ORGANIZATION

The Dong-A Ilbo will set up the Management Committee and Secretariat for the operation of the Competition. The Competition Jury will be organized by the Management Committee, consisting of musicians of prominent standing from Korea and abroad.

APPLICATION

1. ELIGIBILITY

The competition is open, regardless of nationality, to:
– All male singers born between November 23, 1987 and November 22, 2005.
– All female singers born between November 23, 1990 and November 22, 2005.

2. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Application deadline is August 6, 2023. Candidates must register directly on our website www.seoulcompetition.com.

Application deadline cannot be extended under any circumstances and registrations will be considered to be completed only when all of the following documents have been received:

A. All applications must be made using the form available on the Seoul International Music Competition (www.seoulcompetition.com). No other method of submission will be accepted.
B. A photocopy of the applicant’s passport.
C. A high resolution photograph of the applicant, suitable for publicity purposes. (at least 1MB)
D. A good-quality video file, which must include one art song and two opera arias in two different languages.
• The language for art song and opera aria may be repeated.
• The works performed in the preselection video may be included in the programme for the public rounds of the Competition.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• All video files must be uploaded to the Google Drive and shared with us(seoulcompetition@donga.com). The video link (URL) must be copied and pasted in the field provided on the online application form.
• Links to Youtube or other platforms are NOT acceptable as submissions.
• Each piece must be recorded in a single take.
• No Editing is allowed.
• The candidate must be clearly visible; the candidate’s chest and face should be clearly visible at all time.
• The camera angle must be fixed, and the microphones should be positioned at a distance allowing to obtain a good sound quality.
• Video files must be recorded after February 6, 2023. The works, however, may have been recorded in different places and on different occasions.
• The candidate’s name should not be indicated in any manner on the screen.

E. Copies of international and national competition awards.

※ ① No late application will be accepted.
※ ② No documents will be returned.
※ ③ No other materials (newspaper reviews, etc.) will be accepted.
※ ④ All correspondence from the Secretariat will be conducted via mail or e-mail. Please ensure that your address and e-mail address on the application are correct.

3. ADDRESS FOR APPLICATIONS

The Secretariat of Seoul International Music Competition
16Fl., The Dong-A Ilbo Bldg.
29, Chungjeongno, Seodaemun-gu
Seoul 03737, South Korea

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

4. ENTRY FEE

Following receipt of the admission confirmation, the participation fee of $250 must be transferred “free of bank charges for the recipient” by September 17, 2023 at the latest. This participation fee cannot be refunded under any circumstances.

Details of the bank
• Bank Kookmin Bank
• Branch Dong-A Media Branch (1, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03187, South Korea)
• 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 terms and conditions of the Seoul International Music Competition.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

Travel expenses are 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: US $400 will be given to those coming from Asia, and US $800 for those coming from continents outside of Asia. Taxes will be deducted from the aid according to Korean tax laws. The applicable tax rate is approximately 22%.

Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will also be provided with room and board at designated lodgings from November 19, 2023 until the dates indicated below:

• First Round competitors until the morning after the First Round
• Second Round competitors until the morning after the Second Round
• Semifinalists until the morning after the Semifinal Round
• Finalists until the morning after the Final Round

※ All competitors are required to arrive in Seoul by November 20, 2023 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 residents in Korea will be provided with practice facilities, which are free of charge, for one hour every day from two days before the First Round until the end of the competition. Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea and do not bring their own pianist will also be provided with an official accompanist by the secretariat and will have the opportunity to rehearse with the assigned accompanist within the hours specified for practice above in the following manner: One session before the First Round, one session before the Second Round, and one session before the Semifinal Round. Nevertheless, for organizational reasons, a candidate may be allocated a different accompanist from one round to another. Each finalist will have two rehearsals with the orchestra (including a stage rehearsal) before the Final Round.

SCORES

Candidates are expected to use the original scores of the works they perform. The Seoul International Music Competition will not tolerate any fraud that might be committed by a candidate in this regard (such as the public use of illegal copies). Candidates must be able to supply copies of the scores of the works performed in their programme to the Competition organizers and to their official accompanist(s) in any case. For the final round, if it turns out that the orchestral material is not available in the time required for the smooth running of the competition, the competition’s organizers may ask the candidate to perform another work from his or her repertoire.

ORDER OF PERFORMANCE

The order of appearance will be determined by a random drawing on November 20, 2023. On the day of performance, each competitor must be present at the Secretariat office located in the concert hall by the specified time. 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 is progressing.

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

The competitors will be in contract exclusively with the Seoul International Music Competition while they are in Korea. All contacts with 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 reserves the exclusive rights, without additional fees payable to the competitors and their accompanists, to:

1. Record audio or video and broadcast all the rounds of the competition including the rehearsals, Opening Ceremony, and Ceremony of Awards by any televised 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 on CD, SACD, sound track, audio cassette, video cassette, video disc or CD-ROM/CDI, DVD, minidisk, or any other existing or future medium.
3. Arrange agreements with other parties regarding the Competition materials mentioned above.

JUDGMENT

1. PRELIMINARY ROUND

The Preliminary Jury will select contestants to be invited to subsequent rounds of the competition. All applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by August 21, 2023.

2. PUBLIC ROUNDS

The competition will consist of four rounds.

1) A point system will be used by the Jury for adjudication. Each juror will judge and mark the performances of all competitors, but abstain from judging/marking the competitors who were his/her own students for more than three months in the previous two years.
2) The decisions of the Jury are final and are not subject to appeal.
3) Competitors may not exchange opinions with any member of the Jury at any time during the competition on subjects that may influence the judging. There are no exceptions to this rule and any competitor who fails to comply will be disqualified, and additionally, any judge who fails to comply with the rule will jeopardize his/her own status in the competition.

RRIZES AND ENGAGEMENTS

1. PRIZES

There will be cash awards in total of US $124,000.

• 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
• Special Prize: US $ 2,000

1) The Jury reserves the right to withhold an award(s).
2) In 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.
3) Taxes will be deducted from the prize money according to Korean tax laws.
4) Special Prize will be awarded to the best non-Korean performer of Korean art song on the Semifinal Round.

2. LAUREATES' CONCERTS AND RECORDINGS

Professional engagements will be arranged for the prize winners. These may include concerts, recitals and recordings of CDs or DVDs. The First Prize winner and other selected prize winners will be required 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 will 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 the Seoul International Music Competition 2023, the regulations and conditions written in Korean and the related laws and codes of the Republic of Korea will form the only legal basis on which to resolve the matter. All decisions made by the Secretariat, the Management Committee, and the Jury will be final and not subject to appeal.