CONTEST RULES

ORFEO Lyrical Singing Competition of America IV Edition

San José 2024 - Costa Rica

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

The competition is open to lyrical singers (sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, altos, countertenors, tenors, baritones, and basses) born or naturalized in any of the countries of America. Those whose age is not less than 18 years or exceeds 36 years at the time of registration will be admitted. The Organizing Committee will not make any exceptions to the established nationalities or age limits.

VENUE AND DATE

The competition will take place at the Rodrigo Facio Central Campus of the University of Costa Rica in San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José. The Main Auditorium of the Plaza de la Autonomía and the School of Musical Arts will be the venues used for the competition. See link: University of Costa Rica School of Musical Arts Gallery University of Costa Rica Plaza

It will be held from Monday, August 26th to Saturday, August 31st, 2024.

REGISTRATION FEE

A non-refundable registration fee of $40 USD (Forty US dollars) will be charged; only if due to force majeure, the competition is rescheduled, this money will be credited on the date established.

COMPETITION DESCRIPTION

It will consist of four phases: Preliminary (virtual), Elimination, Semifinal, and Final (in-person). Repeating works in any of the rounds or phases is not allowed.Contestants must perform the proposed works from memory, in the original language and tonality of their first execution, except for established traditions.The participation request will serve as evidence, by the applicant/contestant, of having read the Competition Guidelines and their commitment to comply with the stipulations demanded therein.
Any participant who fails to comply with the provisions of the Competition Guidelines will be disqualified.
The contestant must cover all expenses necessary to attend the Competition (airfare, lodging, meals, internal transportation from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the Competition venue, etc.).
Each contestant shall be responsible for their health protection and eventual medical care.

1st ROUND: PRELIMINARY

It will take place virtually. The candidate must present two works of free choice, which together do not exceed 10 minutes in duration. Both in video format accompanied by an accompanying pianist. The candidate must complete the Registration Form on the website www.orfeoconcursoamerica.org, where they will include the link to the two videos of the proposed repertoire. The authenticity of the documents provided and the quality of the recordings will be absolute responsibility of the candidate.

2nd ROUND: ELIMINATION

It will take place in person on August 26th and 27th, 2024. The contestant must perform two opera arias (free choice), which together do not exceed 10 minutes in duration.

3rd ROUND: SEMIFINALS

It will take place in person on August 29th, 2024. The contestant must perform two works, which together do not exceed 15 minutes in duration. The repertoire for this phase must include an opera aria (free choice) and a chosen work taking into account the following considerations:

Concert song from classical repertoire (an Oratorio, Opereta or Zarzuela aria can be included). The language of the song must be different from the aria chosen for this round.

TO QUALIFY FOR THE JULIO FONSECA AWARD: Contestants wishing to also qualify for this award must choose a Costa Rican song from the list of works suggested by the Organizing Committee.

4th ROUND: FINALS

It will take place in person on August 31st, 2024. The contestant must perform two works, which together do not exceed 20 minutes in duration. The repertoire for this phase must include an opera aria by an Italian composer born after 1790 and an opera aria chosen from a French, German, Russian, or English repertoire.

CONTESTANT RULES

Works that do not comply with the indicated specifications will not be admitted under any circumstances. Any doubts about the relevance of a work can be consulted with the Organizing Committee via email contact@orfeoconcursoamerica.org
Works without text will not be accepted in any round of the Competition.
If any of the works in the chosen repertoire consist of multiple musical parts (recitative, cabaletta, etc.), it must be performed in its entirety.
Once the Competition program is presented and approved by the Organizing Committee, any modification is prohibited.
The contestant can suggest the order of execution of the works in each round.
Each round must have different works; however, the Jury may request any contestant to repeat a fragment or the entire piece.
Contestants must digitally send all chosen works for each phase to the following email: contact@orfeoconcursoamerica.org.
Contestants are obliged to attend the Opening Ceremony on August 26th, 2024, to verify original documentation. Also, they will deliver to the Organizing Committee two sets of bound photocopies with all the repertoire they will perform in each of the rounds. The works must be ordered according to the in-person rounds, Elimination-Semifinal-Final, and in the order they plan to perform them. The sets of photocopies must have a cover containing the full name, age, voice range, nationality, and the list of works.
Approach or contact with Jury members by contestants is prohibited until their active participation in the competition ceases.
Only those eliminated from the Competition can actively participate in master classes; those still in competition can only participate as listeners.
The Competition will provide a collaborating pianist for a rehearsal before each round presentation.
The Organizing Committee will conduct the draw for contestant participation in the Elimination rounds one week before the start of the Competition; the result will be communicated via email during that week.

