RULES

AND

REGULATIONS

RULES AND REGULATIONS

TROMP NEXT GEN: MALLET COMPETITION 2026

 

Version February 5, 2026  

 

1. General Conditions  

1.1. The 2026 edition of the TROMP Next Gen: Mallet Competition 2026 (“the Competition”) will take place at CKE (Centrum voor de Kunsten Eindhoven) in Eindhoven, Netherlands, from 23 September 2026 to 27 September 2026 under the responsibility of StichtingTromp Muziek Biënnale and the Board of the Tromp Biennial Music Festival Foundation (‘the TROMP Board’).   

1.2. The official language of the Competition is English.    

1.3. The Competition is open to percussionists of all nationalities who are no younger than 15 years and no older than 30 years at the start of the Competition (23 September 2026). 

1.4. All decisions by the international Competition jury (“the Competition Jury”) will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding its decisions.  

   

2. Applications    

2.1. Applications will be accepted until 1 March 2026, 23:59 hrs CET. 

2.2. Applications may only be submitted digitally via the TROMP profile on the Muvac website at muvac.com, and must fully comply with all submission requirements as published on Muvac, including but not limited to the items listed below.

(a) A completely filled-in digital application form  

(b) A copy of the applicant’s passport  

(c) A brief resume in English describing training, main teachers, experience and achievements (if applicable).  

(d) A recent, high-quality color portrait photograph with at least 2000 pixels on the longest side, a minimum size of 2MB, good focus and lightning in jpg format. Licensed for promotion of the Applicant and the 2026 Competition, including promotion done for the Applicant by third parties.  

(e) A video recording recorded on or after 19 January 2025: 

(i) One transcription 

  • A 3–5-minute piece composed between 1650 and 1950 

  • Not written by J.S. Bach 

  • May be a straightforward adaptation or a creative transformation, in any musical style 

  • A score must be provided 

  • An entire piece or a movement of a larger work is permitted 

(ii) One work from a curated list of composers 

  • A 3–6-minute solo for marimba or vibraphone for two- or four-mallets 

  • Selected from Intermediate Masterworks for Marimba or composed by one of the following composers: David Friedman, Mark Glentworth, Gene Koshinski, Kazunori Miyake, Emmanuel Séjourné, Julie Spencer, Ivan Trevino, Eric Sammut, Andrei Pushkarev, Takayoshi Yoshioka 

(iii)  One free choice 

  • A 3–6-minute piece of your own choice 

  • May be an excerpt of a larger work 

  • May include soundtrack, singing, or spoken text 

  • Additional percussion instruments are allowed, provided the mallet instrument remains the main instrument 

  • Each video must be recorded in one single take with one camera only. No editing, cuts, or stitched recordings are allowed. The format must be horizontal, and the camera angle must be from the front. The image and sound must be clear. 

  • The pieces may be submitted either as three separate videos with one video per piece or combined into one single video containing all three pieces. Make sure to add an announcement or an image to inform the jury about the start of a new piece, if you combine all three videos. Both options are accepted, provided that all repertoire and technical requirements are met.  

  • For each submitted video participants must provide: a video link, recording date (month and year), full name of the composer, title of the piece. 

  • All videos must be submitted as online links. File uploads are not accepted. Accepted platforms: YouTube (preferred) and Vimeo. Videos may be set to Unlisted but must not be set to Private. Links submitted via other platforms (such as Dropbox, WeTransfer, Google Drive or similar services) will not be accepted. Incorrect, expired, or inaccessible links will not be reviewed. 

  • The TROMP Board reserves the right to disqualify candidates who have submitted studio enhanced or modified recordings. 

(f) The scores of all works the Applicant intends to perform during the Round 1 and the Final Round. For the self-composed piece in Round 1, a final score is not required at the time of application. Applicants are asked to upload a sketch, draft, or work-in-progress version of the score, in order to give the jury insight into the concept and musical material. If the final score for the self-composed piece is already completed, applicants are welcome to upload the full score at the time of application. If selected, the final version of the score for the self-composed piece must be uploaded no later than 1 July 2026. 

