COMPETITION « PARIS OPERA COMPETITION » 2023

8th edition

RULES  2023

 

 

PARIS OPERA COMPETITION is an international opera competition whose aim is to promote and support young international opera artists at the beginning of their careers.

To this end, the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association, in partnership with the Dassault Group, is responsible for organizing the candidates' registration, validating the applications and organizing the selection process, at the end of which, during the final in Paris, the candidates are judged by the jury and the audience, in a concert program accompanied by an orchestra.

This document constitutes the rules of the competition for the 2023 edition. They form an integral part of the application form submitted by each candidate as an inseparable element of the candidate's participation, who, by signing this document, agrees to respect them.

This document forms a part of the contract.  

 

It is hereby agreed and determined as follows

 

 

CONTENTS

Article 1

Article 2 - REGISTRATION

2.1 - REGISTRATION AGE

2.2 - REGISTRATION PERIOD

2.3 - DOCUMENTS TO PROVIDE

2.4 - VALIDATION OF THE FILE

Article 3 - SELECTION

3.1 - EXAMINATION OF APPLICATIONS

3.2 - SEMI-FINAL

3.3 - SEMI-FINAL PROGRAM

3.4 - RECORDING OF AUDITIONS

3.5 - FINAL

3.6 - RIGHT OF ADDRESS

3.7 - OBLIGATION OF ATTENDANCE

Article 4 - COMPETITION AND FINAL

Article 5 - TRAVEL, EXPENSES

5.1 - TRAVEL

5.2 - ACCOMMODATION

5.3 - DAILY ALLOWANCE

 

Article 6 - JURY OF THE COMPETITION FINAL

Article 7 - PRIZES AWARDED TO WINNERS

Article 8 - EXCLUSIVITY

Article 9 - PROMOTION

Article 10 - ILLNESS, DISABILITY

Article 11 - CANCELLATION

Article 12 - DISPUTES

Article 13 - COMMITMENT

APPENDICES

 

 

Article 1

Participation in the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION implies unreserved acceptance of the present rules.

Failure to comply with all or part of the commitments stipulated in the present rules will render any candidate liable to exclusion from the competition.

 

Article 2 - REGISTRATION

2.1 - REGISTRATION AGE

In order to register, a candidate must be at least 18 years old (with parental authorization depending on the country in which he/she is a minority) and no older than 32 years old at the end of the year of the competition final. It is specified that if the competition is postponed under the conditions provided for in article 11 and the candidate has reached the maximum age on the date initially planned, the application may be accepted with an exemption.

It is possible to register several times for the competition, with the exception of a previous participation as a finalist in the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION, unless an exemption is granted.

 

2.2 - REGISTRATION PERIOD

The registration period is indicated on the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION website and/or in Annex 2 of this document.

 

2.3 - DOCUMENTS TO BE PROVIDED

Registrations are made online on the website www.parisoperacompetition.com

 

The list of documents to be provided is indicated in Annex 1 of this document.                  

 

2.4 - VALIDATION OF THE APPLICATION

An email validating the application is sent to candidates if, and only if, the file they have put online is deemed complete by our validation service.

 

The candidate is responsible for the proper validation of his or her file within the allotted time.

 

In the event of a blockage or technical issue in  putting all or part of the application online on the www.parisoperacompetition.com website, the applicant may contact the validation service via the contact form on the website.

PARIS OPERA COMPETITION cannot be held responsible in case of non-receipt of an application.

The registration fee of 50€ will not be refunded under any circumstances.

 

A form will be sent to the semi-finalists in order to organize, as soon as possible after their selection, their arrival in Paris for the semi-final.

 

Article 3 - SELECTION

3.1 - EXAMINATION OF APPLICATIONS

The online applications are examined by the artistic direction of PARIS OPERA COMPETITION and are subject to a pre-selection between the members of the artistic committee on the dates fixed by the selection committee.

No feedback will be given on the applications.

The committee is sovereign in its decisions, including the right to call upon a candidate who has been rejected to replace a candidate who could not participate.

 

3.2 - SEMI-FINAL

The candidates who are pre-selected receive an email from the artistic direction and are invited to the semi-final in Paris on the dates indicated in the email.

The list of semi-finalists as well as the audition dates are indicated in the email and on the website www.parisoperacompetition.com

 

3.3 - SEMI-FINALS PROGRAM

The selected candidates must present a program of 4 opera arias of their choice to the artistic committee.

Of these 4 arias, only 2 will be performed, and exceptionally a 3rd aria may be requested in case of a tie.

