2010 Sacred Music International Competition

With the patronage and the support of:
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR CULTURE
PROVINCE OF ROME - Council of Political Finance
PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC - TELEPACE
CONFEDERAZIONE delle CONFRATERNITE - DIOCESI D'ITALIA
VIA GIULIA 500th ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE

MAGID EL-BUSHRA IS THE WINNER OF THE
2008 SACRED MUSIC INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
2ND PRIZE TO THE GERMAN BASS BARITONE
CLEMENS MORGENTHALER
3RD PRIZE TO THE 22 YEAR OLD ITALIAN SOPRANO ARIANNA VENDITTELLI

Rome, November 19th 2008

He was born in Khartoum in Sudan, an English citizen who lives in London. He is a Counter Tenor, has a BA from Oxford University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance from the Royal College of Music. His name is Magid El-Bushra and - with an aria taken from Haendel's Oratorio Israel in Egypt - is the winner of the 2008 Sacred Music International Competition, founded and directed by Daniela de Marco and organised by the Accademia Musicale Europea of Rome. This Competition, the only one dedicated to Solo Sacred Music, concluded on Saturday night with a Final Gala Concert in one of the most beautiful Churches in Rome - the Basilica SS. Apostoli - and was broadcast worldwide on TELEPACE , a Sat Channel dedicated to the Vatican.
This year the 1st prize - a scholarship worth 4.300 Euros, a diploma and a cup - was presented by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United State of Mexico, to underline the "outstanding value of an International Competition that unifies talent and mutual cultural understanding and integration" for an evening event that attracted a large audience who began arriving at the church more than one hour before the scheduled start in order to secure seats, and which also drew the participation of 20 Ambassadors from all over the world, politicians and journalists.
This year, for the first time in the history of the competition, the high number of 19 young artists was voted into the Final Round after rigorous selection, as proof not only of the increasing quality of the event but also of the growing interest in Sacred Music, continuing to prove that the Competition is an ideal stage for rising stars of lyric music.
The second prize was awarded to Clemens Morgenthaler, a German Bass-Baritone who presented a piece from Haydn's Creation, and he also won the "Oratorio" Prize. The third prize went to the Italian Soprano Arianna Vendittelli, who, at only 22 years old, sang the Pie Jesu from the Faure Requiem. The"Young Hope" Prize was won by the Italian Mezzo, Ilaria Ribezzi, whilst the Korean Baritone Joon Su Park won the "Provincia di Roma" Prize with 'Gott, sei mir gnadig' by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
The winners of this year's Competition will join the winners of the past and future to become members of the lyric ensemble "I Virtuosi della Musica Sacra", active in major Italian and European festivals.
The Jury this year comprised Josef Hussek, Director of the Opera Theatre of Hamburg; Rosemary Gent, Artistic Coordinator of the BBC PROMS, London; Angelo Nicastro, Artistic Director of the Ravenna Festival; Jill Segal, Artistic Consultant - Art & Music Projects, London; Alessandro Lattanzi, Belcanto D.A.C. Artist Management; Florence Forin, Casting Director of the San Carlo Theatre, Naples and Daniela de Marco, Founder and Artistic Director of the Competition.
The Competition, established in 2001, has seen - including this edition - more than 800 singers from 5 continents, with more than 80 nations involved and, as its aim, seeks to encourage and promote Sacred Music and the discovery of new talent and these singers' launch into the international music world. Thanks go to a jury composed of distinguished European agents and artistic directors who actively undertake to help the winners using their proven experience, whilst for the young singers it is the realization of a dream.
For further informations:
Accademia Musicale Europea - Via Crescenzio, 103 - 00193 Roma
www.sacredmusicinternationalcompetition.org
www.concorsomusicasacra.com
info@concorsomusicasacra.com

The Accademia Musicale Europea (European Musical Academy)

Proudly presents

"SACRED MUSIC" INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2008

Rome, Italy 4th - 8th novembre Archconfraternity Church, S. Caterina da Siena
AWARDS 10,000 EURO and SPECIAL PRIZE ORATORIO & YOUNG HOPE
FINAL-GALA CONCERT
Broadcast worldwide by SAT and WEB TV Dedicared to Vatican: TELEPACE
8th November - Roma, Basilica SS. XII Apostoli

With the patronage and the support of:
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR CULTURE
PROVINCE OF ROME - Council of Political Finance
PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC - TELEPACE
CONFEDERAZIONE delle CONFRATERNITE - DIOCESI D'ITALIA
VIA GIULIA 500th ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE

The art and the talent of young blood of the International music as pass key to peace, hope and integration among people.
The "Sacred Music" International Competition 2008, the one and only in the world dedicated to young singers of sacred music conceived, promoted and directed by Prof. Daniela de Marco, and announced by the Accademia Musicale Europea will arrive in the Capital of Italy from the 4th to the 8th of November 2008 .
The Competition, born in the year 2001, already had during these years the adherence of more than 700 singers coming from 5 continents with more than 80 different nations involved in the event, aims to improve and develop the Sacred Music genre throught discovering new talents to introduce in the international musical network by means of a jury composed by agents and artistic directors of some of the most important European organizations that, besides offering their proven experience in the environment are, above all, able to help concretely the participants
For many promising youngs this means the realization of a dream.
"I can proudly tell you - says Daniela De Marco - Director and creator of the event that this is an honest and fair competition, that realise a great dream: to push forward the precious repertoire of the Sacred Music by means of the young talents; I'm also convinced that this is really the chance to find the best voices of the world. Those who studies singing for years, hardly finds in the lyrics a testing ground Sacred Music, instead, is a wonderful trait d'union between the end of the studies and the beginning of a brilliant career. During the competition, as a matter of fact, the participants have the chance to perform in front of Directors and Critics of an outstanding level. Talent and professionalism is the alchemy that blows up during the Competition between the young talens and the professionals. The result is, for many of the participants the birth of a new and great future. Our Competition is, moreover, a important event, that stands as a meeting point of the various cultural and religious realities of the world, ad it is not held just for case in Rome, Capital of the Cristianity
With the support and the patronage of the PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR CULTURE, PROVINCE OF ROME - Council of Political Finance , PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC - TELEPACE, CONFEDERAZIONE delle CONFRATERNITE - DIOCESI D'ITALIA ,VIA GIULIA 500th ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE the Competition offers grants for a total amount of 10.000 Euro , among wich, novelty of this edition, the Special Prizes "Youngest Hope", reserved to the youngest finalist of the Competition and the Special Prizes Oratorio" reserved for the best performance of Oratorio's arias during the Competition t
The participants, that can join the Competition until the 25th of October 2008 (Rules of the Competition and registrations conditions available on the website ww.sacredmusicinternationalcompetition.org, info@sacredmusicinternationalcompetition.org) will try themselves out during the Eliminatory round and the Semifinals from the 4th to the 7 th of November 2008 that will take place in the Archconfraternity Church of S. Caterina da Siena, In the framework of the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of via Giulia till the proclamation of the winners that will take place during the Final - Gala Concert that will be held the 8th of November in the Basilica SS Apostoli at the presence of the honour Committee, composed exclusively of Ambassadors or Cultural Counsellors and ecclesiastic authorities, diplomats, journalists and politicians. The admission free Evening event will be broadcasted worldwide by SAT and WEB tv TELEPACE (TV channel dedicated to the Vatican). The winners of the 2008 edition, moreover, will become members of the modular lyric ensemble "I Virtuosi della Musica Sacra" composed of the winners of the past and future editions of the competition, and active in the main Italian and European festivals.
The Jury of this year will be composed of : Josef Hussek, Hamburg Opera Director, Rosemary Gent, BBC PROMS Artistic Administrator - London, Florence Forin, San Carlo Opera House of Naples Casting Director (in substitiution of M° Tangucci Artistic Consulant of the same theatre), Angelo Nicastro, Ravenna Festival Artistic Director, Jill Segal, Art & Music Projects Artistic Consultant- London, Filippo Militano, Belcanto d.a.c. Artist Management, and Daniela de Marco Competition's Creator and Artistic Director.
Since 2001, the winners of the competition, from promising youngs have yet become wonderful realities, having had the opportunity, thanks to this event, to perform with success on some of the most important stages of Europe, such as La Scala, La Fenice, the Maggio Musicale, San Carlo, the Hamburg Opera, the Frankfurt Opera, the Rossini Opera Festival and many others.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONS:
ACCADEMIA MUSICALE EUROPEA
Artistic Director Daniela de Marco - Via Crescenzio, 103 - 00193 Roma
Tel. +39 06/68134051 Cell. +39 347/4775173
www.concorsomusicasacra.com
info@concorsomusicasacra.com

PRESS OFFICE
Romina Lombardi
Cell. +39 347/1917818
romina_lombardi@virgilio.it