See the competitors’ list and links at https://festivaluldearte.com/2022/12/24/competitors-xmas-carols-masterpieces-contest/.

Fill in Annex 1 – Registration slip for International Xmas Carols & Masterpieces Competition, 3rd Edition, online: https://forms.gle/tnQZXcSLHmpGiG5P6

Organizers:

Best Bridge Services SRL in partnership with the company Time4Events SRL, Câmpina City Hall, Municipal House of Culture „Geo Bogza”, Câmpina Philharmonic Society, Câmpina National Center for Tourist Information and Promotion

Age Groups:

The International Xmas Carols & Religious Masterpieces Performance Competition, 2nd Edition of the Festival 4 Arts is addressed to children, youngsters, and adults, as follows:

Group I – children aged 6 years or less

Group II – children aged between 7 and 12 years

Group III – youth aged between 13 and 18 years

Group IV – youth aged between 19 to 24 years

Group V – adults older than 24 years (No age limitation is imposed)

The age must be reached by the start date of the competition. Each competitor will participate in a single age group, but can participate in several sections, paying the fee for each.  

The competition is open to professionals (those in vocational education or music schools) and amateurs (those who study as a secondary instrument or in a private system).

Pieces Required:

Groups I-III will perform a maximum of 2 (two) carols and / or songs dedicated to Christmas. They can be sung in any language the contestant wants and can belong to the universal Christian tradition. They will be recorded on a single video of up to 10 minutes.

Groups IV, V and the Choirs (regardless of the age group of the members) will perform a minimum of 2 (two), a maximum of 3 (three) carols, songs and / or pieces from the cult creation dedicated to Christmas. They will be recorded on a single video of up to 15 minutes.

By the maximum timing we do not impose a lower limit, but only an upper one.

The pieces will be recorded on a single video. It will be sent as a link to YouTube, where it was, prior to submission, published as unlisted, or as a file via WeTransfer (or similar platforms) to the e-mail address: festivaluldearte@gmail.com .

Categories and sections:

The categories are:

A. Professionals (those in vocational education or music schools)

B. Amateurs (those who study in a private system or as a secondary instrument)

The sections are:

Section A – Vocal soloists (A cappella or accompanied) and / or instrumentalists – all age groups

Section B – Ensembles (voice and / or instruments) – all age groups

Section C – Choirs – regardless of age groups

Participation rules:

1. General Conditions

1.1 The participants in this contest are obliged to comply with the terms written in the Rules & Regulations of International Xmas Carols & Religious Masterpieces Performance Competition of the Festival 4 Arts, 3rd Edition, December 24^th, 2022 – January 5^th, 2023, registration deadline December 23^rd, 2022;

2. Conditions for participation in the competition

2.1 The videos sent in the conditions of the present Rules & Regulation of International Xmas Carols & Religious Masterpieces Performance Competition of the Festival 4 Arts, will be accompanied, compulsory, by Annex 1 – Registration slip completed, dated, and signed. By signing it, the competitor / guardian acknowledges and agrees with Annex 2 – PUBLICATION RIGHT AGREEMENT and Annex 3 – Parental agreement to participate in the contest for minor participants;

2.2 Annex 1 will be transmitted together with the video, at the email address: festivaluldearte@gmail.com. The message’s subject must be the surname, name, category, section, and age group in which the competitor participates (example: Smith John – Professionals, Soloists, Group I, respectively Ensemble X – Amateurs, Group III). Failure to comply with this mandatory requirement, as well as some omissions in the form, will lead to automatic disqualification;

2.3 Competitors will send the video-recordings having read the “PUBLICATION RIGHT AGREEMENT”;

2.4 Competitors must pay the fee of:

For soloists:

1. a. 25 euros, if the registration is made by December 5^th, 2022;
2. b. 35 euros, if the registration is made between December 6^th – December 20^th, 2022;
3. c. 45 euros, if the registration is made between December 21^th – 23^rd, 2022;

For ensembles:

1. a. 15 euro / member x number of members of the ensemble, if the registration is made by December 20^th, 2022;
2. b. 23 euro / member x number of members of the ensemble, if the registration is made between December 21^th – 23^rd, 2022;

For choirs:

1. a. 100 euro, if the registration is made by December 20^th, 2022 (the amount is unique, regardless of the number of members);
2. b. 120 euro, if the registration is made between December 21^th – 23^rd, 2022 (the amount is unique, regardless of the number of members).

The participation fee will be paid by bank transfer to the account of Best Bridge Services SRL opened at ING Bank, Bucharest, IBAN: RO22INGB0000999903782351, CUI: 7524371, RO22INGB0000999903782351 (SWIFT Code: INGBROBU). The payment order must include: Participant’s Name, Section and Age Group.

or

By PayPal:

Participation fee for soloists

For participants abroad, it is easier to pay the participation fee through PayPal. The fee is not refundable.

45,00 EUR

Participation fee for ensembles / member

The contesting ensembles must consist of 2 or more competing members. The payment must include all members of the ensembles. The fee is not refundable.

23,00 EUR

Participation fee for choirs

The contesting choirs must consist of more than 15 competing members. The fee includes all members of the choir. The fee is not refundable.

120,00 EUR

The fee is not refundable.

Proof of payment of the participation fee and the videos will be sent by email at festivauldearte@gmail.com , in the same time as the completed Annex 1.

2.9 Competitors can participate in the solo and ensemble section, with the fee payment for each of them.

3. Competition period

3.1 The second edition of the International Xmas Carols & Religious Masterpieces Performance Competition  of the Festival 4 Arts takes place according to the following calendar:

a) November 2nd – December 23rd, 2022 – Registration of competitors, receipt and evaluation of videos. The videos will be sent only during the registration period for the competition, namely starting with November 2nd and no later than December 23rd, 2022, at 23:59;

b) December 24th, 2022 – January 4th, 2023 – Publication of all videos on the YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/Festivaluldearte and on festival’s site https://festivaluldearte.com/, for obtaining the public vote, and the judging by the Jury, for each category/section/age group. The Jury will not be influenced by the public vote;

c) January 5th, 2023 – Winners announcement and Laureates Gala

3.2 The competition period, respectively all the dates mentioned above, may be modified, the organizers having the obligation to announce in advance on the aforementioned web page any possible changes in the competition regulations.

4. Technical details

The videos sent as files must be in .avi, .wmv, .mov or .mp4 format. The recordings must be clear in both image and sound, made without disturbances, background noise etc. The device must be positioned so that the whole body of the performer and the instrument are visible, and the footage is landscape.

Make sure you have the consent of the accompanying musician to appear on the recording.

Recordings with computerized accompaniment (made electronically) and audio processing of the recording are not allowed.

The videorecording must contain all the contest pieces.

Please dress in a neat and proper manner. Use of professional cameras or equipment is not a must. Videos taken with simple equipment, such as mobile phones, are enough.

5. The Jury

The Jury has 6 members, as follows:

For age groups I and II (categories A and B, all sections) and group III, category B, all sections:

Prof. Mărioara Marcu, Prof. Andrei Dănuț, Prof. Mihai Cătălin Iancu. (Please, click translate for their Biographies in English)

For age group III, category A and groups IV and V, all categories and sections:

Prof. PhD. Silvia Voinea – President of the Jury, Conf. PhD. Claudia Codreanu, Prof. Fernando Araujo (Austria)

The jury will determine, based on a score, the winners of the prizesfor each category, section and age group.

The biographies of the jury members can be found on the festival website.

The jury will determine, based on a score, the winners of the prizes for each category, section, and age group. The decisions of the Jury are unique and final, no appeals are allowed. 

6. Prizes of the International Xmas Carols & Masterpieces Competition

6.1 All participants in the contest will receive participation diplomas posted on the site or submitted online upon request. Depending on the number and value of pupils/students in the contest, their mentors, as well as their piano accompanying professor will be awarded a Diploma of Excellence (on request).

6.2 The competition will have a Trophy, if the Jury appreciates so, in the amount of 150 Euros. Each section may obtain a „Grand Prix”, depending on the appreciation of the Jury, and each age group of each category and section will be awarded the First Prize, the Second Prize, the Third Prize and Mentions. After announcing the winners, we will publish the Laureates Gala.

The prizes will consist of money for Grand Prix only, offered by the company Time4Events, promotion on the festival’s YouTube channel and on Facebook, inviting the winners to give recitals at the „Geo Bogza” House of Culture in Câmpina, Romania. Expenses for transport, accommodation, and meals for participation in recitals are not reimbursed. Depending on the interest and availability of the winners, the prizes may also include discounts on the participation fee for the Masterclasses organized at Câmpina in the summer of 2023. All winners are invited to register for a Zoom interview in which they can make public their achievements and projects. The interview will be broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Festival (https://youtube.com/c/Festivaluldearte).

The number of prizes will be decided by the Jury, depending on the artistic value of the competitors.

6.4 The decisions of the Jury are unique and final, no appeals are allowed.

7. Judging Criteria

The Jury will pay special attention to the following issues:

• accuracy of interpretation,

• correct vocal range,

• pitch and tone quality,

• diction and elocution,

• voice projection,

• stage presence,

• breath control

• the overall value of the video recording.