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Rules & Regulations
1. General Conditions
2. Application
3. The Competition
4. Programme & Repertoire
5. Prizes
6. Facilities
7. Liability
8. Juridical
1. General Conditions
1.1. The 2024 Opera | Oratorio category of the 57th International Vocal Competition ’s-Hertogenbosch (“the Competition”) will take place in ’s-Hertogenbosch, between 27 September to 5 October 2024 inclusive. Rehearsals of First Round repertoire with the Competition pianists start from 26 September 2024.
1.1a The 57th Competition in 2024 has one category: Opera | Oratorio.
1.2. The Competition is open to (aspiring) professional singers of all nationalities who:
a. are born after 6 October 1989 (Max. 34 years old)
b. are not younger than 18 years
c. have completed their professional education or are in their final year and aim for a professional career or have an equivalent level of training
1.2a Singers wishing to enter the Competition must take part in the IVC preliminary rounds in Łódź (13 February 2024), Amsterdam (24 & 25 February 2024), London (3 March 2024), Berlin (16 & 17 March 2024), Colombo (10 April 2024), New York (22 April 2024), Salzburg (5 May 2024),
’s-Hertogenbosch (29 & 30 June 2024) or via YouTube video recording (Group 1 deadline: 10 April 2024; Group II deadline: 25 June 2024). Singers who reside in the Netherlands or in Belgium cannot participate in the YouTube preliminary rounds, unless the Direction of the IVC indicates otherwise.
1.2b The management of the IVC will decide whether prize-winners from other competitions or past IVC competitions may be admitted directly to the First Round.
1.3. For the preliminary rounds of the Opera | Oratorio category candidates may provide their own pianist or use an official IVC pianist. During the Competition proper candidates will be assigned an official IVC accompanist.
1.4. The IVC takes its responsibility towards the participants, the host families, and the public very seriously. Concerning the health and safety of the candidates and the public we will follow the Dutch safety rules concerning COVID-19 as in force during the Competition period.
1.5. All decisions of the jury shall be final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding its decisions.
1.6. The official language during the competition is English.
Timetable
57th International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Theater aan de Parade, ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Thursday, 26 September 2024
Rehearsals repertoire First Round
Friday, 27 September 2024
Rehearsals repertoire First Round
4.30 pm | Official Opening Competition at city hall
8.15 pm Opening Concert
Saturday, 28 September 2024
10.30 am – 9.30 pm | First Round
Sunday, 29 September 2024
10.30 am – 8.30 pm | First Round (Semi-finalists will be announced at the end of the evening)
Monday, 30 September 2024
Rehearsals Repertoire Semi-Finals
Tuesday, 1 October 2024
11 am – 6.30 pm | Semi-finals (Finalists will be announced at the end of the evening)
Wednesday, 2 October 2024
11 am | Career development: ‘Singers Survival Kit’
8.15 pm | Concert IVC prize winners from the past
Piano rehearsals Finals
Orchestra rehearsals Finals
Thursday, 3 October 2024
11 am | Jury Consultations (for singers not selected for the Finals)
3 pm | Masterclass Rosemary Joshua
8.15 pm | Masterclass Roberta Alexander
Orchestra rehearsals Finals
Piano rehearsals Finals
Friday, 4 October 2024
3 pm | Masterclass Michael Chance
8.15 pm | Masterclass Dame Gwyneth Jones
Orchestra rehearsals Finals
General rehearsal Finals
Saturday, 5 October 2024
3.30 pm | In conversation with Dame Gwyneth Jones & Andrew Watts
7 pm | Grand Finale with PhilZuid, David Parry (conductor)
Sunday, 6 October 2024
Live Radio/TV performance Grand Prix winner
2. Application
2.1 Applications can only be made via the online portal on the competition’s website (ivc.nu). The application is only confirmed after the Participant has paid the application fee and submitted all required information and documentation correctly.
2.2. Application and entry fee:
Entry fee for the preliminary rounds of the 57th Competition:
Opera | Oratorio: € 50
If you need the services of a pianist for the preliminary rounds there is an additional charge € 30.
Payment and inscription deadlines for the Preliminary Rounds are announced on our website.
Entry fee for the Competition proper, in case the participant gets through the Preliminary Rounds:
€ 150
Payment and inscription deadline for the Competition proper: 1st August 2024.
Participants can pay the entry fee via the application portal on the IVC website.
Accepted payment methods: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal.
The entry fee will not be refunded to Participants who withdraw from the Competition after acceptance.
In case of financial hardship, an application can be made to the IVC secretariat for support from a special fund.
3. The Competition
3.1. If the candidate gets through to the next rounds of the Competition, they will be informed about the exact schedule in due course.