JURY PANEL

The Jury panel, appointed by the Organizing Committee, will consist of professionals in the field with extensive and recognized careers.
The Jury will be announced on the Competition website.
At the end of each round, the person designated as Jury president will announce the results.
Jury verdicts are considered final.
Competition Prizes: The winners of the Awards will be exclusively designated by the Jury, with the exception of the Audience Award. The Jury reserves the right to consider any of the Awards established in the Competition Guidelines as vacant or shared. In addition to designating the winners of the Awards, the Jury will award two Honorable Mentions among the finalists, as well as Special Recognitions.
Jury member as a contestant's professor: If a Jury member is currently a professor of any contestant, they will abstain from voting in each round and can only provide technical criteria related to the performance of their student when it is under analysis.
The Jury reserves the right to listen to the entire or partial participation of the contestant.
The Jury may request the repetition of a work, or part of it, when deemed necessary.
The Jury may provide feedback to the contestant upon request, once their active participation in the Competition is concluded.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Timely information on positive and negative circumstances of the Competition: The Organizing Committee is obligated to timely inform contestants and the Jury of any positive or adverse circumstances affecting the development of the Competition.
Cancellation of contestant attendance: The Organizing Committee reserves the right to cancel the attendance of any contestant or person attending the Competition who exhibits behaviors that disrupt and/or harm its normal development.
Expansion of prizes: The Organizing Committee reserves the right to add awards and prizes, which will be announced in due time.
Recording and broadcasting rights: The Organizing Committee reserves the rights to record, reproduce, and fully or partially broadcast each of the events of the Competition: established rounds, master classes, workshops, and recitals.
Eliminated contestants: The Organizing Committee will offer eliminated contestants the benefit of participating in the rest of the scheduled activities.

REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS

1st ROUND: PRELIMINARY

The candidate must complete the Registration Form on the Competition website (www.orfeoconcursoamerica.org) and add the link of the video of the two chosen works, as well as the requested documents. The quality and authenticity of the recordings and documents provided for the Preliminary round will be the sole responsibility of the candidate. Registration will begin on March 1st, 2024, at 06:00 a.m. (Costa Rica time) and will end on April 30th, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (Costa Rica time). The results of this Preliminary phase will be communicated starting from May 31st, 2024, via email provided by each candidate.

Documents requested:

Registration Form: It will be "online" and must be completed clearly with all the information requested in the corresponding section on the Competition website (www.orfeoconcursoamerica.org/inscripcion-orfeo). If any problem arises, it can be reported to the email contact@orfeoconcursoamerica.org
Scanned photo of the identity document on both sides or passport. This document will be taken as evidence of the nationality and age of the candidate.
Link to the two video recordings.
Brief curriculum vitae or personal profile, no more than one page in length in Word or PDF format

2nd ROUND: ELIMINATION

Candidates selected for this phase must submit the following documents by June 30th, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (Costa Rica time):

Two recent photographs. One portrait or headshot photograph and the other in a concert or stage performance for publicity use. Both at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and no less than 2000 pixels on their longest side, in JPG format.
Program: The works to be performed in each round of the Competition must be clearly specified considering the following scheme:
Full name of the composer
Name of the opera, operetta or zarzuela (omit in the case of Lied, chanson, song, canción, and canzone)
Name of the piece (if it has multiple parts, accurately indicate each of these - e.g., recitative, aria, cabaletta, etc.)
Any registration that does not comply with these instructions will be considered invalid. Once this information is submitted and approved by the Organizing Committee, no changes will be accepted.
The Organizing Committee will consider accepted any candidate who fully meets the requested requirements, which will be definitive and exclusive for those contestants who do not meet them.

Send information to the email address: contact@orfeoconcursoamerica.org

AWARDS

FIRST PLACE - ORFEO DE ORO: Saturnia Award $5,000 USD (five thousand US dollars) and Diploma of Honor.
SECOND PLACE - ORFEO DE PLATA: Saturnia Award $2,500 USD (two thousand five hundred US dollars) and Diploma of Honor.
THIRD PLACE - ORFEO DE BRONCE: Saturnia Award $1,500 USD (one thousand five hundred US dollars) and Diploma of Honor.
TWO HONORABLE MENTIONS: $500 USD (five hundred US dollars) each and Diploma of Honor.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

JULIO FONSECA AWARD: $500 USD (five hundred US dollars) and Diploma. Best interpretation of a Costa Rican song.
ALFREDO PINARDI AWARD: Valued at $500 USD (five hundred US dollars) and Diploma. It consists of 10 virtual singing lessons taught by Master. Massimo Pezzutti.
PUCCINI 1924-2024 AWARD: $250 USD (two hundred fifty US dollars) and Diploma. Best interpretation of the Puccini repertoire.
GUADALUPE GONZALEZ AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD: $250 USD (two hundred fifty US dollars) and Diploma. Public vote.

ABOUT THE PUBLICATION OF THE CALL AND ACCEPTANCE OF ITS CONTENT

This call will be released in San José, Costa Rica, on March 1st, 2024, at 06:00 a.m. (Costa Rica time) until April 30th, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (Costa Rica time), and contestants, by participating in the competition, will fully accept each and every one of these specifications of the document titled Competition Guidelines, which will govern from its publication date.
Contestants, upon subscribing, accept to assign their image rights for advertising purposes to the ORFEO Lyric Singing Competition of America, different media outlets, and social networks.
In case of a claim or conflict, both the participating individuals and the Competition organization must submit to Costa Rican jurisdiction, and the text of this call will be considered final.

REGISTRATION