Criteria

56th InternationalVocal Competition
LiedDuo
10 - 15 October 2023
's-Hertogenbosch

>> Complete Rules & Regulations 56th IVC LiedDuo 2023 <<

Become a part of the long line of successful singers that participated in the International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch (IVC). Elly Ameling, Robert Holl, Sarah Connolly, Thomas Hampson and Pretty Yende: they all have in common that they were prize winners in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Now it is your chance.

€ 23,000 prize money • Engagements • Concerts for prize-winners • Travel refund for finalists • Board and lodging at host families • Feedback from jury members • Master classes and workshops • All rounds open to the public

Participants wishing to enter the Competition must take part in the online First Round selections via YouTube.
There will be two separate jury reviewing groups, with subsequent deadlines.

Jury First Round

  • Charlotte Margiono soprano
  • Ed Spanjaard pianist | conductor
  • Mauricio Fernandez former head artistic affairs Dutch National Opera | ZaterdagMatinee Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam
  • Ivan van Kalmthout general manager IVC

Applications open

  • 1 February 2023
Application deadline

  • 1 May 2023 (Group I)
  • 27 June 2023 (Group II)

You can already create an account, but the moment you finish your application determines when you receive the results.
There is no difference between both groups besides the date.
If you complete your application before 1 May your videos will be judged in Group no. 1. 
After that, the deadline is 27 June for Group no. 2.
Results within three weeks after deadline.
Candidates who apply for jury reviewing Group no. I receive their results more early.

Age limit

  • Singers born on 16 October 1990 or later (max. 32 years)
  • Pianists born on 16 October 1987 or later (max. 35 years)
  • Participants can not be younger than 18 years

The IVC is open to singers and pianists 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.

For the LiedDuo competition the singer and pianist inscribe as an artistic couple. They will perform together in the First Round and (if selected) in the Semi-finals and the Finals of the Competition proper.
Singer and pianist duos may only participate as one combination in the Competition, i.e. pianists cannot enroll with multiple singers.

The management of the IVC and its Artistic Commission will decide whether prize-winners from other competitions may be admitted directly to the Semi-finals.

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.

Entry fee
First Round

€ 70 (per duo)

Competition proper
€ 180 (per duo)
Including host family accommodation

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 May 2023 (group I), or before 27 June 2023 (group II). Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

b) The recording must contain at least four separate pieces. The songs should be provided with separate links to each individual piece. Privacy settings of the videos on YouTube should be either 'Public' or 'Unlisted'. Do NOT set your videos to 'Private'.
Do NOTset your videos as: 'Made for children'.

c) The recording should be a fair representation of the contestant’s abilities and be of high (preferably professional) quality. Both singer and pianist must be clearly visible in the video performance. Video quality: 720p or 1080i/p or higher. No editing or other enhancement is permitted. 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.

e) The video description should clearly mention the applicant’s name, composer, song title (and cycle) of each piece. New manually entered repertoire must first be reviewed and approved by the IVC before it can count towards the repertoire requirements. Always check if the Song is already in the database before entering new repertoire.

f) Application fee First Round selections via YouTube: € 70 per duo.

Repertoire requirements

The songs must be performed in the original language and for the various voice types authorised key.

The songs must be sung from memory. Sheet music is allowed for the compulsory vocal work by Bart Visman and Marc Pantus. Singing from memory, however, is preferred for this piece as well.

  • German core repertoire: Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Hugo Wolf, Richard Strauss.
  • French core repertoire: Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Henri Duparc, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, Reynaldo Hahn.

Participants compile their programs themselves. The songs must be performed in the program sequence specified by the participants.

Participants must clearly state their programs, including name of composer (with year of birth and year of death, if applicable), title song, title song cycle, and performance time of each work.


Repertoire First Round
Participants compile their program themselves.

• 2 German songs and 1 French song from the core repertoire, or 1 German song and 2 French songs from the core repertoire
• 1 or more songs free choice
• At least 3 different languages
• At least 1 song composed after 1920 (this can overlap with other requirements)
• A minimum of 13 minutes and a maximum of 15 minutes
• For this round, you are allowed to provide up to 6 Lieder in total

The songs must be performed in the program sequence specified by the participants.

Register for the First Round via our online application portal from 1 February 2023.


Repertoire Competition 10 - 15 October 2023
After admission via the First Rounds, the programs for the Semi-Finals and Finals of the Competition must be submitted by the participants.

Sheet music of the compulsory work by composer Bart Visman and Marc Pantus is available as PDF-files from June 2023via the IVC website.

Deadline for payment of Competition proper inscription fee and complete repertoire list and programs for the Semi-finals and Finals of the 56th Competition: 8 August 2023.
Participants are allowed to present minor changes to their repertoire and programs until 15 Augustus 2023. After this date no requests for changes will be accepted.

• Repertoire from the First Round may be repeated.
• Participants may not repeat repertoire from the Semi-Finals in the Finals, except for the song composed by a female composer.
• At least 3 different languages per round.
• A minimum of 4 languages total, divided between Semi-Finals and Finals. The compulsory work does not count towards this total.


Semi-finals

• At least 2 German songs and 1 French song from the core repertoire, or at least 2 French songs and 1 German song from the core repertoire
• The compulsory work is performed by all duos in the Semi-Finals, they indicate themselves where in their program
• 1 song by a female composer. This song may be especially composed for the competition if the duo prefers that. If one or both members of the duo are female, it can be a composition by one of the members of the duo as well.
• At least 1 song free choice
• At least 1 song composed after 1920 (this can overlap with the other requirements). The compulsory work does not count towards this total
• A minimum of 20 minutes and a maximum of 22 minutes, incl. the compulsory work (05:00)


Final

• At least 2 German songs and 1 French song from the core repertoire, or at least 2 French songs and 1 German song from the core repertoire
• 1 song by a female composer (duos may repeat the song performed in the Semi-finals, a different song by a female composer may also be performed)
• 1 song by a Dutch composer (not necessarily in Dutch)
• At least 1 song free choice
• At least 2 songs composed after 1920 (this can overlap with the other requirements)
• A minimum of 28 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes