Criteria
55th International Vocal Competition
Opera - Oratorio
23 June - 2 July 2022
's-Hertogenbosch | Eindhoven
The International Vocal Competition (IVC) is the sole international classical singing competition in the Netherlands. Every two years the IVC commissions a new composition by a Dutch composer which will be sung by all participants in the Semi-finals. Special prizes for performance of repertoire by Richard Wagner and for young talent under the age of 25.
€ 43,500 prize money • Engagements • Concerts for prize-winners • Travel refund for semi-finalists • Board and lodging at host families • Feedback from jury members • Master classes and workshops • International casting directors and agencies • All rounds open to the public • Finals with symphony orchestra
>> Participants Regulations 55th Competition <<
>> Jury Regulations 55th Competition <<
Jury
- Linda Finnie (mezzo-soprano) - Jury President
- Charlotte Margiono (soprano)
- Vesselina Kasarova (mezzo-soprano)
- Leonardo Capalbo (tenor)
- John Fulljames (opera director | Royal Danish Opera Copenhagen)
- Javier Menéndez (Teatro de la Maestranza Seville)
- Damià Carbonell Nicolau (Dutch National Opera Amsterdam)
Age limit
- Singers born on 7 December 1987 or later*
- Participants can not be younger than 18 years
* (The Opera | Oratorio competition 2020 has been postponed to 2022 because of Covid-19. The age criteria for singers in 2020 will be maintained for 2021 and 2022.)
The IVC is open to singers of all nationalities who have completed their professional education or are in their final year and aim for a professional career or have an equivalent level of training.
The management of the IVC and its Artistic Commission will decide whether prize-winners from other competitions may be admitted directly to the First Round.
All applications will be assessed by the management of the IVC and its Artistic Commission. Its decisions are final. Correspondence over its decisions is not possible.
Preliminary Selections
Participants wishing to enter the Competition must take part in the Preliminary Selections (live auditions) or online via YouTube.
Singers who reside in the Netherlands or in Belgium cannot participate in the YouTube Preliminary Selections, unless the Management of the IVC indicates otherwise. There will be two separate video jury reviewing batches, with subsequent deadlines.
Preliminary Selections - YouTube video
- YouTube (batch I) - Application deadline: 1 December 2021
-
YouTube (batch II) - Applications deadline: 10 April 2022 (extended deadline)
If you complete your application before 1 December 2021 your videos will be judged in Batch no. 1.
After that, the deadline is 10 April 2022 for Batch no. 2.
You can already create an account, but the moment you finish your application determines when you receive the results.
Results within three weeks after deadline. Candidates who apply for jury reviewing batch no. I receive their results more early.
Preliminary Selections - Live auditions
30 January 2022
Amsterdam University of the Arts, Netherlands
26 February 2022
Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Monaco | Auditorium Rainier lll
15 March 2022
Academy of Music in Łódź, Poland – Concert Hall
2 April 2022
3 April 2022
Huis73, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Entry fee
Preliminary Selections
€ 50
Participants may bring their own accompanist.
If this is not possible, a pianist can be arranged by the IVC for an additional fee of € 30
Because of the war situation it is not possible for all Ukrainian candidates to travel and participate in the live auditions.
The IVC therefore offers all holders of a valid Ukrainian passport (wherever they live) to participate in the Preliminary Selections via YouTube for free.
Competition proper
€ 150
Including host family accommodation
Deadline for payment of Competition proper inscription fee (€150) for singers selected via the Preliminary Selections: 10 May 2022.
Participants can pay the entry fee via the application portal on the IVC website. The fee includes 21% VAT and all payment charges.
Accepted payment methods: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, Bancontact, iDEAL, SEPA banking, SOFORT banking, KBC/CBC banking, Belfius Pay, ING Home'Pay.
The entry fee will not be refunded to Participants who withdraw from the Competition after acceptance.
For application via YouTube video the following rules apply:
a) The application must be submitted before 1 December 2021 (batch I), or before 10 April 2022 (batch II). Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
b) The recording must contain two separate pieces. The arias should be provided with separate links to each individual piece. MP3 accompaniment is not allowed. Only live piano accompaniment or orchestral accompaniment are accepted.
c) The recording should be a fair representation of the contestant’s abilities and be of high (preferably professional) quality. Video quality: 720p or 1080i/p or higher. No editing or other enhancement is permitted. Privacy settings of the videos on YouTube can be either 'Public' or 'Unlisted'. Not 'Private'. Do NOT set your videos as 'Made for children'. The Competition reserves the right to disqualify studio enhanced or modified recordings. Please note: Audio only tracks (e.g. MP3) are not accepted.
d) The audition material should be recorded within 12 months prior to the date of submission. The date of recording should be mentioned in the video description. Participants must adhere to locally enforced Corona regulations when recording their video.
e) The video description should clearly mention the applicant’s name, composer, aria/opera/oratorio title of each piece.
f) Application fee Preliminary Selections via YouTube: € 50.
