[APPLICATION]

ELIGIBILITY

The Competition is open, regardless of nationality, to:
• all male singers born on or after April 17, 1974 and on or before April 16, 1992
• all female singers born on or after April 17, 1977 and on or before April 16, 1992.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application package with all the required materials must be mailed to Seoul International Music Competition office no later than January 15, 2010 (NOT postmarked). The official application form may
be downloaded from our website at www.seoulcompetition.com or requested by sending us an
e-mail(seoulcompetition@donga.com).
• Please note: Applications must be typed or printed in English or Korean.

The following documents are to be included in the application package:

A) Application form
B) Two recent color photographs of the applicant, taken within six months before the date of application (width 5.5cm x height 6.5cm).
C) A photocopy of the applicant’s passport : the photo page or an official verification of applicant’s age and nationality.
D) A recommendation letter from a musician of an international standing. Only Korean and English languages are accepted. A letter written in any other languages must be translated into one of the two accepted languages (Korean or English) and submitted along with a copy of the original letter with the musician’s signature. Letters without signatures will not be processed.
E) An unedited DVD for pre-screening (video tape, CD and cassette tape are not accepted). The recording, recorded within six months before the date of application, must include the required repertoire of one art song and two opera arias.

※Instructions for submission of DVD
1. Screen size: NTSC 640 x 480 or 720 x 480
2. File format in AVI, WMV, MPEG, MOV
3. Record each piece so it can be played by each track and indicate the title of each piece with duration time accurately in order.
4. Avoid recording pieces irrelevant to pre-screening.
5. Do not indicate applicant’s name on the DVD

A letter of proof written by the same person who wrote the applicant’s recommendation letter in ‘D’, saying that recordings in clause ‘E’ are performed by the applicant and are unedited.
G) International and national certificates of awards.
※ 1. No late application will be accepted.
※ 2. Documents you send will not be returned.
※ 3. No other materials (newspaper reviews, etc.) will not be accepted.

ADDRESS FOR APPLICATIONS

The Secretariat of Seoul International Music Competition
The Dong-A Ilbo, 3Fl.
139 Chungjeongno 3 Ga, Seodaemun-Gu
Seoul 120-715, South Korea

• Tel 82-2-361-1415
• Fax 82-2-2020-1639
• E-mail seoulcompetition@donga.com
• Website www.seoulcompetition.com

ENTRY FEE

All applicants who have been selected to participate in the 1st Stage of the competition must submit a non-refundable entry fee of US $100 to the bank account shown below by February 26, 2010.

• Bank Kookmin Bank
• Branch Dong-A Media Branch
• Account Number 870-01-0150-981
• Account Holder The Dong-A Ilbo
• Swift Code CZNBKRSE

※ The arrival of the entry fee will be considered as a formal agreement between the applicant and the Dong-A Ilbo on his/her participation in the competition under the rules and conditions of Seoul International Music Competition.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

Travel expenses are to be paid by the competitors themselves. However, non-Korean competitors who do not reside in Korea will be provided with a financial aid towards their international airfare of US $400 for those coming from Asia, and US $800 for those coming from outside Asia. Please note that tax will be deducted from the financial aid due to the Korean tax law. The applicable tax rate is around 22%. Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will also be provided with room and board at the specified lodgings from April 13, 2010 until the dates indicated below:

• 1st Stage competitors: until the morning after 1st Stage
• 2nd Stage competitors: until the morning after 2nd Stage
• Semifinalists: until the morning after Semifinal Stage
• Finalists: until the morning after Final Stage

※ All competitors are required to arrive in Seoul by April 14, 2010 to register with the Secretariat and draw lots for the order of performance at the competition.

PRACTICE

Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will be provided with practice facilities, free of charge for one hour everyday from two days before the 1st Stage to the end of the competition. Any competitor who does not bring his/ her own pianist will be provided with an official accompanist by the Secretariat of the competition and will have an opportunity to rehearse with the assigned accompanist in the following manner: one session before the 1st Stage, one session before the 2nd Stage, and one session before the Semifinal Stage. Each finalist will have two rehearsals with the orchestra before the Final Stage.

PERFORMANCE RULES

The order of performance will be determined by the random drawing on April 14, 2010. On the day of performance, each competitor must show up at the Secretariat office located in the concert hall by the assigned time. Those who are unable to perform when called upon to do so may be disqualified. However, if any competitor is late for his/her performance due to unavoidable circumstances, the Jury may allow the competitor to perform at a different time, depending on how the competition progresses in terms of timing. Every stage of the competition is open to the public.

