in two previous ICEP cycles are not eligible to apply.

■ Compensation
There is no honorarium for performances. However, the following expenses will be covered by MUSIC SHARING:

• Transportation Expenses
  • simple round trip between current residence and Bangladesh (in December)
  • simple round trip between current residence and Japan (in June)
  • internal travel related to program activities within Bangladesh and Japan
    * Certain conditions apply.
• Single-entry visa application fee for entry into Bangladesh and Japan
• Accommodation during ICEP activities Note: Accommodation will be arranged by MUSIC SHARING.
• Living support to be utilized toward meal expenses
• Travel insurance between current residence and Bangladesh (in December), and between current residence and Japan (in June). Participants are responsible for obtaining the necessary travel insurance, which will be reimbursed, in full or in part, by MUSIC SHARING.

■ Expenses to be Covered by Participant

• Obtaining or renewing passport
• Musical instrument insurance
• Immunization, as necessary
Participants are required to obtain necessary immunization to enter Bangladesh and Japan, after consulting their own doctors. Required immunization costs specific only to Bangladesh will be compensated by MUSIC SHARING.
• Personal communication costs (i.e. telephone, internet)
• Room service and cleaning costs during the activity period
• All other personal expenses
• MUSIC SHARING bears no responsibility for lost, stolen or forgotten items belonging to participants during the activity period.

■ Application Process
The online application can be completed at
http://www.musicsharing.jp/activity/icep/icep2024/

The first stage is based on the online application and recordings. Recordings should be made after January 1, 2023, and must be uploaded to YouTube with privacy setting "unlisted" or "public" by the deadline.

The second stage of the audition includes a video interview.

The final selection will be made based on all submitted materials.

Please provide your e-mail address and phone numbers at which you expect to be reachable during the first and second selection periods (June 2024) in the event that the committee has further questions.

■ Result
The result of the application process will be sent to the applicants via e-mail by August 1, 2024.

■ Other Notes

• Applicants must reply to e-mail correspondences promptly.
• MUSIC SHARING will not respond to inquiries related to the audition results.
• MUSIC SHARING reserves the right to change the destination country in the event of a natural disaster, change in political conditions, or for any other reason.
• This program is different from a usual concert tour. Please assume that the schedule will be intense with little or no flexibility, and that it requires extensive travel because of unpredictable weather and traffic conditions.
• There can be no allowances for changes in the schedule for personal reasons during the activity period.
• Participants may not be accompanied by family members or friends.
• MUSIC SHARING holds unlimited rights to the following, for use in connection with its PR activities:
• Recording, filming and videotaping;
• Transmission and broadcast of the recorded materials;
• Copying and dissemination of the materials

Application Procedure

■ Submission of Materials
Please follow the online application instructions for submitting necessary materials.

Applicant Information
Application	Please use the online application found at: http://www.musicsharing.jp/activity/icep/icep2024/
Attachments
1) Two letters of recommendation	Letters from established musicians (i.e. current or previous teachers); no specific format is required. Letters may be sent directly via e-mail from the recommender to musicsharing.icep@gmail.com by the deadline.
2) Proof of age	i.e. Copy of passport or driver’s license
3) Biography or CV	Approximately 1 page
4) Letter of intent	1 page (A4 size or U.S. letter size)
5) Essay	1 page (A4 size or U.S. letter size) Topic: “Why I play my instrument”
Audio-visual recordings Audio-visual recording should be made after January 1, 2023. Please upload to YouTube with the privacy setting “unlisted” or “public.” Do not set as “private.” Edited recordings are not accepted for the audition. No region code. At least one of the categories must be in a video format. Entire submission in a video format is strongly recommended.
1) Solo	Two contrasting movements from one of J.S. Bach’s unaccompanied works
2) String ensemble	Two contrasting movements from a standard string trio, string quartet, string quintet, or string sextet; piano trio, piano quartet, or piano quintet. If applicable, the applicant must be playing the first, not second, part. Or The first movement from one of the works listed below, played alone, without other parts, and no repeats; for violinists, please play only the first violin part: Mozart’s String Quartet in E-flat major, K.428 Beethoven’s String Quartet in C minor, Op.18. No.4
3) Piece of your choice	Piece of your choice or its portion (not to exceed 10 minutes)
4) Rationale	A short spoken statement of the rationale behind the piece of your choice.

• * Please contact the office (see details below) if you are unable to upload your material to YouTube.
• * The applicant’s information, attached documents and recordings will be used solely for the purpose of this audition.

■ Application Deadline
The completed application form with appropriate attachments and activated links for the upload must be received by MUSIC SHARING no later than 5:00 pm (Japan time) on Sunday, June 30, 2024.  Please include the URL of the download site in your application form.

■ Contact Information
Non Profit Organization MUSIC SHARING
Room 601, 2-5-18 Koji-machi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0083 JAPAN
Email: musicsharing.icep@gmail.com