Charter of 2023 Ningbo International Vocal Competition

(December 2-11, 2023, Ningbo, China)

I. General Rules:

2023 Ningbo International Vocal Competition, sponsored bythe Central Conservatory of Music and the Ningbo Municipal People`s Government, will be held from December 2^nd to 11^th, 2023 in Ningbo, China.

The Organizing Committee of 2023 Ningbo International Vocal Competition (hereinafter referred to as the Organizing Committee) shall organize and manage the competition.

Radio and television broadcasts, recording, videotaping and internet publication of the performances and the Gala Concert are under the exclusive administration of the Organizing Committee. The copyrights of the audio-visual products as well as their derivatives shall rest with the Organizing Committee and no payment will be made to the competitors.

II.Application 

1. Singers of all nations, male and female, aged from 18 to 35 (born before December 1^st of 2005 and after December 2^nd of 1988), are eligible to apply.

2. The applicants could register through official website: www.nbso.org.cn .

Applicants shall register no later than August 31^st, 2023.

Contact for registration:

Organizing Committee of 2023 Ningbo International Vocal Competition

ADD: Ningbo Symphony Orchestra, 1 Dazha Road, Jiangbei District, Ningbo, 315020 the P.R.C.

TEL: 0574-87870306  0574-87870317

FAX: 0574-87871531

Email: civc.nb@163.com

Website: www.nbso.org.cn

3. Confirmation of competitors

The Organizing Committee will make a preliminary selection based on the application materials. The qualified applicants will be notified of the results by fax, mail or e-mail before September 20^th, 2023 and official invitations will be issued.

4. Application fee

Upon receiving the invitation, the applicants should submit 80 USD by money order or remittance to the Competition Committee no later than September 30^th, 2023. The Chinese citizens living in China Mainland can pay in RMB with real-time exchange rates. The bank certificate for the remittance should be faxed or e-mailed to the Organizing Committee. The application fee will not be refunded.

Remittance should be addressed to:

Bank: China Construction Bank Ningbo Branch, Ningbo China

Account No.: 33150198367900000202

Name of Account: NINGBO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Swift Code: PCBCCNBJNPX

Upon receipt of the application fee, the Organizing Committee will notify the applicant over his/her participation in the competition before October 15^th, 2023.

III. Competition Rules

1. Competitors should arrive in Ningbo, China on December 2^nd, 2023 and register at the venue designated by the Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee reserves the rights to disqualify the competitor who fails to register within the required timeslot. Upon registration, the competitor should show the invitation letter and his/her passport or ID card. In case the competitor intends to quit during the competition, a written application must be submitted to the Organizing Committee and approval must be obtained.

2. The order of performance during the competition will be decided by the competitors drawing lots. In case a competitor fails to present for the drawing, he/she will be deemed withdraw from the competition.

3. All competition programs must be performed in the original language and tonality. The repertoire chosen for the Preliminary, the Semi-Final and the Final shall be different.

4. Any change of the competition program should be reported to the Organizing Committee no later than October 31^st, 2023 at the same time of the remittance of application fee. No change of programs is permitted during the Competition.

5. The Organizing Committee provides piano accompanists. Finalists will be accompanied by orchestra. Competitors can bring their own piano accompanists but shall cover their own expenses for traveling and accommodation.

6. During the competition, no competitor shall communicate with the jury or receive assistance from the jury without the permission of the Organizing Committee. Any violation of this regulation, he/she will be disqualified from the competition. In case such violation is discovered after the diploma and prize are awarded, the diploma will be revoked and prize will be returned, and the decision for such revocation and return will be announced at the competition venue and published on the official website.

7. The Organizing Committee shall announce the name of the advancing competitors after each round of competition.

8. The decisions of the jury shall be final throughout the entire competition.

The awarding ceremony will invite internationally renowned performance brokers or theater directors to participate, also including a signing session for part of the winning competitors with brokers or theater companies.

IV.  Competition Repertoire

1. Preliminary (with piano):

1) One solo song chosen from the Passions, Oratorios, Masses or Cantatas by composers of the 17^th and 18^th century such as Bach, Handel, Haydn, Gluck and Mozart, concert arias, operas, or works by composers of the Baroque period;

2) One art song chosen from the works of Beethoven, Dvorak, Faure, Grieg, Debussy , Moussorgsky, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Richard Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Wolf, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, Ravel and Wagner, etc;

3) One opera aria at the competitor’s own discretion.

