The Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival is currently one of the largest harmonica-oriented events in the world, which is attended by participants from not only the Asia-Pacific region, but countries and regions beyond. It has become a world-class harmonica festival, and a grand gathering of harmonica players from all over the world.

In 1995, Japan held the World Harmonica Festival, where harmonica practitioners from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and mainland China came to an agreement that a harmonica festival shall be held in Asia and one was held in Taiwan the next year. The Board of Directors of the first Asia Pacific Harmonic Festival decided that the event would be held every two years by local countries (regions) in turn.

With the expansion of the influence of the Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival, more and more harmonica players participate in the event. The 12th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival held in Beijing in 2018 was attended by more than 2,800 participants from 26 countries and regions. The event holds a variety of activities covering exhibitions, concerts, lectures, training, and master classes. The holding of the Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival has effectively promoted the development of harmonica music in the Asia-Pacific region and even the world. To carry forward the harmonica culture and continuously promote the development of harmonica music, the Harmonica Committee of China Association of Popular Music decided to hold the 14th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival in Jiangyin, Jiangsu from August 8 to August 11, 2024.

I. Organizational structure:

Sponsor:

Organizer:

Co-organizer:

II. Event date and location

Date: August 8-11, 2024 (Check in on August 7)

Location: Long Wish Hotel International, Huaxi Village, Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province

III. Activities

      *Harmonica competition
      *Harmonica lecture
      *Harmonica teacher training
      *Harmonica Master Class
      *Concert for opening ceremony
      *Concert for closing ceremony
      *Master's concert
      *Jazz concert
      *Harmonica grading exam

IV. Performance activities:

(I) Age of the performance group

A.Young children group

Under 6 years old (inclusive) - those born after August 8, 2018.

B.Juniors group

Over 6 years old, under 13 years old (inclusive) - those born from August 8, 2011 (inclusive) to August 7, 2018.

C.Adolescents group

Over 12 years old, under 18 years old (inclusive) - those born from August 8, 2006 (inclusive) to August 7, 2012.

D.Open group

No age limit.

E.Senior group

Over 60 years old (inclusive); those born before August 8, 1964 (inclusive).

F.Creative group

No age limit.

G.Tremolo harmonica solo (with accompaniment)

(1) Student group (under 18 years old) - those born after August 9, 2006 (inclusive);

(2) Adult group (18 years old and above) - those born before August 8, 2006 (inclusive).

(New performance activities):

H."Bai Yansheng Cup" Chromatic Harmonica Classic Competition

There is no age limit (there are bonuses for this performance activity, designated songs + self-selected songs; guest judges can participate in this event, but they need to pay an entry fee and the pass fee is exempted).

I."EASTTOP" Tremolo harmonica Classic Competition

There is no age limit (there are bonuses for this performance activity, designated songs + self-selected songs; guest judges can participate in this event, but they need to pay an entry fee and the pass fee is exempted).

(II) Cross-age group combinations:

A.The combination of young children group, juniors group and adolescents group shall be regarded as the oldest among them. For those born between August 8, 2011 (inclusive) and August 7, 2012, primary school students can choose the juniors group, and middle school students can choose the adolescents group;

B.For groups with members aged 18-60 (exclusive), they shall participate as the open group;

(III) Performances

A. Chromatic harmonica solo

B. Tremolo harmonica solo

C. Ten-hole harp solo

D. Duet

E. Trio

F. Chamber music

G. Small ensemble

H. Large ensemble

I. "Bai Yansheng Cup" Chromatic Harmonica Classic Competition

J. "EASTTOP" Tremolo harmonica Classic Competition

(IV) Performance rules

A. Solo

1. Chromatic harmonica solo

2. Ten-hole harp solo

3. Tremolo harmonica solo (with accompaniment)

4. "Bai Yansheng Cup" Chromatic Harmonica Classic Competition

For the above four events, you can involve a non-harmonica accompanist, or bring your own accompaniment player. We will provide a piano, and other musical instruments shall be brought by yourselves;

5. "Bai Yansheng Cup" Chromatic Harmonica Classic Competition, designated song + optional song:

Designated song: "Dream of the East" Composer: Dr. Mei Guangzhao;

6. "EASTTOP" Tremolo harmonica Classic Competition, designated song + optional song:

Designated song: "Jiangyin Fantasy" Composer: Dr. Mei Guangzhao;

7. Tremolo harmonica solo

No tapes and CDs of musical instrument accompaniment are allowed;

B. Ensemble

1. Duet

Two participants, harmonica players only, with at least 2 parts of the music;

2. Trio

Three participants, harmonica players only, with at least 3 parts of the music;

3. Chamber music

Four to six participants, harmonica players only, with at least 4 parts of the music and no conductor;

4. Small ensemble

Seven to fourteen participants, harmonica players only, with at least 4 parts of the music and no conductor;

5. Large ensemble:

15 participants or above, with up to 1/5 of non-harmonica players, at least 5 parts of the music, and conductors allowed but not counted as participants;

C.Players can participate in all events by age category, but only in one age category of a single event (e.g., if A participates in the duet performance of the Senior Group with B, he/she cannot participate in the duet performance of other groups, but can participate in the trio and chamber music events), (e.g., if one participates in the chromatic harmonica solo of the Open Group, he/she cannot participate in chromatic harmonic solo of any other groups).

D. In the creative group, at least one player will play the harmonica, and it should be the main instrument.

E. "Bai Yansheng" Cup Chromatic Harmonica Classic Competition and "EASTTOP" Tremolo harmonica Classic Competition have no age or identity restrictions. Judges and guest performers can participate in the competition, but they need to pay the entry fee and not the pass fee.

F. The order of performances will be on the first-come-last-serve basis, i.e., the one registering first will play last. The order of performances in the final shall be arranged according to that in the original preliminary round.

G. There will be preliminary competitions for solo and ensemble events, and only finals for small ensembles and large ensembles.

H. If there are 25 participants (groups) or more for solo and ensemble events of each group, we will set preliminary rounds and finals according to the actuality. A maximum of 10 participats (groups) will be selected into the finals from the preliminary rounds.

I. For "Bai Yansheng Cup" chromatic harmonica classic competition and "EASTTOP" tremolo harmonica classic competition, the participants shall play the designated song in full in the preliminary round, and the designated song + self-selected song in full in the finals (6 minutes as maximum of the self-selected song).

J. When there are less than 5 participants (groups) for a group of competition, only gold and silver awards will be awarded (small ensembles and large ensembles not included).

K. If the participant plays a non-designated song in the designated part, no points will be scored. In the self-selected part, if the participant plays a song different from as registered, 2 points will be deducted from the average score.

L. The version prescribed by us of the designated song shall be played (subject to the announcement), in full length. If there are additional performance sections or version notes when announced, these should be handled in accordance with the notes. No changes could be made without authorization. For violations, the judges will deduct points at their discretion.

(V) Competition time

A. The time for preliminary round of solo and ensemble is 2 minutes (excluding the case involving a designated song which shall be played in full); that for finals is 6 minutes, starting from the second when a sound is made and when the accompaniment, if any, starts. The time for finals of the small ensemble and large ensemble is 8 minutes. The placement and arrangement of seats, music stands, and microphones and the audition for small ensembles shall take up to 4 minutes; that for large ensembles up to 8 minutes. To make the competition not too lengthy, the excess part will be deducted from the 8 minutes of performance time. Participants are disallowed to delay the performance without an acceptable excuse after taking the stage. Those who don't make a sound after being reminded three times by the host will be disqualified, except otherwise approved by the venue supervisor for emergencies. The timer is stopped when the performance ends.

B. We may reserve the final decision right to shorten the performance time due to too many participants. If there is no designated song in the preliminary round, you need to perform any section of your selected one for 2 minutes. If a song is designated, it shall be performed in its entirety.

