iSING! 2022 Composition Competition Submission deadline: September 9, 2022

1. INTRODUCTION

The iSING! International Young Artists Festival is a vocal festival of international repute which aims at training young singers from the West to sing in Chinese on both Chinese and Western operatic and concert stages. At iSING!, we firmly believe in the power of the song in connecting cultures and in renewing itself through fresh creations.

Following the momentous initiative “Echoes from the Ancients - iSING! Offering Tang Poems to the World” from 2020, iSING! announces the sequel to this unique project of fusing classical Chinese poetry with the art of singing and composition – the 2022 iSING! Composition Competition on Song Dynasty Poetry, with the support of the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre.

The iSING! Festival will be commissioning young composers from China and from abroad to set Song poems to music to be sung in Chinese by young artists from all over the world. The Song dynasty (960 -1279AD) was marked by technological inventions, vibrant social life and economic expansion. Its poetry is considered the successor to Tang dynasty poetry for its innate musicality and literary splendor.

The iSING! 2022 Competition Committee invites composers to submit samples for qualification to receive commissions.

2. COMPETITION COMMITTEE​

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1. Sponsor: iSING! International Young Artists Festival / Asian Performing  Arts Council USA

2. Competition Advisory Committee will be formed and announced.

3. Jury: Composers, experts and artists of international renown
    

3. RULES , ELIGIBILITY AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. For the qualifying round, composers are asked to either submit one work for voice(s) and orchestra composed within the last five years or one work for voice and any instrumental combination and one orchestral or large ensemble piece written within the last five years.

2. Composers from the age of 18 to 40 are eligible to enter the Competition.

3. Composers of all nationalities are eligible to enter the Competition.

4. There is no entry fee.

5. Interested composers should submit:

   1. A legible full score in PDF format. The score must not contain the composer’s name or any marking unrelated to the music on the cover page or in any other part of the score. Non-compliance will result in disqualification.

   2. An MP3/MP4 of the submitted work or YouTube link if possible. Live performances are preferred over MIDI realizations.

   3. A biography with current address, email address and phone number, in either Chinese or English.

   4. A brief and clear description of the composition not to exceed 200 Chinese words or 500 English words.

   5. A copy of passport or national ID that contains the applicant’s photo and date of birth.

   6. *please send all materials via email to competition@isingfestival.org. The subject of the mail should be your full name.

6. Submission deadline is September 9, 2022 at 17:00 Beijing time.

7. Non-compliance with any of the above stipulation will disqualify the applicant. All materials will be archived by the sponsoring organization and will not be returned to the applicant.

8. For questions and queries, please contact:

Tia Xiao

Telephone: +86 188 6187 9166

Email: competition@isingfestival.org

Website: www.isingfestival.org

4. ADJUDICATION AND COMMISSION

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To ensure equality and fairness, all submissions will be designated with a number for identification. No composer’s name will be revealed or displayed at any point during the reviewing and adjudication process.

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The Competition in 2022 will take place in two stages:

1. September 10-13, 2022: The judges will review all applications and select eight (8) composers to participate.

2. September 14-15, 2022: The Jury will assign one or more Song poems to the selected composers to set to music, with additional specifications on instrumentation and voice type.

3. October 15, 2022: Composers must submit at least one draft excerpt from the commissioned work.

4. October 22, 2022: Announcement of the finalists and workshop of the commissioned works.

5. March 2023: All complete commissioned works must be received by iSING! Office.

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The world premiere tour of the commissioned works will take place in Jiangsu Province, China, in August 2023 at the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, in Suzhou. The jury reserves the right not to perform the commission.

5. AWARDS

All winners shall receive an award of $5,000 USD.                                

All prize monies are pre-tax.

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6. RIGHTS

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• Winners will retain ownership of the copyright of their commissioned compositions (hereafter “Composition”).

• The winners agree to give to the Sponsor (iSING! International Young Artists Festival and Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre) the following rights:
   

1. The Sponsor may audio record, photograph and videotape all performances of the Composition and all relevant materials for non-commercial purpose.

2. The Sponsor retains the right to premiere and give all future performances of the Composition at no additional cost to the Sponsor.

3. The Sponsor retains the right to perform the winning composition in all countries and territories.

4. In any future performance of the Composition by any other organizations in any other venues, the full score cover page and all printed materials will bear the following dedication on the first page of music:

5. “Commissioned by the iSING! 2022 Composition Competition.”

6. The decision of the Competition Jury will be final.

7. The Competition Committee reserves the right to make necessary modifications of this Prospectus without prior notification to the applicants.

8. The Competition Committee retains the sole and final interpretation of the provisions in this Prospectus.

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