Singers can submit their application for the Preliminary Selections of the IVC Opera | Oratorio 2026 via the online portal.
Apply Now
Main Rounds: Friday, 2 October – Monday, 5 October 2026
Grand Finale: 10 October 2026
The Competition is open to aspiring professional singers of all nationalities who have completed their formal vocal studies, are in their final year of study, or have an equivalent level of training, and who aim to pursue a professional singing career.
Maximum age: 34 years
Eligible singers must be born on or after 11 October 1991.
Participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of the competition.
Entry Fee
Preliminary Selections: €50
Participants may bring their own accompanist to the preliminary selections.
If this is not possible, an official IVC pianist can be arranged for an additional fee of €30.
Main Competition (upon selection): €175
During the main competition, accommodation with host families is provided, and finalists may claim reimbursement of travel expenses up to a maximum of €500, upon submission of their travel documents.
Singers wishing to enter the Competition must take part in the Preliminary Selections,
either through live auditions or by submitting an online video via YouTube.
Singers can submit their application for the Preliminary Selections of the IVC Opera | Oratorio 2026 via the online portal.
Apply Now
Preliminary Selections – Live Auditions 2026
Singers residing in the Netherlands or Belgium are not eligible to participate in the YouTube Preliminary Selections, unless otherwise authorised by the General and Artistic Director of the IVC.
There will be two separate rounds of video jury review, each with its own submission deadline:
If you complete your application before 5 March 2026, your videos will be reviewed in Group I. Applications completed after that date, but before 23 June 2026, will be reviewed in Group II.
You may already create an account in the online application portal; however, the date you complete your application determines when you receive your results.
Results will be announced within three weeks after each deadline.
Candidates applying for Group I will therefore receive their results earlier.
a) Applications must be submitted before 5 March 2026 (Group I) or before 23 June 2026 (Group II).
Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The date of completion determines when you receive your results.
Results will be announced within three weeks after the deadline.
Candidates applying for Group I will receive their results earlier.
b) The recording must contain two separate pieces.
Each aria should be provided as a separate YouTube link.
MP3 or pre-recorded accompaniments are not allowed.
Only live piano or orchestral accompaniment is accepted.
The singer’s performance must be clearly visible and filmed from an appropriate distance.
c) The recording must be a fair and accurate representation of the contestant’s abilities and of high (preferably professional) quality.
Recommended video resolution: 720p or 1080p (or higher).
No editing, splicing, or other enhancement is permitted. The recording must be made in one continuous take, but may be filmed using multiple cameras.
YouTube privacy settings must be “Public” or “Unlisted” — not “Private.”
Do not mark 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 must be recorded within 12 months prior to the date of submission.
The recording date should be mentioned in the video description.
e) The video description must clearly include the applicant’s name, composer, and the title of each aria and opera/oratorio.
f) Application fee for Preliminary Selections via YouTube: €50
The competition applies the following three style periods:
Note: All of Puccini’s music is included in Style Period II.
The following composers and works are also considered part of Style Period III: Janáček, Ravel, Respighi, Schreker, and the following operas by Richard Strauss — Salome, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arabella, Daphne, Intermezzo and Vier letzte Lieder.
Music from operettas and zarzuelas, even if composed after 1920 (for example by Léhar), will not be counted as Style Period III; these are classified under Style Period II.
Oratorio repertoire includes concert works for solo voice performed without staging, covering both religious and secular music. This includes oratorios, passions, masses, requiems, cantatas, Stabat Maters, Te Deums, vespers, psalm settings, motets with orchestra, and modern or contemporary concert repertoire for solo voice.
Singers wishing to be considered for the Wagner Prize must already perform Wagner in the preliminaries: one Wagner opera aria of at least 4 minutes, plus one oratorio aria.
During the preliminary rounds, opera arias must be performed from memory, while oratorio arias may be sung using sheet music. Singing from memory, however, is generally expected for oratorio repertoire as well.
Repertoire presented in the preliminary rounds may be performed in subsequent rounds.
The arias are to be performed in the programme order specified by the participant.
If auditioning live at one of the Preliminary Selection venues, please upload the sheet music for each aria (PDF format) via the online application portal.
All participants admitted to the live rounds in ‘s-Hertogenbosch will need to fulfill additional repertoire requirements.
Anne-Maartje Lemereis, Composer Laureate of the Netherlands, is writing the new commissioned work ‘Feathers’ especially for this edition of the competition. This world premiere will be performed by all participating singers in the main rounds, underscoring the IVC’s commitment to fostering collaboration between composers and performers and to showcasing contemporary Dutch music on an international stage.