C. No warming bell will be rung before the time is up. The bell rings when the time is up and the performance shall be stopped immediately. Continuing to play will cause deduction in scores, 2 points deducted for every 1 minute prolonged.

(VI) Instruments

A. We only provide pianos and other accompanying instruments for the chromatic harmonica solo, ten-hole harp solo, large ensemble and polyphonic solo with accompaniment, and the "Bai Yansheng Cup" chromatic harmonica classic competition events (individuals and groups which need piano and other accompanying instruments shall indicate when registering. Pianos are provided free of charge, but other instruments require rental fees).

B. Participants can use the players brought by yourselves or provided by us in the chromatic harmonica solo, ten-hole harp solo, polyphonic solo with accompaniment, and the "Bai Yansheng Cup" chromatic harmonica classic competition events. Please use your mobile phones or flash disks to store the accompaniment. We only provide the stereo AudioФ 3.5m plugs. You shall operate the players by yourselves. If the accompaniment cannot be read, you shall be held liable yourselves. Solo players shall bring a special person to adjust the volume of the accompaniment, or ask the on-site staff to adjust it for them (but the players are responsible for the risk of inappropriate volume and no protest is allowed).

C. For small ensembles and large ensembles, players can only use the sound and amplification equipment provided by us; no amplification equipment is allowed for solos and ensembles.

D. We provides up to 8 microphones for large ensembles, and 4 chord microphone interfaces and 4 bass microphone interfaces; we provide up to 4 microphones for small ensembles, and 2 chord harmonica microphone interfaces and 2 bass harmonica microphone interfaces. Participants shall bring your own chord harmonica microphones and bass harmonica microphones. Participants can adjust the microphone position, but not the volume themselves. The use of various types of audio or amplification equipment is prohibited in other competition events. Violators will be deducted 5 points from the total average score (this does not apply to the creative group).

E. We will provide enough seats and up to 50 music stands according to the number of registrators for the groups.

F. We will reserve the final decision right to review the participating groups, amplification equipment, musical instruments and equipment restrictions.

(VII) Scoring criteria

A. Scoring criteria for the creative group: musicality 30%, creativity 30%, technique 30%, and stage performance 10%.

B. Scoring criteria for other events: musicality 40%, technique 30%, difficulty 20%, and stage performance 10%.

C. Number of judges: There will be 5-9 judges in each group. The scoring ranges from 65 to 99 points. The average score of other judges after removing the highest and lowest is taken (retaining one decimal point).

D. For "Bai Yansheng Cup" Chromatic Harmonica Classic Competition, 5 points will be added for those using piano accompaniment . The total score for this event is 105 points.

(VIII) Honor setting

A. Except for the top three, the first place, second place, and third place winners, who are awarded for their scores, other participants will be awarded for the range of their average scores (gold medal for those above 80, and silver medal for those below 80).

B. To encourage more primary school students to participate, the top 6 chromatic harmonica solos in the youth group will be rewarded, that is, 1 for the first place, 2 for the second place, and 3 for the third place. The prizes are the same as mentioned above.

C. The top three will be rewarded with harmonica + certificate + trophy + medal. There are bonuses for classic events.

First place: An EastTop Rhapsody (aluminum grid) harmonica, worth RMB1,800;

Second place: An EastTop EMP-12 (aluminum grid) harmonica, worth RMB888;

Third place: A pair of EastTop T-21S2.0 harmonica (C and #C), worth RMB600;

D. The prizes for the "Bai Yansheng Cup" chromatic harmonica classic competition and "EASTTOP" tremolo harmonica classic competition are harmonica + certificate + trophy + medal + bonus:

First place: RMB20,000

Second place: RMB10,000

Third place: RMB5,000

(Prize harmonicas for the top three winners in the classic competitions are the same as mentioned above)

E. We will provide excellent organization awards and best guidance awards to outstanding teams. Teams in need should inform the organizing committee when registering.

(IX) Things to note

A. The sign-in place outside the competition venue will be available 30 minutes before start of the competition. The conductor or participant representative must bring the participant's pass to sign in before start of the competition.