(g) A complete listing of the works intended to be performed during each round of the Competition following the repertoire requirements set out in Article 3. The list should specify composer, title or working title, instrumentation, year of composition, andperformance duration of each chosen work. At the time of application, scores for the fixed-score work and the roadmap score of the Final Round are not required.   

2.3. The Competition Jury members will individually review the programme proposals of the applicants and audition the candidates in a preliminary round on the basis of anonymous copies of their recordings. The selection will be announced before 1 June,2026, via www.tromppercussion.nl, TROMP social media channels and MUVAC.  

2.4. 50 percussionists will be invited to participate in the Competition in Eindhoven with another 5 percussionists granted a back-up position, i.e., they will be admitted in case a previously selected participant does not, or not timely before 15 June  2026, accept the invitation to participate, does not timely pay the entry fee referred to in Article 2.6, or withdraws before 1 September 2026.  

2.5. Applicants are required to pay the Competition’s obligatory € 25 entry fee to submit their application. The entry fee is not refundable. Candidates who will be selected to present themselves in Round 1 and possibly the Final Round are required to pay € 80 participation fee. This fee includes entry to a selection of TROMP festival concerts. Fees are non-refundable.  Applicants who accept the invitation to participate in the Competition, are required to pay the Competition’s obligatory € 80 entry fee via MUVAC by 1 July 2026 at the latest.  

2.6. Applicants invited to participate who have duly paid their entry fee, shall qualify and shall generally be referred to as Participants.   

2.7. All Participants shall provide the TROMP project organization with clear and detailed instrument & set-up descriptions before 1 July 2026. 

2.8 If a Participant is under 18 years old on the starting date of the competition, the Participant may only participate if they are accompanied by a legal guardian, as stated in 8g. 

  

3. Schedule & Repertoire 

3.1. Venue of the Competition will be CKE (Centrum voor de Kunsten Eindhoven) in the Netherlands. All rounds of the Competition will be open to the general public and may be broadcasted live or recorded for future purposes. The performing schedule hasbeen set as follows:  

(a) Round 1, from 23 September 2026 to 26 September 2026 

(b) Final Round, Saturday 26 September 2026

3.2. As noted, applicants must clearly state their complete program for each round on their entry forms, specifying composer, title or working title, instrumentation, and performance duration of each chosen work. Among the works listed should be compositions selected in accordance with Article 3.4 through 3.5, which are illustrative of the level expected from Competition applicants.   

3.3. In principle the works listed will be considered a final choice. In exceptional cases, a chosen work can be substituted with the approval of the Competition Jury represented by its Chairman. Minor changes in the proposed program per round should be filed no later than 1 July 2026. 

3.4. Round 1  

(i)  One 3–4-minute solo piece composed by the Applicant for marimba and/or vibraphone. A score is required. 

(ii) Approximately 10 minutes of music for marimba or vibraphone for one player, consisting of one or multiple complete works. 

(iii) the Applicant may occupy the stage for a maximum of 15 minutes. 

3.5. Final Round 

(i) 20–25 minutes of music for marimba and/or vibraphone for one player. This may include one or multiple complete works. Works may be composed for marimba or vibraphone or adapted for either instrument. Accompanying soundtracks, singing, or spoken text may be included, but are not required. Video projection is not possible. 

3.6. During the Competition Participants may perform each work only once (excluding the preliminary round).  

    

4. Conduct of the Competition  

4.1. The order of performance will be decided by a draw of lots.    

4.2. Participants shall not communicate with Competition Jury members during the Competition, nor shall any other person communicate with these jury members on behalf of any Participant. The TROMP Board reserves the right to disqualify Participants whobreach this rule or on whose behalf this rule has been violated.  

4.3. Should a Participant be or have been a regular student of one of the members of the Competition Jury, the latter will abstain from the jury deliberations in her or his respect.  

4.4. Participants must ensure that the maximum performing time duration for each Round (art. 3.4 through 3.5) is not exceeded. The Competition Jury may, in its absolute discretion, stop Participants that run overtime.  

