Rules

I
The Järvenpää Sibelius Festival, the Sibelius Academy and the City of Järvenpää are arranging an International Sibelius Singing Competition in Järvenpää, home town of Jean Sibelius, on October 23-27, 2007.

II
The competition is open to female and male citizens of, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden born in or after 1972. Men and women will compete in the same category.

III
The competition proper will consist of a Preliminary Round and Semi-finals with piano accompaniment and Finals with orchestral accompaniment.

IV
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Singers may apply for the competition by sending the completed application form to the Competition Secretariat at The International Sibelius Singing Competition, P.O.B. 41, FIN-04401 Järvenpää, to arrive not later than March 30, 2007.
The signed application form must be accompanied by:

  1. a copy of the applicant’s identity card or passport,
  2. a brief account of musical studies and concert experience,
  3. any references written for this specific competition,
  4. (for competitors resident outside Finland) a sound or video recording in CD, DVD or VHS (PAL/NTSC) format of the applicant singing two of the songs from the competition repertoire with piano accompaniment. The recording must not be edited and must state the recording place and date and be signed by the applicant.
  5. two photographs: prints measuring at least 9x12 cm or CD photos with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Photos may also be sent by email to festivals@jarvenpaa.fi
  6. programme of preselection audition

V
PRESELECTION PROCEDURE
A panel appointed by the International Sibelius Singing Competition will select the competitors for the competition on the basis of the application documents, auditions and recordings.

Pre-selection auditions will be held for applicants resident in Finland at the Järvenpää Hall from 11 am. on Saturday April 21 and Sunday April 22, 2007. The program of the preliminary trial hearing consists of two songs chosen from the competition programme. Applicants not resident in Finland may enter for the pre-selection procedure by submitting a sound or video recording as specified in section IV d.

Applicants selected for the competition will be informed by May 15, 2007. There will be no right of appeal.

VI
Competitors and their pianists will be provided with free family accommodation primarily in Järvenpää. Each competitor and pianist will be responsible for his/her own travelling expenses to and from Järvenpää.

VII
The Competition Committee will place accompanists at the disposal of competitors in the Preliminary Round and Semi-finals. Competitors may if they wish use their own accompanist at their own expense.

VIII
SHEET MUSIC

  1. Competitors without their own accompanist must supply the competition accompanists with clear and easily readable sheet music.
  2. The Competition Committee may demand that the music be submitted in advance for preliminary study.
  3. A competitor who intends to perform unpublished works or songs outside the standard repertoire must bring a copy of the music for the Jury.
  4. The orchestral parts for the Finals will be provided by the Competition Committee.
  5. The music for the compulsory work commissioned from Harri Vuori for the Finals can be ordered from the Competition Committee and will be available from February 20, 2007.

COMPETITION PROCEDURE
IX
All competitors must report in person to the Competition Office at the Järvenpää Hall between 3 pm and 6 pm on Tuesday October 23, 2007 and be present when the order of performance is decided by lot as part of the opening ceremony of the competition. The first to perform will be chosen by lot and will be followed by the other competitors, their names following him/her in alphabetical order according to the Finnish alphabet. The order will remain the same throughout the competition.

X
About 30 competitors will be pre-selected for the competition. Not more than 12 will be selected for the Semi-finals and not more than 6 for the Finals.

XI
In each round each competitor will perform his/her entire programme without interruption in the order of his/her choice. The indicated maximum duration must not be exceeded.

XII
The entire repertoire apart from the commissioned work in the Finals must be performed from memory.

XIII
The Jury will consist of five experts.

XIV
The competition will be judged according to the principles and procedures laid down in the Regulations for the Competition Jury.

XV
In choosing the Finalists and in adjudicating the Finals, the overall impression given by each competitor in all the rounds will be taken into account.

XVI
The decisions of the Jury will be final.

REPERTOIRE
XVII
Each competitor must enter his/her competition repertoire on the application form. Changes will be accepted up to September 10, 2007.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE
Preliminary Round:
1. Any song by 
Sibelius. You can select material from finals repertoire but do not sing same song in preliminary round and in finals.
2. One Lied composed between 1800 and 1960
3. One song composed after 1960
Max. 15 minutes

Semi-finals:
A song cycle or part thereof or a group of songs by one composer.
Max. 20 minutes

Finals:
1. Two songs by Sibelius with orchestral accompaniment from the Finals repertoire listed under XXII at the end of the Rules.
2. The work commissioned from Harri Vuori for the International Sibelius Singing Competition Finals.

PRIZES
XVIII
I €10,000
II € 5,000
III € 2,500

Special prize of the City of Järvenpää €1,500
Special prize of the Sibelius Estate €1,500
Other prizes may also be awarded.
The Jury reserves the right to distribute the prizes differently.

OTHER REGULATIONS
XIX
The competition organisers have unlimited rights to broadcast and record, videotape, televise, film and photograph the competition performances and to make audio or visual recor­dings of them without any payment to the competitors or prize-winners and their pianists.

XX
Any competitor who fails to abide by these rules may be disqualified from the competition.

XXI
The original language of these rules is Finnish. Any disputes will be decided by the Competition Committee according to the Finnish text.

FINALS REPERTOIRE
XXII

Finale repertoire with orchestra. Select two songs of Your choice. You can select material from finals repertoire but do not sing same 
song in preliminary round and in finals.
1. Svarta rosor Op.36,1 Sopr./ Ten. In D (d´-ais``)
2´14´´   Sopr. In C ( c´-gis``)
    Mez. / Bar. In  B ( b-fis``)
    Alt./ Bas In A (a-f´)
2. Norden Op. 90, Sopr./ Ten. In C ( dis´-g``)
2´45´´   Mez./ Bar. In A (c´-e``)
    Alt./Bas. In G (ais-d´´ )
3. Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte Op. 37,5 Sopr. In Des (des´-ges``)
3´09´´      
4. Demanten på marssnön Op.36,6 Mez. / Bar. In B ( e´-f```)
    Sopr./ Ten. In C (fis´-g``)
3´10´´   Alt./ Bas. In As (d´-es´´)
5. Kom nu hit, död Op.60,1 Mez. / Bar. In e (h-e``)
2´27´´   Bas.br./Bas. In. d (a-d´´)
6.På verandan vid havet 3´22´´ Op.38,2 Sopr./ Ten.  (cis´-a``)
    Mez./ Bar. In As (h-g``)
    Alt./ Bas. In F (gis-e´´)
7. Var det en dröm Op.37,4 Sopr./Ten. In H (h-gis``)
2´15´´   Mez. /Bar. In A (a-fis´´)
    Alt./Bas. in As (as-f´´)
8.Illalle Op. 17,6 Sopr. / Ten. In As ( f´-ges``)
1´28´´    Mez./ Bar. In F (d´-es``)
    Alt./Bas. In E (cis-d``)
9.  Den första kyssen Op. 37,1 Sopr. / Ten. In Es (cis´-ais´´)
2´10´´   Mez. / Bar In Ces (a-fis``)
    Alt./ Bas. In As  (fis-dis``)
10. Säv, säv, susa Op. 36,4 Sopr. / Ten. In. As (cis`-g``)
2´42´´   Mez. / Bar. In Ges (h-f``` )
    Alt./ Bas In F(b-e``)
11. Jubal op. 35    
12. En slända op. 17,5