Competition Freak out

[ChopRock]

okay, this is crazy. in two hours I'm heading to my first substantial competition, and I'm wiggin out.
By any chance, can anyone give some words of wisdom towards a young lass heading into the real world. What should I expect?

thanks to anyone who replies

[comme_le_vent]

expect to do well if your good, and expect to do badly if your bad.
also, remember that everyone else is feeling just like you, so calm down - your not the only one.
also, dont necesarily be a conformist - play in your own unique way and express what YOU feel, anyone who fakes it, sounds insincere.

[ChopRock]

aww thanks, man. Say, is there a certain genre they respond to better? I've heard that having a variety of all the time periods helps.

[comme_le_vent]

a mastery of various styles is definitly a great virtue for a pianist - so yes its a good idea to have some baroque and 20th century stuff in there - but only choose the works you like YOURSELF, therefore you can give a heartfelt interpretation.
most people go in with blazing romantic works and chopin etudes etc. , but to stand out - you have to be a bit more original - unless you are EXTREMELY good at playing those overplayed pieces.

if i was entering a competiton - id play some rameau and telemann for baroque.
beethoven's first sonata in f minor for classical.
some alkan for romantic, and medtner for post-romantic.
and some hamelin or liebermann for contemporary.

so you dont have to play exactly what ive said here, but this kind of diversity and unusualness of repertoire - if played well and heartfelt - will help your chances.

[xenon]

Ah yes, the competitions.  Not fun, eh?  Just have fun.  Enjoy yourself.  Don't think of the competition.  Focus on playing beautifully.

Amen to comme le vent, don't play to please the adjudicator, play to express yourself.

As for the repetoire, the RCM has kind-of a guideline for what to play, in 5 (or 6) lists:

A - Baroque (Bach P and F, Handel, Telemann, etc)
B - Classical Sonata (2+ mvts) (Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, etc)
C - Romantic (Large scale for higher levels) (Chopin (waltzs/nocturnes for lower level, big shizznat for older folks)
D - Impressionistic (Debussy, etc)
E - Contemporary (Bartok, Copland, etc)
Etude - Etude from Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, etc