[APPLICATION]

ELIGIBILITY

All male singers born on or after November 28, 1971 and on or before November 27, 1989 and All female singers born on or after November 28, 1974 and on or before November 27, 1989. Seoul International Music Competition is open to singers of all nationalities.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application package with all required materials must be submitted to Seoul International Music Competition office no later than June 27, 2007. 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(passport size).
c) An official confirmation of applicant’s age and nationality: A photo copy of the applicant’s birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, or other similar proof.
d) A recommendation letter from an eminent musician. Only Korean and English languages are accepted. A letter written in any other languages must be translated into one of the two accepted languages, and submitted along with a copy of the original letter.
e) A DVD for pre-screening(video tape, CD and cassette tape may not be submitted). The recording, recorded within six months before the date of application, must contain performance of the applicant and must not be edited. The recording will include the required repertoire of two art songs in different languages and two operatic arias in different languages.
f) A letter written by the same person who writes applicant’s recommendation letter, certifying that the performance in the recording is the performance of the applicant, and that the recording is orginal with no editing.

• No other materials(ex. newspaper clippings, reviews, etc.) should be enclosed.
• No late application will be considered for processing.
• No documents will be returned.

APPLICATION ADDRESS

The completed application can be sent to:
The Secretariat of Seoul International Music Competition
The Dong-A Ilbo, 7Fl.
139 Sejongno, Jongno-gu
Seoul 110-715, South Korea
• Tel: 82-2-2020-0736, 0540
• Fax: 82-2-2020-1639
• e-mail: seoulcompetition@donga.com
• Web site: 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 September 27, 2007.

• 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 the sole responsibility of the competitors. However, non-Korean competitors who do not reside in Korea will be provided with financial aid towards their international airfare of US $400 for those coming from Asia and US $800 for those coming from outside of Asia(Taxes will be deducted from the aid according to Korean tax laws). Non-Korean competitors who are not resident in Korea will also be provided with room and board at the specified lodgings from November 25 until the dates indicated below:
a) 1st Stage competitors: until the morning after the 1st Stage
b) 2nd Stage competitors: until the morning after the 2nd Stage
c) Semifinalists: until the morning after the Semifinal
d) Finalists: until the morning after the Final
• The competitors may bring their own accompanying musicians if they prefer to do so under their own expenses.

•All competitors are required to arrive in Seoul by November 26, 2007 to register with the Secretariat and to draw lots to decide the order of performance at the competition.

PRACTICE

Non-Korean competitors who are not resident in Korea will be provided with practice facilities, free of charge, for three hours everyday from two days before the 1st Stage until the conclusion of the competition. Any competitor may come with his/her own pianist at competitor’s own expense. Otherwise, the competitor will be provided with an official accompanist, free of charge, and will have an opportunity to rehearse with the assigned accompanist in the following manner: one session before the 1st & 2nd Stages and two sessions before the Semifinal Stage. Each rehearsal will be two hours long. Each finalist will have two rehearsals with accompanist and one rehearsal with the orchestra before the Final Stage.

PERFORMANCE RULES

The order of appearance will be determined by random drawing before the 1st Stage begins. On the day of appearance, each competitor must show up at the Secretariat office located in the concert hall by the specified time without any delay. Those who are unable to perform when called upon to do so may be disqualified. However, if any competitor should be 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 time. Every stage of the competition is open to public.

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

The competitors will be contracted exclusively to 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 will be required to be available for any media-related arrangements made by the competition.
The Secretariat has the right, without payment of any fees to the competitors, to:

a) Broadcast, film, record, videotape or photograph all stages of the competition for media or for any other purpose.
b) Produce and distribute recordings of all the stages of the competition, either in whole or in part, including the prize winners’ concerts, recitals, and CD recordings offered by the Secretariat as a part of the prize.
c) Produce documentary, or featured films.

[JUDGEMENT]

PRELIMINARY ROUND

The Preliminary Jury will make a selection of candidates from the applications received. All applicants will be notified of acceptance, or rejection by August 27, 2007.