Repertoire requirements
Operatic excerpts must be performed in their original language and key.
All opera and concert arias must be performed from memory.
Sheet music is allowed for the oratorio pieces and for the compulsory vocal work Vermeer's Gold by Bart Visman. Singing from memory, however, is preferred for these pieces as well.
The participant's chosen repertoire must include music from different periods and styles.
- Style period I: until 1810
- Style period II: 1810 – 1919
- Style period III:
1920 to the present day
Works composed by the following composers count towards the style period III: Leos Janacek, Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi and Franz Schreker.
The operas Salome, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arabella, Daphne, Intermezzo and Vier Letzte Lieder by Richard Strauss count towards the third period.
Music from operettas and Zarzuelas, even when composed after 1920 (like for instance by Lehar) do NOT count towards style period III compositions. They will count as style II compositions.
Please see the annex at the bottom of the page with further suggestions for music from style period III.
Repertoire Preliminary Selections
Participants compile their program themselves.
- 2 arias, one from style period I and one from style period II or III
- 2 different languages
- A minimum of 8 minutes and a maximum of 11 minutes
Singers who want to participate for the Wagner Prize must present 1 Wagner aria in the Preliminary Selections (1 aria by Richard Wagner, plus 1 aria from Style Period I). A maximum of 10 participants will be selected to compete for the Wagner Prize.
The arias are performed in the program sequence specified by the participants.
Repertoire Competition 23 June - 2 July 2022
After admission via the Preliminary Selections, the repertoire for the Competition proper must be submitted by the participants.
Deadline for payment of Competition proper inscription fee and complete repertoire list and programs for the 55th Competition: 10 May 2022.
Participants are allowed to present minor changes to their repertoire and programs until 17 May 2022. After this date no requests for changes will be accepted.
The arias are performed in the program sequence specified by the participants.
Repertoire from the Preliminary Selections may be repeated.
Participants may not repeat repertoire from the First Round in the Semi-finals.
The candidate must perform in at least two different languages in each round and in at least three different languages in total.
The repertoire list for the Competition proper must comprise:
· 10 opera arias, or 10 oratorio arias, or a combination of both.
· Plus the compulsory vocal work Vermeer's Gold by Bart Visman.
If the Participant wants to compete for the Wagner Prizehe/she has to include 2 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).
NB:
To apply for the Opera Prize, one must propose at least 5 opera arias and sing at least 4 opera arias during the whole Competition. At least one in every round.
To apply for the Oratorio Prize, one must propose at least 5 oratorio arias and sing at least 4 oratorio arias during the whole Competition. At least one in every round.
It is therefore possible to compete for both prizes. The jury will nominate singers in the Final for either the Opera Prize, or the Oratorio Prize.
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.
- If two or more operatic arias and two or more oratorio arias are presented, at least one operatic aria and at least one oratorio aria must form part of style period III.
- Performance of the compulsory vocal work Vermeer's Gold by Bart Visman does not count towards the Style period III, nor towards the different languages required.
- 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. Performance of these pieces count towards the Opera Prize. Performance of orchestral songs may also count towards the Oratorio Prize.
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 his/her programme from the Preliminary Rounds if desired; other arias from his/her repertoire list may also be sung. The minimum length of the First Round programme is 12 minutes, the maximum 16 minutes. Candidates are asked to perform their arias in the order they have indicated.
Candidates nominated for the Wagner Prize have to include one Wagner aria from their repertoire list in the First Round programme.
Semi-finals
A programme of two or three arias (depending on the length of the programme) and the compulsory work Vermeer's Goldby Bart Visman. Again, the candidate must present at least two different style periods and two different languages.
Performance of the compulsory vocal work by Bart Visman does not count towards the Style period III, nor towards the different languages required.
The candidate must choose works that he/she did not perform during the First Round. The minimum length of the Semi-finals programme is 14 minutes, the maximum length is 18 minutes, including the compulsory work by Bart Visman. Candidates must perform their arias in the order they have indicated.
Candidates nominated for the Wagner Prize have to include the other Wagner aria from their repertoire list in the Semi-finals programme.
16 - 18 singers will be selected for the Semi-finals.
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 with symphony orchestra. 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. 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.
2 Candidates will be selected after the Semi-finals to perform the compulsory work Vermeer's Goldin the Final.
A maximum of 2 singers will be nominated for the Wagner Prize in the Final.
Annex
Further possible composers for Style Period III (suggestions, 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
Bohislav Martinu
Gian Carlo Menotti
Olivier Messiaen
Douglas
Moore
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