2. Semi-Final (with piano):

1) Two art songs;

2) Two opera arias;

3)One Chinese art song chosen from the following list, sung in Chinese language (transposition into other keys allowed). The Organizing Committee will provide scores:

a. My Sentiments to the Yangtze River

Lyric by Li Zhiyi(Song Dynasty), Music by Qing Zhu

b. How can I bear not missing

Lyric by Liu Bannong, Music by Zhao Yuanren

c. Rainbow Sister

Folk song from Hebei, piano accompaniment by A.Tcherepnin

d. Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night

Lyric by Zhang Ji, Music by Li Yinghai

e. The Mighty River Flows Eastward

Lyric by Su Shi(Song Dynasty), Music by Qing Zhu

f. At a place faraway

Folk song from Xinjiang, arranged by Wang Luobin

g. That is me

Lyric by Xiao Guang, Music by Gu Jianfen

h. I Love This Land

Lyric by Ai Qing, Music by Xiao Chunyuan

i. Three Wishes of the Rose

Lyric by Long Yusheng, Music by Huang Zi

j. Longing For Native Land

Lyric by Du Zhixue, Music by Liu Cong

3. Final (with orchestra):

Two opera arias at the competitor’s own discretion.

V. Number and Amount of Prizes

There will be four prizes for the Male and Female Group respectively and one prize for the Best Performance of Chinese Art Songs (awarded to a Non-Chinese Foreign competitor), together with prize-winners’ certificates, cups and bonuses. All the prizes are pre-tax, the Organizing Committee will withhold and remit tax for each winner, and then pay after tax.

Male Group

First prize:   20000 USD

Second prize: 10000 USD

Third prize:   6000 USD

Fourth prize:  4000 USD

Female Group

First prize:   20000 USD

Second prize: 10000 USD

Third prize:   6000 USD

Fourth prize:  4000 USD

Best Performance of Chinese Art Songs :  1000 USD

VI. Provisions for the traveling and accommodation of participants

1. A travel allowance will be given to the competitors (except Chinese mainland competitors) by the Organizing Committee.

2.Accommodation shall be provided by the Organizing Committee subject to the following rules:

* The competitors shall be provided with meals and rooms in the designated hotel free of charge. If the competitor opts to stay in another hotel, he/she shall bear the cost without any subsidy from the Organizing Committee.

* Free meals and rooms shall be maintained for the successful competitors in each round of competition. The eliminated competitors can stay in the hotel till 12:00 of the second day of their elimination. He/She may remain as an audience at his/her own cost.

* The Organizing Committee can reserve accommodations for the companions of the competitors on requests at their own costs but only in the hotel designated by the Organizing Committee.

VII. Schedule of 2023 Ningbo International Vocal Competition

(December 2-11, 2023)

Time                                  Program
Dec.2^nd                          Registration
Dec.3^rd                                 Opening Ceremony & ballot
Dec.4^th–6^th                        Preliminary  
Dec.7^th–8^th                        Semi-Final  
Dec.9^th                             Rehearsal for Finalists with Orchestra
Dec.10^th                               Final
Dec.11^th                               Closing Ceremony and prize winners’ concert

VIII. Supplementary Provisions

1. Insurance: The Organizing Committee hereby advises the competitors to buy personal and property insurances on their own cost, and the Organizing Committee takes no responsibility for the following injury and loss during the competition:

* Loss of property and human injury to the competitor.

* Physical and mental injuries and material losses caused by the competitor to any third party.

* Physical and mental injuries and material losses to the competitor’s companion or to any third party caused by the companion.

2. Should any problem not covered by this regulation occurred, the decision by the Organizing Committee shall prevail.

3. Any litigation arising from or in connection with the competition shall be governed by the law of the People’s Republic of China and under the jurisdiction of China.

4. Settlement of dispute in connection with the competition shall be based on the Chinese version of the Regulation to which the Organizing Committee has the right of interpretation.

5. The competitor shall be deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions of this Regulation by his/her signature on the Application Form.