3.2. The sequence of performance will be decided by the Competition.
3.3. An official professional IVC piano accompanist is assigned to all participants. Competition pianists are: Frances Hills, Ian Tindale and Markus Zugehör.
3.4. The members of the Jury of the Competition: Dame Gwyneth Jones (Honorary Jury Member – Soprano), Roberta Alexander(soprano), Eva-Maria Westbroek (soprano), Michael Chance (countertenor), Rosemary Joshua (soprano – head Dutch National Opera Studio), Pål Christian Moe (artistic administrator and casting adviser), Karen Stone (director Opera Europa), Monique Wagemakers (stage director), Damià Carbonell Nicolau (head of artistic affairs of the Dutch National Opera). Eva-Maria Westbroek will only be part of the jury during the Semi-finals on 1 October and Finals on 5 October 2024. Dame Gwyneth Jones will only be part of the jury during the Finals on 5 October 2024.
3.5. Contestants shall not communicate with jury members during the Competition, nor shall any other person communicate with the jury members on behalf of any competitor. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification from the Competition.
3.6. Following the Semi-finals, each participant not selected to go through to the Final, will be offered a personal consultation with a member of the jury. A request for this consultation session must be submitted to the IVC secretariat by the participant.
3.7. Should a candidate be a regular student (or in any other respect to close to a member of the jury for that member to be objective), the latter will abstain from the jury deliberations in his or her respect.
3.8. The jury will not permit the stated performance time to be exceeded under any circumstances. Participants who exceed their time limit might be interrupted or stopped during their performance.
3.9. The jury has the right not to grant any prize.
3.10. All rounds are open to the public. Therefore, appropriate dress is advised for the First Round and the Semi-finals. Evening dress is compulsory for the Finals.
3.11. All participants entering the Competition shall provide the organisation with legible (not annotated) digital copies (PDF-files) of their sheet music (vocal scores) of their complete repertoire list before 1 August 2024.
3.12. The organisation cannot provide photocopying facilities during the Competition.
4. Programme & Repertoire
4.1. Operatic excerpts must be performed in their original language and original key.
4.2. All opera and concert arias must be performed from memory. Sheet music is allowed for the oratorio pieces and for the compulsory vocal work by Bart Visman. Singing from memory, however, is generally expected for these pieces as well.
4.3. For the PRELIMINARY ROUNDS the candidates must choose 2 piecesof music, one from style period I and one from style period II or III (see 4.6.). The two pieces must be of 2 different languages. Singers who want to participate for the Wagner Prize must present 1 Wagner aria for this round.
The minimum length of the Preliminary Rounds programme is 8 minutes, the maximum 11 minutes.
4.4. For the COMPETITION proper the participants must choose 10 pieces.
4.5. The candidate must perform in at least three languages. Two different languages in each round and three different languages in total.
4. 6. The participant’s chosen repertoire must include music from three different periods and styles.
Please see the annex at the end of the rules and regulations with further suggestions for music from style period III.
4.7. If the Participant wants to compete for the WAGNER PRIZE he/she has to include two Wagner arias in the 10 pieces mentioned above. The two Wagner arias / fragments must be at least 4 minutes long and from a different opera or from a different character in the opera (e.g.: not 2 times a Wolfram aria).
4.8. Participants must clearly state their programmes, including name of composer (with year of birth and year of death, if applicable), title, and performance time of each work.
4.9. Candidates who are selected after the Preliminary Rounds will receive the music of the 57th IVC compulsory vocal work by Bart Visman in PDF form. Please note that this work does not count for style period III. Nor does the language in which it is sung count towards the three required languages in the total repertoire.
4.10. Candidates are allowed to repeat (sections of) their programme of the Preliminary Round during the First Round or Semi-finals, but also have the liberty to perform an entirely different programme. Repetitions of repertoire from the First Round during the Semi-finals are NOT allowed.
4.11. Deadline for payment of Competition inscription fee and complete repertoire list and programmes for the First Round and Semi-finals of the 57thCompetition: 1 August 2024. Candidates are allowed to present minor changes to their repertoire and programmes until 8 August 2024. After this date no requests for changes will be accepted.
4.12. Repertoire Opera | Oratorio:
The Competition is divided into three Rounds: the First Round, the Semi-finals and the Final.
The Management of the IVC and the conductor David Parry will choose the candidate’s programme for the finals, considering the preferences of the jury members and a balanced musical offering for the public.
The repertoire list Opera | Oratorio for the Competition must comprise:
– 10 arias, of which at least 2 operatic arias from different Style Periods and 2 oratorio arias from different Style Periods
– The compulsory vocal work by Bart Visman, with a choice in which language the candidate wants to sing the song (Dutch or English).
