ImproTone 2025: The Little Prince

First year of the international competition is inspired by the book that enchants children and adults alike

Society for Improvisation in Classical Music announces the first edition of the ImproTone International Classical Improvisation Competition on 29 June 2025. This year's theme, the book The Little Prince, was chosen by SICM members based on three criteria. First, they consider it a diverse, poetic work that encourages the creation of a variety of musical improvisations. Secondly, it is a material of interest to both children and adult musicians and is therefore suitable for all ages. And thirdly, this year is the 125th anniversary of the birth of the author of the book, the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and SICM wants to celebrate this anniversary by commemorating his most famous work. That's why the competition starts on 29 June, Exupéry's birthday.

Competition rules

The ImproTone competition is open to musicians from all over the world from 7 to 27 years old. It is conducted by correspondence, so competitors must make a video recording of their performance and then send it electronically to the competition organizers. Contestants can be inspired by the entire book The Little Prince or choose to focus on a particular chapter or character, relationship, idea or anything else they find interesting. The maximum length of the improvisation depends on the category the contestant falls into.

CategoryAge of contestantsMaximum length of improvisation
I.7 to 9 years1 minute and 30 seconds
II.10 to 12 years1 minute and 30 seconds
III.13 to 15 years2 minutes and 15 seconds
IV.16 to 18 years2 minutes and 15 seconds
V.19 to 21 years3 minutes
VI.22 to 27 years3 minutes

How to participate

The application form and full details of how to enter will be posted here when the competition opens.