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

The competitors will make contracts exclusively with Seoul International Music Competition while they are in Korea. All approaches to and from the media must be made through and with the approval of the Secretariat. The competitors are required to be available for any media-related arrangements made by the competition. The Secretariat reserves the rights, without additional fees payable to the competitors, to

1. Record audio or video materials and broadcast all the rounds of the Competition including the rehearsals, Opening Ceremony and Award Ceremony by any television or radio broadcast means including the internet, cable networks, terrestrial or other broadcasting, live or pre-recorded in Korea or abroad
2. Record, reproduce and arrange for the reproduction of performances in the competition on record, CD, SACD, sound track, audio cassette, video cassette, video disc or CD-ROM/CDI, DVD, minidisk, or any other existing medium.
3. Arrange agreements with other parties for the competition materials mentioned above.

[JUDGEMENT]

PRELIMINARY ROUND

The Preliminary Jury will select candidates to participate for the competition by screening applicants’ DVD and other materials received. Results of the screening will be announced to the applicants by February 5, 2010. The first, second and third prize winners of the competitions registered in the World Federation of International Music Competitions from January 2006 and 2009 Dong-A Music competition, which is nationwide competition in Korea and also organized by the Dong-A Ilbo, will be automatically admitted to the Competition without going through the Preliminary Round. In this case, the candidate should attach documentation.

JUDGEMENT PREMISE

1. A point system will be used by the Jury for the screening. Each juror judges and marks performances of all competitors but abstains from judging/marking performances of the competitors who were his/her own students for more than three months for the past two years.
2. The decisions of the Jury are final and will not be subjected to appeal.
3. Competitors may not communicate with any member of the Jury at any time of the competition without any exception. Any competitor who fails to comply with this rule will be disqualified and equally, any member of the Jury who fails to comply with the rule will jeopardize his/her own status in the competition.

[RRIZE]

1. There will be prizes in cash in a total amount of US $122,000.

First Prize: US $50,000
Second Prize : US $30,000
Third Prize: US $20,000
Fourth Prize: US $10,000
Fifth Prize: US $ 7,000
Sixth Prize: US $ 5,000
A) The Jury reserves a right to withhold an award.
B) In a case of a tie, the prize money of the prize and the following prize in the ranking will be added up and distributed equally. In such case, the following prize in ranking will not be awarded.
C) Taxes will be deducted from the prize money in accordance to the Korean tax law.

2. Professional engagements will be arranged for the prize winners. These may include concerts, recitals and recordings for CDs or DVDs. The 1st prize winner and other selected prize winners will be required to be available to perform for these engagements. For such engagements, round-trip airfare as well as room and board for a maximum of 7 days will be provided by the Secretariat. No performance-related fees shall be paid to the performer.

INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES AND CONDITIONS

Should there be any dispute regarding the interpretation of any part of the regulations and conditions of Seoul International Music Competition in 2010, the dispute will be based on the regulations and conditions written in Korean language and the law of Republic of Korea. All decisions made by the Secretariat, Management Committee and Jury will be final and are not subjected to appeal. No negotiations will be considered.

[REPERTOIRE]

Competitors must prepare
1. Three Art Songs written in three different languages

① Two art songs of the competitor’s choice
② One Korean art song chosen from the following list. The song should be sung in Korean.
※ Competitors who are accepted into the 1st Stage must sing one of the following pieces during the 2nd Stage. The music score will be sent out to the competitors who pass the Preliminary Round by February 5, 2010.
– Baet No Rae (Boat Song) by CHO Du Nam
– San Chon (Mountain Village) by CHO Du Nam
– Shin Arirang (New Arirang) by KIM Dong Jin

2. Seven Opera Arias written in at least two different langages

① Six opera Arias of the competitor’s choice
② One Opera Aria from Baroque period to Mozart

1st STAGE

① One art song
② One opera aria

2nd STAGE

① Two Art Songs (One of the Korean art songs from the list above must be included)
② Two Opera Arias (One Opera Aria from Baroque period to Mozart must be included)

SEMIFINAL

① Two Opera Arias

FINAL

① Two Opera Arias with the orchestra
Competitor will choose one Opera Aria of the competitor’s choice and the jury will assign one Opera Aria from the repertoire list you submitted to Secretariat of the competition.

NOTICE

1. No work can be repeated during the 1st, 2nd, and Semifinal Stages. Only the works presented in the Final Stage may be a repetition of works performed in a previous stage. An Opera Aria for the Final Stage will be assigned to each competitor by the Jury.
2. All works must be performed by memory, with the exception of Korean Art Songs.
3. All works must be performed in their original languages. Key changes are not permitted in Opera Aria.
4. All Opera Arias containing “recitative” and “cabaletta” must be sung in their entirety.
5. For all stages, the order of the works to be performed can be decided by the competitor.
6. Changes in the submitted repertoire of all stages will not be permitted except for the first stage only by the approval of the Secretariat. Competitors must notify the Secretariat in writing no later than March 16, 2010 in case they decide to change their repertoire for the first stage.
7. The first, second and third prize winners of the competitions registered in the World Federation of International Music Competitions from January 2006 and 2009 Dong-A Music competition will be automatically admitted to the Competition without going through the Preliminary Round. In this case, the candidate should attach documentation.

*updated April 2010