JUDGEMENT PREMISE

A point system will be used by the Jury for judgement. Each juror judges and marks the performances of all competitors, but abstains from judging/marking performances of the competitors who were his/her own students for more than three months in the past two years. The decisions of the Jury are final and will not be subjected to appeal.
Competitors may not communicate with any member of the Jury at any time of the competition, no 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

PROCEDURE OF JUDGEMENT

1. At the end of each stage, points for each competitor’s performance will be averaged by the Secretariat in the presence of the chairman or vice-chairman of the Management Committee. The list of averaged scores, with no names, will be submitted to the chairman of the Jury.
2. The Jury will pass the competitors who rank high in the list of averaged scores onto the next stage. Six, or fewer of the semifinalists will be admitted to the Final Stage.
3. The Jury will decide the ranking order of the prize winners at the end of the Final Stage.
4. If any finalist, chosen from the procedure description 2 above, gives up the right to participate in the Final Stage, the Jury may qualify the one who ranks the highest among the remaining semifinalists to advance to the Final Stage.
※ The Jury cannot request for disclosure of any of the competitors’ names during the process of selecting the successful competitors for the further Stages, or of determining the ranking order of the prize winners.

[RRIZE]

There will be cash-prizes in total 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

• The Jury reserves a right to withhold an award.
• In the case of a tie, the prize money of the prize won and that of the next prize in the ranking will be added up and distributed equally.
• Taxes will be deducted from the prize money according to Korean tax laws.

Professional engagements will be arranged for the prize winners. These may include concerts, recitals, and recordings for CDs or DVDs. The first prize winner and other selected prize winners will be required to be available to perform for these engagements. For such engagements, the round-trip airfare as well as the 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 any dispute arise regarding the interpretation of any part of the regulations and conditions of Seoul International Music Competition 2007, the regulations and conditions written in the language of Korean in this body of information and the related laws and codes of the Republic of Korea will be the only legal basis. 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]

All competitors must submit a program of 9 art songs and 5 operatic arias, as specified below:

1. Nine(9) art songs (9 pieces by the different composers)

a) Two(2) Italian art songs
b) Two(2) German lieder
c) Two(2) French art songs
d) One(1) 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 to the competitors who are accepted into the Preliminary Round by August 27, 2007.
– Soprano: Kang Gun Nuh Bom I O Deut (As Spring Returns) by Geung Soo Im
– Mezzo soprano: Juh Goo-Reum Heul Luh Ga Neun Goht (Where Yonder Clouds Go) by Dongjin Kim
– Tenor: San Deul Ba-Ram (Gentle Breeze) by Jei Myung Hyun
– Baritone & Bass: Cheong-San Eh Sal Li La (Let Me Live on the Green Hill) by Younjun Kim
e) Two(2) art songs of competitor’s choice. (Among English, Russian, and Spainish art songs, choose two pieces that are in different languages)

2. Five operatic arias

1st STAGE

① One art song
② One operatic aria

2nd STAGE

① Two art songs (One of the Korean art songs from the list above must be included)
② Two operatic arias

SEMIFINAL

① Two art songs
② Two operatic arias

FINAL

① A solo recital with piano. Art songs only.
Program must not exceed 30 minutes and the works must be selected from the repertoire list you submitted to Secretariat of the competition.
② An operatic aria with the orchestra
After the Semifinal Stage, the Jury will assign the piece to be performed chosen from the repertoire list you submitted to Secritariat of the competition.

NOTICE

1. No work can be repeated during 1st, 2nd, and the Semifinal Stages. Only the works presented in the Final Stage may be a repetition of works performed in a previous stage, and an operatic aria of the Final Stage will be assigned to each competitor by the Jury.
2. All works must be performed by memory (except Korean art songs).
3. All works must be performed in their original languages. Key changes are not permitted in operatic arias.
4. All operatic arias containing “recitative” and “cabaletta” must be sung in their entirety.
5. For all stages, the order of the works being performed will be decided by the competitor.
6. Changes to the submitted program will be accepted only for the 1st Stage and must be notified in writing to the Secretariat no later than October 27, 2007.
7. Participants who had been highly successful in a prestigious international voice competition will pass directly to the 2nd Stage under the Preliminary Jury’s decision (You must send the certificate of the awards to be considered).

*updated November 2007