B. Participants shall perform in the order of appearance, without delaying the schedule. Latecomers will be disqualified after three roll-calls, except otherwise as approved by the venue supervisor for emergencies.

C. The list of players entering the finals will be posted on the notice board at the service desk after the preliminary round of the group. The results of the finals will be announced at the closing ceremony. If participants have any objections to the results, please fill in the protest and appeal form and submit it to us at the service desk within one hour after the announcement. Late submission will not be accepted.

D. There is no age limit for solo accompanists and ensemble conductors. They are not considered as contestants, nor awarded with certificates. No entry fees, but pass fees are required. We reserve the final decision right to review the player qualifications.

E. Those ranking outside the top three in each group who enter the finals should collect the certificates at the service desk after end of the closing ceremony. Certificates for teams of two or more must be signed and collected by the team leader.

F. For ensemble events, the certificates are provided to the team and team members. Trophies, medals and prize harmonicas are only provided to the teams, one each. If team members need them, please pay the fee to the organizing committee (RMB25/pcs of medal; RMB100/pcs of trophy; RMB1800/pcs of harmonica for first place winner, RMB888/pcs of harmonica for second place winner, and RMB600/pcs of harmonica for third place winner). We will send the parcel after the closing ceremony, with postage paid by the requesters.

G. We will not mail any awarding items and certificates. The awarding items and certificates, if not collected before the closing ceremony, will be destroyed. Please arrange for personnel to collect them on site.

H. Participants (including accompanying parents) are responsible for your own transportation, food and accommodation expenses during the Harmonica Festival, and the organizing committee will provide relevant information for assistance.

I. If you fail to attend the competition due to personal reasons, no refund will be given.

J. Passes cannot be altered or borrowed. During the Harmonica Festival, our staff have the right to randomly check your ID cards, passes and participation certificates at any time. If one is found to have borrowed his/her pass to others, he/she will be disqualified and asked to leave the venue with his/her pass confiscated. No one is allowed to enter the venues for the Harmonica Festival without relevant documents.

K. The organizing committee will purchase personal accident insurance for all guests and judges invited. Other participants should purchase on their own.

L. If the event is canceled or postponed due to force majeure, the organizing committee will make relevant announcement on the official website.

(X) Charge standards

Pass fee: RMB500/person.

Event participation fee: Solos (chromatic harmonica solo, tremolo harmonica solo, ten-hole harp solo, and tremolo harmonica solo)

RMB120/person;

Creative group: RMB120/person;

"Bai Yansheng Cup" Chromatic Harmonica Classic Competition: RMB200/person;

"EASTTOP" Tremolo harmonica Classic Competition: RMB200/person;

Ensemble (duel, trio, and chamber music): RMB100/person;

Small ensemble: RMB50/person, capped at RMB500;

Large ensemble: RMB50/person, capped at RMB1,000;

Note: A. Judges and guests can participate in the classic competition, who need to pay the participation fees only, without need to pay the pass fees;

B.For participating teams of 30 and more primary and secondary school pupils, the pass fee for 1 leading teacher will be waived;

C.For participating teams of 50 and more primary and secondary school pupils, the pass fee for 2 leading teachers will be waived;

D.For participating teams of 70 and more primary and secondary school pupils, the pass fee for 3 leading teachers will be waived;

E. Register before March 31, 2024 to enjoy a 20% discount on the pass, i.e., RMB400/person;

F. Public harmonica orchestras with 10 members or more (members of the association) registering before May 31, 2024 to the Harmonica Committee of China Association of Popular Music can enjoy a 25% discount on passes (this discount is mutually exclusive to that for registration before March 31, 2024).

V. About registration

Registration time: January 1 - May 31, 2024

Registration website: www.aphf2024.com

Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Chinese website)

3008510826@qq.com (English website)

Consultation

phone: Shi Rong-18101529009 (for Chinese, same number as WeChat account)

Li Jia-18018330200 (for English, same number as WeChat account)