Dedicated to the memory of the great Bulgarian bass singer who lived and worked in Modena, the International Vocal Competition VOX MUTINAE "Nicolai Ghiaurov" is open to all opera singers above the age of 18, of any nationality – now with no age restrictions. This year's competition has the benefit of a collaboration with the State Opera Varna in Bulgaria, where the preliminaries will take place on 2 November 2024.
Performers who wish to sign up for the preliminary audition at the State Opera Varna in Bulgaria on 2 November 2024 should send their application by 20 October 2024 via email only at tovae.store@gmail.com and attach:
a complete registration application;
the present Terms and Conditions, signed;
proof of payment via bank transfer of the participation fee in the amount of BGN 100;
participants who have passed the preliminaries must pay a fee of EUR 50.00, which can be settled with cash on the day of the competition in Modena.
It should be noted that:
Payment of the registration fee at the price of BGN 100 must be made by bank transfer with a payment reference as follows: participation in the "Ghiaurov” 2024 competition + name and surname of the contestant, sent to the account of TMPC Varna, Nezavisimost Square 1, 9000 Varna; DSK Bank, IBAN: BG96STSA93003106868301; SWIFT: STSABGSF.
A paid registration fee may no longer be refunded in the event of cancellation or failure to attend of the person concerned on any grounds;
An entry will NOT be taken into consideration if the contestant has submitted an incomplete entry and/or is missing proof of the registration fee by the specified deadline.
On the day of the Competition, the singer must submit the following documents to the Secretariat:
a) the competition notice and the original registration application;
b) a short, one-page artistic biography;
c) a completed and signed confidentiality statement;
d) their own identification document.
The deadline for registration is 20 October 2024.
It should be noted that:
The deposit made for the registration fee may no longer be refunded in the event of cancellation or failure to attend of the person concerned on any grounds.
An entry will NOT be taken into consideration if the contestant has submitted an incomplete entry and/or is missing a receipt for the registration fee by the registration deadline.
It should be taken into consideration that Actea and Music Art New Imagine have entrusted TMPC Varna – State Opera Varna with the organisational and administrative management of the preliminaries, which will take place on 2 November at State Opera Varna.
The musical repertoire to be presented by each contestant must include 4 opera arias from any period (performed from memory), at least one of which must be in Italian.
The competition will be divided into 3 in-person sessions (preliminary elimination, semi-final and final). The final will take place alongside a concert, open to the public, at the San Carlo Theatre in Modena on 17 November 2024 at 5.30 pm.
The preliminary elimination round will consist of an evaluation of one or more arias presented by the contestant and will take place on 2 November 2024 at the State Opera Varna.
Candidates who make it through to the semi-final, which will take place in Modena on 16 November, will be notified by email and/or via a post on the competition's Facebook page. The semi-final round will consist of an evaluation of another aria chosen by the jury from among those presented by the contestant.
Participants who have qualified for the final with a concert open to the public on 17 November 2024 at the San Carlo Theatre in Modena (5.30 pm), will be notified by email and/or via a post on the competition's Facebook page. The singers will perform an aria chosen by the jury from among those presented by the contestant.
The jury will decide at its discretion on the distribution of prizes and, if deemed appropriate, non-award is also possible. A jury member who has put forward a student must abstain from voting. The jury has the right to interrupt a contestant's performance at any time if it is deemed appropriate.
All finalists selected for the final concert on 17 November 2024 will receive a certificate of merit.
The prizes to be awarded are as follows:
1st prize EUR 4,000.00
2nd prize EUR 2,000.00
3rd prize EUR 1,000.00
"Mirella Freni" Prize of EUR 1,500.00 for the best finalist singer under 35 years of age; the prize is awarded by the Mirella Freni Association;
"Nicolai Ghiaurov" Prize of EUR 1,500.00 for the best bass finalist in the competition;
Participation in the 2025/2026 opera season of the State Opera Varna;
Opera roles in the 2025 season performances of Parma OperArt for all singers deemed suitable;
A free masterclass at the Accademia Verdiana Carlo Bergonzi in Busseto.
The winners of the prizes listed above, by registering for the competition and therefore accepting these rules, declare their readiness to put on a free concert in 2025 in Modena when the above-mentioned prizes will be awarded. Failure to participate in the concert shall be deemed to be a renunciation of the prize awarded to the winner.
The jury panel will be comprised of:
Chris Merritt, opera singer, chairman of the jury;
Vincenzo Scalera, pianist; teacher at the Teatro alla Scala Academy in Milan;
Daniela Dimova, principal at the State Opera Varna (Bulgaria);
Evamaria Weiser, cast manager of the Salzburg Festival and creative consultant to Lyric Opera Chicago;
Micaela Majera, cultural promoter;
Jordi Pujal, cultural promoter and president of "Friends of Opera” at the Casino Prado, Sitges (Spain);
Adriana Molina, cast manager of the opera agency Adriana Molina Agencia Artìstica;
Mario Dradi, president of the opera agency DM Artist;
Simone Maria Marziali, cast manager of the opera agency Musikos;
Eddy Lovaglio, president of Parma OperArt and Actea;
Gianni Coletta, creative director of the International Vocal Competition "Nicolai Ghiaurov".
It is to be noted that only a part of the jury will attend the preliminary in Bulgaria.
During the International Vocal Competition VOX MUTINAE "Nicolai Ghiaurov", including the final concert, the participants may be subject to audio-visual recordings. By registering for the Competition, candidates authorise the ACTEA aps Cultural and Artistic Association, Music Art New Imagine and the State Opera Varna to make such recordings for non-commercial use, renouncing any financial or compensation claims for the use and distribution of images and audio-visual recordings, further stating that they have read the information provided as per Legislative Decree 196/2003, GDPR 2016/679 and subsequent amendments and supplements – a copy of which is attached to the registration request form (can be downloaded from the website www.associazioneactea.com).
The organisers assume no responsibility for risks or damages of any kind that may arise for the participants during the competition.
Participating contestants must bring along at the competition a copy of the scores of the selected arias to be provided to the accompanying pianist.
The competition secretariat will provide an accompanying pianist free of charge for the duration of the competition; if the contestant wishes to enter with their own piano accompanist, they will be required to cover all travel, accommodation and other costs of the above-mentioned upon notification during the competition registration.
The ACTEA Aps Cultural and Artistic Association will notify candidates of the date, time and location of the invite for each round of the competition via the Internet (by posting a message on the competition Facebook page and/or email).
The ACTEA Aps Cultural and Artistic Association reserves the right to make any changes to this policy as necessary.
We emphasize that, in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 196 of 30 June 2003, the Personal Data Protection Code and GDPR 2016/679, and subsequent amendments and supplements, the ACTEA Aps Cultural and Artistic Association hereby states that the data provided with the registration form will be stored and used exclusively by the association itself for all administrative and promotional activities that the association intends to carry out. Pursuant to the above-mentioned legislative decree, it is possible to update, delete and correct your data or to object to its use.
Registration for the competition constitutes acceptance of this regulation and the related privacy information in their entirety.
The registration document is of juridical value and, in the event of a dispute, the only text of relevance is the original Italian text. In the event of a dispute, the Court of Modena shall have competency.