4.5. All selected participants shall perform in Round 1. No more than 6 (six) Participants will proceed to the Final Round.

4.6. The Competition Jury has the right not to grant a prize or have two Participants share a prize (with exception of the First Prize.  

 

5. Prizes 

5.1. There are three prizes that can be won in the Competition. Only the Competition Finalists qualify for the three ranking prizes (art. 5.2).  

5.2. The three ranking prizes will be awarded by decision of the Competition Jury subject to Article 4.7 and will be publicly announced immediately after the Competition Final Round on Saturday 26 September 2026.  

(a) First Prize  

• A sum of 1,000 Euro + cooperation for possible concerts in the future 

(b) Second Prize  

• A sum of 750 Euro  

(c) Third Prize  

• A sum of 500 Euro 

    

6. Communication and Facilitation 

6.1. The TROMP Board has established a TROMP Project Office for operational matters. Unless otherwise specified, all notices and communications regarding the Competition will be issued by and should be addressed to:  

TROMP Percussion Eindhoven  
Muziekgebouw Eindhoven  
Jan van Lieshoutstraat 3  

5611 EE  Eindhoven 
The Netherlands  

E-mail: info@tromppercussion.com 

6.2. The TROMP Board will provide all percussion instruments; participants may not bring their own drums or large instruments. Small accessories (e.g., woodblocks) may be added. Availability of specific instrument makes cannot be guaranteed.

6.3. Applicants will perform as a soloist on a 4.3- to 5-octave marimba and/or 3-octave vibraphone. Participants may not bring their own instrument. 

  

7. Travel and Lodging  

7.1. All Participants are responsible to take care of their own travel and lodging. The TROMP Office will publish a list with recommendations, expected July 2026. TROMP will kindly provide lunch on September 26 2026. More detailed information about catering will be shared closer to the event (anticipated August 2026). 

7.2. Obtaining appropriate travel documents, including valid documents necessary to pass international borders and to enter the venues, and insurance is the sole responsibility of each Participant for her- or himself. The Tromp Biennial Music Festival Foundation and the TROMP Board accept no liability of any kind whatsoever for any personal illness or injury sustained by Participants, nor for loss or damage to a Participant’s belongings, including instruments, during transit or while at the Competition. 

  

8. Legal  

8.1. By submitting the digital application form, applicants state their agreement:  

(a) With all articles in these Rules and Regulations;  

(b) That the Competition, under responsibility by the TROMP Board and executed by TROMP Office, can contact them about their application and may contact them after the Competition to inform about following Competition editions;  

(c) That the Competition stores first and last name, year of birth, Competition ranking, prizes, contact information and resume as submitted via MUVAC, plus recordings as mentioned at 8f. 

(d) That the Competition can use their name, date of birth, photograph and resume for any promotional purpose and social media expressions considering the Competition;  

(e) That all concert and recording engagements obtained by the Competition or its designates as part of the first, second and third prize will not be subject to any fee payable to the prize-winner’s current or future artist management;  

(f) That the Competition is authorized to record, videotape, film, broadcast, stream or photograph any Competition concerts or events for any purpose, without payment of any fee and or compensation. All rights, including copyright in such media shall vest in and be owned by the Competition in perpetuity; 

(g) That if a Participant is under 18 years old on the starting date of the competition, the Participant may only participate if they are accompanied by a legal guardian. A legal guardian is a parent or an officially appointed adult who is legally responsible for the Participants wellbeing and authorized to make decisions on your behalf during the competition (e.g., travel, accommodation, medical consent). The Candidate has to inform the TROMP Office and share contact information of the legal guardian via MUVAC.  

(h) That the Competition is entitled to change its Rules and Regulations at any given time, and or in case of unforeseen circumstances;  

(i) That if any clauses in these Rules and Regulations are deemed unlawful by a judge, all remaining clauses will still be applicable;  

(j) That these Rules and Regulations are subject to Dutch law. 

(k) That personal data will be processed in accordance with the Competition’s privacy policy, available via the TROMP website.