GENERAL REGULATIONS

1. The I International Competition of Russian Opera (hereinafter referred to as the Competition) shall be held from 10 October to 14 December 2023.
2. Organizers:

2.1 The Founder of the Competition is the Foundation for Russian Culture and Art

2.2 Co-organizer of the Competition, organizer and founder of the Moscow Opera Ball – OOO Kapital-info (publisher of the “Banking Business” magazine)

3. Partners:

– Council of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation on financial, industrial and investment policy

– Russian House in Algeria

4. The Competition is held in the speciality “solo academic singing”. The Competition is open to musicians from all countries of the world, first of all from the African continent. Africa is one of the key areas of Russia’s foreign policy. Russia and Africa are united by long-standing political, economic and cultural ties that were established during the Soviet era and have been strengthened in recent times.
5. The competition is held in a combined format from 1 October to 12 November. The in-person auditions will take place in Algeria from 8 to 12 November 2023. (date is subject to change and will be announced later).
6. The Gala Concert of the Competition takes place in Moscow as part of the Moscow Christmas Opera Ball in December 2023.
7. The Competition will contribute to:

– mutual respect of cultures

– strengthening of friendly relations between Russia and foreign countries by attracting additional interest in Russian classical and contemporary Russian opera.

– defence of Russia’s cultural sovereignty

– active inclusion of Russian opera works in the repertoire of foreign music theatres

– encouraging soloists to work on Russian repertoire

– consolidation of Russian-language repertoire in foreign musical life, promotion of talented performers on the Russian and world music scene

– introducing the national vocal, dance and visual arts of African countries to Russian audiences,

– stimulating dialogue between Russian and African youth audiences

– development of online projects in the area of culture

– creating conditions for creative development and constant creative exchange, supporting and strengthening ties within the opera community.

8. The preparation, organization and conduct of the Competition shall be managed by the Competition Organizing Committee formed by the Competition founder.
9. All Competition participants give their consent to the submission of their personal data and their processing by the Organizing Committee. Participants are obliged to indicate accurate and reliable data.
10. Finalists of the Competition take part in 2 gala concerts of laureates and finalists free of charge.
11. The Organizing Committee has the right to use and distribute, without payment of fees to the participants and accompanists, photographs, audio and video recordings of the Competition Programe and the Gala Concert, printed and other products made during the Competition events.

COMPETITION PROCEDURE

1. The age of the contestants at the moment of the Competition opening shall not be younger than 18 and not older than 45 inclusive.
2. Applications for participation in the Competition shall be accepted electronically until 4 November 2023. Signing the application form signifies agreement to all terms and conditions of the Competition. All persons admitted to the Competition will receive an official invitation.
3. To participate in the Competition, candidates must submit the following documents in electronic form to the Organizing Committee:

– a completed application form of the attached form

– a close-up colour photograph in JPEG format suitable for publication

– diploma of graduation from a specialised educational institution (if available)

4. Competition auditions are held publicly and consist of an absentee selection round (selection by video recordings) and two face-to-face rounds: the second and the third (final).
5. The selection round consists of a review of the application, submitted documents and materials for reviewing the video recording of the contestant’s performing skills.
6. Competitors may participate in the Competition with their own accompanists or perform with an accompanist proposed by the Organizing Committee. The terms and conditions of providing an accompanist will be sent upon request.
7. The order of the contestants’ performances in the second round shall be determined by the drawing of lots and shall be maintained throughout the Competition.
8. Contestants will be provided with rehearsal rooms and time for acoustic rehearsals before each round.
9. All pieces are performed by heart.
10. The results of the round auditions will be announced at the end of each round.
11. The contestants perform two arias of different character from pieces by Russian, Soviet or Russian composers and one classical romance by Russian composers. The choice of repertoire is left to the contestant. (* If the contestant’s repertoire does not include the required number of compositions, admission to the competition is at the discretion of the committee).
12. The Competition Jury shall be formed from among prominent figures of world music culture and shall be approved by the Organizing Committee. The Jury of the Competition shall be guided in its work by the Statute on the Jury of the Competition approved by the Organizing Committee.
13. The decisions of the Jury are final and are not subject to revision.
14. The Organizing Committee announces 3 prizes for vocalists. The Grand Prix of the competition may be awarded to the winner of the First prize. Winners of the prizes receive personal Diplomas of Laureates and commemorative awards. The winner of the Grand Prix and the winners of the First prize shall, by decision of the Organizing Committee, receive additional money reward.
15. The Jury has the right to award special diplomas and prizes to finalists and concertmasters of the Competition.
16. Upon agreement with the Organizing Committee, special and additional prizes may be established by other state, commercial, public or creative organizations, both Russian and foreign.

FINANCIAL CONDITIONS

1. Contestants invited to the gala concert of the Competition in Moscow are provided with meals and hotel accommodation (single accommodation in a hotel not lower than the “three star” category).
2. Contestants shall purchase air tickets or train tickets to Moscow and back on their own. The 1st degree laureates and the winner of the Grand Prix shall be reimbursed for their travel expenses by the
3. Contestants who have received an invitation to participate in the gala concert of the Competition and reside in a country that has a visa regime with the Russian Federation must apply to the Consulate of the Russian Federation for a visa. The Competition Organizing Committee. undertakes to provide all necessary invitations, but is not responsible for obtaining a visa and related costs.