the Competition
1. The Accademia Musicale Europea establishes the 2021 Sacred Music International Competition reserved for opera singers of all nationalities and all vocal registers who - at the date of the Competition - have not turned 36 years old. The 2021 Sacred Music International Competition is an integral part of the cultural project "Let’s Sing Oratorio Music!" and it’s dedicated to the spread the musical genre of the Oratory among European kids.
In addition, the project is the winner of
the Creative Europe Call and it is co-financed by the Creative
Europe Program of the European Commission.2. The 2021
International Sacred Music Competition will take place in the semifinal and
final phases in Rome, from 15 to 18 September 2021. Due to the health emergency, the elimination phase will take place on an
online procedure by sending a video, as specified in art. 8. The Semifinals will be held in
the Church of S. Maria dei Miracoli - Piazza del Popolo, Rome
and they will be
streamed via MARIA TV. The Final, in the form of a Gala Concert,
will take place on 18 September at 20:30, at the Basilica SS.
XII Apostoli and it will
be broadcasted by TELEPACE worldwide. These phases of the competition
will be open to the public, but just if allowed by the health directives of the
Italian government.
The prize roles of the 2021 Sacred Music International Competition are:
2 Sopranos or Sopranists
2 Mezzo-sopranos, Altos or Countertenors
2 Tenors
2 Baritone, Bass-Baritone or Bass
The shows will be held in 2022 (unless new health emergencies):in Opava (Czech Rep.) at the Slezske Dvadlo Opava Theater
in Karditsa (Greece) during the International Meeting Choir or the Karditsa Festival
in Bacau (Romania) with the Philharmonic “Mihai Jora”
in Cosenza (Italy) at the Rendano Theater and possibly in other cities.
The final dates will be published on the websites www.concorsomusicasacra.com and www.letssing.eu.
4. The Competition will be divided into three rounds: Qualifying round, Semi-final and Final in the form of a Gala Concert. The winners and eventually the finalists chosen for the roles - to be eligible for the prize - are required to participate in the shows and workshops of “Let’s Sing Oratorio Music!”, an integral part of the prizes to be held in Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Romania in 2022.
5. Competitors who will certify that they are winners of Principal Prizes in International Opera Singing Competitions in Italy or abroad, will be directly admitted to the Semifinal in Rome WITH DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION WITHIN AUGUST 20 but, upon registration, they must in any case present a program of 5 arias of Sacred Music as specified in art. 6. Those admitted directly to the Semifinal as winners of other International Opera Competitions must send all the documentation and the full registration fee.
6. Each competitor must present 5 sacred music arias of free choice taken from the repertoire of sacred music (Masses, Oratories, Stabat, Requiem, traditional songs etc.). It is not compulsory to perform the pieces by heart except in the Final-Gala Concert.
7. The audition order of the competitors will be alphabetical for the Semifinals (using the beginning of the first surname as it appears on passports or identity cards in case of multiple surnames); agreed by the Jury for the Final - Gala Concert. Competitors must show an identity document before the first performance and leave two copies of each piece presented for possible consultations by the Jury.
Qualifying round
8. To participate in the QUALIFYING ROUND, the candidate must send his / her own VIDEO containing 1 aria of sacred music of his choice (in MP4 format) or YouTube link by July 15 2021. The sending must be done by inserting in the registration form that opens on the page concorsomusicasacra.com/registration by inserting the WeTransfer Link in the appropriate space (it is generated after the video has been uploaded) or the link of the YouTube video, if it is present on the web.The evaluation will be carried out by the Jury composed of the Artistic Director of the Sacred Music International Competition and the Managers of each Partner of “Let’s Sing Oratorio Music!”. The singers who have had the favorable vote of the majority of the Jury will be admitted to the Semifinal in Rome.
By 30 July 2021, the Competition secretariat will communicate the names of the candidates who have passed the preliminary phase by sending an email to each of them.
Those admitted to the Semifinal of the Competition must complete the registration by sending the remaining participation fee by 10 August 2021 and the final list of the pieces they will present in Rome, under penalty of exclusion from the Competition.
Prizes & Scholarships
Qualifying round: online or Live in Rome
Application Form
What is Sacred Music Competition
