Competition Rules and Guidance

The competition is operated by Fulham Opera.

Please read these rules and guidance carefully. By entering the competition, you acknowledge that you have read these rules and guidance and will comply with them, and accept any determination made by the competition panel and Fulham Opera.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all singers. It is the responsibility of each competitor to ensure they have the necessary visa/entry clearance to be in the U.K. legally.
 

Disabled Access

We welcome all singers with disabilities and all current competition venues have disabled access. Please let us know at the time of application if you will require any assistance and what assistance you require.

Repertoire

All items presented must be chosen from the operatic repertoire and all pieces must be sung in their original key and language.

Repertoire for the first round, the Blind Audition, must be submitted with application. Pieces for the subsequent two rounds must be submitted no later than 14 days before the commencement of each of those rounds. Any changes of repertoire must be submitted no later than four days before the commencement of the relevant round.

Competitors intending to use the By Voice Alone accompanist must provide clean, clear music for the accompanist on the day.

Travel Expenses and Accommodation

The Competitor shall bear the cost of all travel expenses and the cost of accommodation to attend the auditions and the final of the competition. Applicants are advised to secure and receive confirmation of their audition slots prior to organising travel plans.

Recorded Auditions

Singers unable to attend the Blind Audition may submit a sound recording of two pieces with piano or orchestral accompaniment. No sound files recorded to backing tracks will be considered. These must be uploaded via the www.auditionroacle.com website at the time of application.

All singers submitting recordings for the Blind Audition stage must be available to attend subsequent stages and perform in person. All recordings must be true and fair representations of the singer’s live performance and contain nothing but their performance i.e. no identifying speech, spoken introduction etc. All pieces must have been recorded within the last six months and should be unedited.

Accompanists

An accompanist will be provided for each of the competition rounds. You may provide your own accompanist (at your own expense) if you wish but you must inform the competition organisers no later than seven days before the commencement of the relevant round – details of your accompanist must be provided at this point. Any change to any accompanist you wish to use must be notified as soon as possible.

Application and Closing Date

Application fees: £35

A non-refundable application fee to Fulham Opera is payable upon application by all competitors.

Applications should be made through the Fulham Opera website. Applications will not be accepted by any other means.

Applications will open on the 1st February 2019

The closing date to reserve a live audition slot is midnight 28th February 2019. The closing date for recorded submissions is midnight the 31st March 2019

All applications must include:

• Completed application form: direct link will be added here on the 1stof February.

• Payment of the applicable fee via the application system or by bank transfer

• Photo suitable for publicity purposes – this must be available from/uploaded to your Audition Oracle singers’ profile

• Up to date CV – this must be available from/uploaded to your Audition Oracle singers profile

• Your choice of audition slot/s – singers must indicate their preference on the application form

• A copy of your passport or other documents to prove your eligibility to work in the British Isles at the time of application

Please take care when selecting your audition slot, should you later be unable to attend at your chosen time all reasonable efforts will be made to enable you to attend at another time but this is not guaranteed. Please contact the organisers as soon as you are aware there may be a problem.

*If the volume of applications reaches a certain number before the closing date given above, By Voice Alone reserves the right to close applications – early application is recommended. Applicants are advised to secure and receive confirmation of their audition slots prior to organising travel plans.

Prizes

Prizes are offered as follows:

• First prize £2,000

• Second prize £750

• Audience Prize £750

• Emerging Artist Award £500

• Raw Talent Encouragement Award 2 x £500

We hope to be able to offer larger financial awards and additional prizes/opportunities – prizes are awarded at the jury’s discretion.

Programme and Repertoire Requirements

Round 1 – Blind Audition

Prepare three contrasting arias from the operatic repertoire in the original language and key. Repertoire to be provided in advance. You will be required to sing one aria of your choice. The panel may or may not wish to hear a section of a second aria.

Round 2 Panel Audition & competition Jury

Please prepare three arias – which should include the aria you sang in round one. Repertoire to be provided in advance. You will be required sing one aria of your choice. The panel may or may not wish to hear further arias or sections there-of.

Competition Final

A programme of ten minutes per singer. At least one aria should be different from those presented in round two.

Auditions are scheduled as follows:

Round One: Blind Audition – Saturday 16th, Sunday 17th, Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March 2019, National Opera Studio, Wandsworth. Wednesday 27th, Thursday 28th March 2019, Craxton Studios. 3rd & 4th April 2019, Craxton Studios. 

You should choose three pieces none of which should exceed five minutes in length – you may be stopped if they do. The panel will hear one aria of your choice and they may or may not choose an extract of either of your second or third choices. Although this is a blind audition, all pieces should be performed from memory. For the blind audition singers need not dress formally – please wear whatever you feel most comfortable performing in.

Singers will perform their pieces behind a screen. As in this round the panel will be judging each singer’s performance By Voice Alone. No attempt should be made to speak to or respond to the panel. Any questions or concerns the singer has should be discussed with the organisers before or after the audition and not within the audition room. Singers shall only be required to perform behind a screen for the first round; for subsequent rounds singers will perform in front of the panel in the customary manner.

Around thirty singers will be chosen from the blind auditions and invited to attend the second round – the Panel Audition in front of the competition jury. These singers will be contacted as soon as possible after the end of the first round auditions. Competitors who are unsuccessful at the blind audition stage shall be notified at a later date.