Specifications concerning the repertoire list:
– The repertoire list must contain at least 3 arias from Style period I, at least 3 arias from Style period II, at least 2 arias from Style period III.
– The candidate must perform arias from all 3 different Style Periods during the whole competition.
– The candidate must perform in at least three languages. Two different languages in each round and three different languages in total.
– Performance of the compulsory vocal work by Bart Visman does not count towards the Style period III, nor towards the required different languages.
– Oratorio repertoire includes solo arias from masses, sacred and secular oratorio, sacred and secular cantatas.
– Within the total repertoire list of 10 works candidates may feature a maximum of 1 operetta aria or zarzuela, or 1 concert aria, or 2 orchestral songs.
– If the Participant competes for the WAGNER PRIZE he/she has to include two Wagner arias in the 10 pieces mentioned above. The two Wagner arias / fragments must be at least 4 minutes long and from a different opera or from a different character in the opera (e.g.: not 2 times a Wolfram aria).
The programmes for the First Rounds and Semi-finals are compiled by the candidates with arias from their entire repertoire list.
4.13. First Round
A programme of two or three arias (depending on the length of the programme). The programme must contain at least 2 different style periods and at least 2 different languages.
The candidate may repeat part or all of their programme from the Preliminary Rounds if desired; other arias from their repertoire list may also be sung. The minimum length of the First Round programme is 12 minutes, the maximum 16 minutes. Candidates must perform their arias in the order they have submitted.
Candidates nominated for the WAGNER PRIZE have to include one Wagner aria from their repertoire list in the First Round programme.
4.14. Semi-Finals
A programme of two, three, or four arias (depending on the length of the arias) and the compulsory work by Bart Visman. Again, the candidate must present at least two different style periods and two different languages. The candidate must choose works that he/she did not perform during the First Round.
The candidate must perform at least 1 oratorio aria in the Semi-finals.
The minimum length of the Semi-finals programme is 18 minutes, the maximum length is 22 minutes, including the compulsory work by Bart Visman. Candidates must perform their arias in the order they have submitted.
The compulsory work “Veronese’s Groen” / “Veronese’s Green” is performed by all singers in the Semi-Finals, they indicate themselves where in their programme and whether they perform the Dutch or English text. Performance of the compulsory vocal work by Bart Visman does not count towards the Style period III, nor towards the required different languages.
Candidates nominated for the WAGNER PRIZE have to include the other Wagner aria from their repertoire list in their Semi-finals program.
A maximum of 16 singers will be selected for the Semi-finals. A maximum of 4 singers will be nominated for the Wagner Prize in the Semi-finals.
4.15. Final
· The candidate may propose 2 works from their complete repertoire list in two languages from two different style periods that he or she would like to perform during the Final. Wagner arias are excluded.
Jury members are invited to indicate which of the 10 arias in the candidate’s list they want to hear in the Final with symphony orchestra. The Management of the IVC and the conductor of the Final will try to take these preferences into account when deciding upon the definite programme.
It is possible that the candidate will have to repeat a work or works that he/she has already performed in earlier rounds.
· 6 – 8 singers will be selected for the Finals with the ‘Philzuid’ symphony orchestra under the baton of maestro David Parry.
· 2 singers will be selected after the Semi-finals to perform the compulsory work of the competition with symphony orchestra in the Final.
· A maximum of 2 singers will be nominated for the Wagner Prize in the Final.
5. Prizes
Prizes will be partially awarded after the Semi-finals and partially after the Final.
The Competition will award the following prizes after the final:
Grand Prix ’s-Hertogenbosch (1stPrize)
€ 15,000
Toonkunst Prize (2ndPrize)
€ 7,500
Staetshuys Fund Prize (3rd Prize)
€ 3,500
Wagner Prize
€ 3,000 cash prize, plus € 2,000 scholarship prize
The ‘Wagnergenootschap Nederland’ has consciously chosen to create a prize that will continue the education and further professional development of the winner. This amount can also be used to cover the costs of participation in masterclasses given by a Wagner specialist. With the Wagner Prize the Richard Wagner Foundation Netherlands aim to promote the work by composer Richard Wagner to the attention of audiences and musicians and to encourage young singers into this field.
Young Talent Prize
€ 3,500
The Young Talent Prize is awarded to a singer under the age of 25. The winner may also be determined in the First Round or Semi-finals.
Marianne Blok Prize
€ 3,500
For the most musically gifted coloratura soprano. The winner may also be determined in the First Round or Semi-finals.
Van Amelsvoort Prize
€ 2,500
Prize will be given to the participant who best performs the compulsory piece Veronese’s Green by composer Bart Visman.