Round Two: Panel Audition – Wednesday 1st May, National Opera Studio, Wandsworth

The singers chosen from the Blind Auditions will be invited to attend the Panel Audition. Singers should bring a programme of three contrasting arias. Items from the Blind Audition may be repeated in the Panel Audition and should include the aria sung in round one. The singer will select their first piece to perform – the panel will choose the second.

Singers for the second round will be allocated a slot at random, to be notified as soon as possible after the Blind Audition. Please ensure you are available for the whole of the day when you apply. If an issue arises regarding your Panel Audition slot please inform us as soon as possible. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate a change in slot but this is not guaranteed.

At the conclusion of the Panel Audition 5 – 8 finalists will be chosen and to attend the final round: Competition Final. If you are not a finalist but have won one of the Raw Talent prizes you’ll receive your award at the Competition Final. Finalists will be contacted as soon as possible after the end of the second round auditions. Winners of the raw talent award prizes will also be contacted after this date.

For rounds one and two singers should arrive 10 minutes before their audition slot. A warmup/practice room will be provided. Please be punctual but don’t arrive very early as there is limited room to accommodate waiting singers, similarly please be respectful to your colleagues and do not linger following your audition. Unfortunately, it will not be possible for you to run through your pieces with the pianist before your audition slot.

If you are delayed on the day of your audition please text and call the organisers as soon as possible on the mobile number provided (this will be given to competitors nearer the time), providing your name and expected arrival time. Similarly, if you are ill or for some other reason are unable to attend please text and call the organisers as soon as possible, letting us know whether you expect to attend. Please be sure to leave your name on any texts sent or answer phone messages left. Reasonable efforts will be made to fit you into the schedule, either on the same day or any subsequent blind audition date, but this is not guaranteed and no refunds can be given.

Competition Final – 7.30pm Monday 20th May 2019, Kings Place, London

Finalists should choose a programme of ten minutes. Finalists must perform at least one aria different from those performed in the second round.

The Competition Final will conclude with the announcement of the winners and the presentation of prizes. Financial awards will be made by bank transfer within 31 days.

General and Broadcast Terms and Conditions

• All materials submitted including photos become the property of By Voice Alone

• By Voice Alone shall have the world rights to film, record and broadcast on radio or television or any other existing or future recording, reproducing and/or broadcasting audio-visual means the performances of the competitors. You hereby consent to such filming, recording and broadcast of your participation in the competition by By Voice Alone and:

  • You hereby assign to By Voice Alone absolutely all the copyright and other rights (including without limitation all performers’ property rights under Part II of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA) and irrevocably grant to By Voice Alone any and all rights necessary to allow By Voice Alone to make and use its recordings without any restriction in any media existing now or in the future, throughout the world for the purposes of the competitor or otherwise, for the duration of such rights;

  • You irrevocably grant to By Voice Alone the unlimited right to edit, copy, alter, add to, adapt or translate its recordings and film of you in the competition; and

  • You hereby waive irrevocably all moral rights which you have now of in the future in connection with your performances in the competition and recordings made by By Voice Alone, including without limitation any rights under section 77 to 85 inclusive of CDPA or any similar law in any jurisdiction.

• You consent to the use of your name, image, biography, interviews and photographs of you by By Voice Alone for the purposes of the competition.

• You agree to take part in any publicity for the competition.

• The organisers reserve the right to refuse any entry and return the entry fee without giving reason

• The administrator has the right to edit any competitor’s biography/CV as appropriate for inclusion in the printed programme for the Competition Final

• Prizes are awarded (and may be withheld) at the jury’s discretion

• The organisers reserve the right to record or broadcast any part of the Competition Final without payment to the competitors

• By Voice Alone cannot accept liability to you for any loss or injury to you or your property arising in connection with your participation in the Competition howsoever caused, unless caused by the negligence of By Voice Alone and recoverable on that ground.

• The details given herein are correct at the time of publication but the organisers reserve the right to alter the arrangements as occasion demands with any amendments notified on the website, which you should check periodically

• Panellists for each stage of the competition are subject to change

• Competitors who do not comply with the competition rules will be disqualified. By Voice Alone reserves the right to deny or cancel entry to the competition at any point in the unlikely event that any singer is deemed inappropriate, commits any defamatory act, or brings By Voice Alone into disrepute.

• The chair’s decision on all matters is final

• Force Majeure – By Voice Alone reserves the right to suspend or terminate the performance of its obligations when certain circumstances beyond their control arise,  or which make performance inadvisable, commercially impracticable, illegal, or impossible, such as war, riots, terrorism, fire, flood, lightning, explosion, strikes, protests, lockouts, slowdowns, prolonged shortage of energy supplies, and acts of state or governmental action prohibiting or impeding any party from performing its respective obligations in delivering any stage of the competition.

• These Rules and Terms and Conditions shall be construed in accordance with English Law. The Courts of England and Wales shall have the sole jurisdiction in relation to any dispute arising under these Rules and Terms and Conditions.

Data Protection

By Voice Alone shall only use your personal data for the purposes of administering the Competition. If By Voice Alone is required to pass your personal details to a third party for the purposes of administering the Competition, the third party shall only be permitted to use your details for this purpose.  By Voice Alone’s privacy policy relating to the competition is accessible on our website.

Contacts

Any enquiries prior to the competition should be sent to applications@byvoicealone.com. Mobile contact details to be used during the competition rounds will be provided to all contestants in due course.