ANED Fund Audience Prize
€ 1,500
The Audience Prize will be chosen by the members of the audience during the Final.
The following prizes will be awarded after the Semi-finals:
Prize Association Friends of the IVC
€ 1,500
Press Prize
€ 1,000
Awarded by the press jury.
Junior Jury Prize
€ 1,000
Awarded by students in voice and music theatre.
Various Laureates’ Concerts and Engagements
Various concerts and engagements are offered by artistic directors and opera houses attending the competition.
6. Facilities
6.1. The Competition will supply the following:
a) Reimbursement of pre-agreed reasonable travel expenses of those participants who are admitted to the Semi-finals (with a maximum of € 500), based on their travel documents
b) Accommodation (for participants only) in private family homes in the ’s-Hertogenbosch area. There is an extensive IVC host family network. Participants who prefer hotel accommodations must make their own arrangements and cover the costs themselves. A list of hotels can be mailed upon request. Participants can stay with their host families for the totality of the Competition proper, even when they are not chosen to be part of the next round.
6.2. Rehearsals with piano accompanists will be available, but only for limited periods of time. Rehearsal time will be divided equally among participants. A detailed schedule will be provided before arrival. Participants must arrive at the designated rehearsal location 10 minutes before the rehearsal is due to start.
6.3. Finalists in the Opera | Oratorio category must attend all scheduled orchestra rehearsals, which take place between the Semi-finals and the Finals. A candidate that fails to participate in the orchestra rehearsals is automatically excluded from the Finals.
6.4. Participants not selected to proceed to a following round are encouraged to attend further rounds and to participate in other IVC activities, although seats must be reserved for the Finals. This can be done at the IVC secretariat until 4 pm on 4 October 2024. Only finalists receive 2 free tickets for their family. We will announce which other activities can be attended by participants who have not reached the Finals.
6.5. The Competition will host Masterclasses by members of the jury for participants who have not been selected to proceed to the Final. These participants will be selected by the jury and IVC management and will be informed after the Semi-finals. Participants are welcome to be in the audience during all Masterclasses.
6.6. Participants are encouraged to stay after they might have been eliminated from the competition for the purpose of participating in additional courses from professionals in the field on career development and further coaching.
7. Liability
7.1. The obtaining of appropriate travel documents, visas and insurance is the sole responsibility of each competitor. The Competition accepts no liability of any kind whatsoever for any personal illness or injury sustained by the competitor, nor for loss or damage to a competitor’s belongings during transit or while at the competition. Medical costs, of whatever nature, will not be reimbursed by the IVC. A doctor will be on call for the duration of the Competition in case of any medical emergency.
7.2. Host families shall not be held responsible for accidents or damage of any kind which may befall the participants, with the exception of those accidents that fall under third party insurance.
7.3. Participants must refrain from all professional engagements or duties during the Competition. Exceptions can only be made at the discretion of the IVC directorate.
8. Juridical
8.1. By submitting the application form through the website, applicants state their agreement:
a) with all articles in the regulations;
b) with all ensuing engagements as part of any prize.
c) that all concert and recording engagements obtained by the Competition or its designates as part of the prizes will not be subject to any fee payable to the prize-winner’s current or future artist management;
d) that the competition is authorized to record, videotape, film, broadcast, or photograph any Competition concerts or events for any purpose, without payment of any fee. All rights, including copyright in such media shall vest in and be owned by the Competition in perpetuity. Photographs or video recordings cannot be made by any other parties without prior written permission of the IVC.
8.2. All rights reserved. Programme subject to change.
Annex
Further possible composers for Style Period III (non-exhaustive list)
John Adams
Louis Andriessen
Samuel Barber
Bela Bartok
Alban Berg
Luciano Berio
Leonard Bernstein
Harrison Birtwistle
Benjamin Britten
Ferruccio Busoni
Hans Cox
Luigi Dallapicola
Peter Maxwell Davies
George Gershwin
Philip Glass
Hans Werner Henze
Paul Hindemith
Arthur Honegger
Willem Jeths
Zoltan Kodaly
Ernst Krenek
György Ligeti
Theo Loevendie
Bohuslav Martinu
Gian Carlo Menotti
Olivier Messiaen
Luigi Nono
Carl Orff
Krzysztof Penderecki
Francis Poulenc
Sergei Prokofiev
Aribert Reimann
Wolfgang Rihm
Kaija Saariaho
Peter Schat
Dmitri Shostakovich
Igor Stravinsky
Karol Szymanovski
Michael Tippett
Viktor Ullmann
Michel van der Aa
Alexander von Zemlinsky
Kurt Weill
Judith Weir
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
2024 © International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch
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