 

3.4 - RECORDING OF THE AUDITIONS

On this occasion, the candidates authorize the management of PARIS OPERA COMPETITION to film and record the entire performance, all image and sound rights being transferred to the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association as indicated in Appendix 5.

 

3.5 - FINAL

At the end of the semi-final, 9 finalists are selected, all tessituras included.

2 additional candidates per tessitura will also be selected, who may be called upon in the event of the cancellation of one of the finalist candidates.

The results of the selection for the final of the Competition are communicated by e-mail to all the registered candidates and published online on www.parisoperacompetition.com

3.6 - RIGHT OF ADDRESS

Semi-finalist candidates who are not selected for the final may request a feedback from the artistic committee.

 

3.7 - OBLIGATION TO ATTEND

It is expressly stipulated that any application form constitutes a firm and definitive commitment to attend the semi-final in the case of pre-selection of the application file and the final in the case of selection, unless an exception is made.

 

Article 4 - COMPETITION AND FINAL

A schedule of events is given to each of the finalist candidates.

The musical program is set by the artistic direction in partnership with each of the finalists and the order of the rehearsals is set by the artistic direction depending on the program. The final is organized by the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association in partnership with the Dassault Group and the terms of this performance will also be indicated to the finalists.

The conditions of accommodation and per diem are directly dealt with between the organizers and each of the finalists.

Specific annexes may be attached to these rules depending on the year.

 

Article 5 - TRAVEL, EXPENSES

All expenses inherent to the participation in the final are covered by the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association.

 

5.1 - TRAVEL

The organization of travel, preferably by rail (see ethical charter), is entirely organized by PARIS OPERA COMPETITION for the semi-final and final.

The "travel form" must be filled in and sent back to the administration of PARIS OPERA COMPETITION for the organization of the semi-final and the final.

Once the round trip tickets have been purchased and sent to the candidates by PARIS OPERA COMPETITION, any change of train or plane ticket will be made at the expense of the candidate concerned.

 

5.2 - ACCOMMODATION

 

The accommodation of the candidates during their stay in Paris for the semi-final and the preparation of the final is entirely organized and paid for by PARIS OPERA COMPETITION.

 

5.3 - DAILY ALLOWANCE

The finalists will receive a daily allowance for the duration of their stay.

 

Article 6 - JURY OF THE COMPETITION FINAL

On the occasion of each session, the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association in partnership with the Dassault Group will set up an international jury: theater directors, casting directors, orchestra conductors, lyric artists...

The jury deliberates behind closed doors.

Any member of the jury who has a close relationship (parent, teacher, agent, colleague, etc.) with one of the finalist candidates will refrain from voting for the candidate.

At the end of the jury's deliberations, the President of the jury will announce the results and present the prizes, awards and diplomas on stage.

 

Article 7 - PRIZES AWARDED TO THE WINNERS

The PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association in partnership with the Dassault Group will award four prizes in front of the public and after deliberation by the jury:

First Prize

Second Prize

Third Prize

Audience Prize

These prizes range from 1,500 € to 8,000 €.

Any finalist who does not receive a prize will be awarded €1,000.

 

Article 8 - EXCLUSIVITY

Finalists are forbidden to appear in concerts or any other cultural events during the entire duration of the final.

Rehearsals are not open to the public. PARIS OPERA COMPETITION reserves the exclusive right to authorize the presence of third parties during the rehearsals.

All finalists are required to attend the welcome dinner upon their arrival in Paris, the presentation dinner for the partners organized in the days preceding the final and to attend the Gala Dinner after the final.

Article 9 - PROMOTION

The finalist candidates agree to lend their assistance free of charge to interviews as well as to partial broadcasts of the show or of rehearsals necessary for the promotion of the show.

The finalists accept to participate, at the request of PARIS OPERA COMPETITION, in other events (radio and television broadcasts, public rehearsals, etc.) which are part of the competition activities.

The finalists authorize PARIS OPERA COMPETITION to compose and publish the posters and programs of the finals and certify that the pictures and photographs submitted by them are free of all rights and servitudes.

 

Article 10 - SICKNESS, INCAPACITY

In case of illness, the finalist candidate who would be unable to attend the rehearsals must imperatively and as soon as possible inform the competition administration and provide a medical certificate.

 

Article 11 - CANCELLATION

If health conditions (pandemic, etc.) or cases of force majeure (strikes, riots) make it necessary, the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association in partnership with the Dassault Group reserves the right to either cancel or postpone the competition, candidates being notified either directly or on the website www.parisoperacompetition.

The reasons for the cancellation as well as the circumstances of the cancellation are not contestable by the candidates who consequently refrain from any recourse against the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association, the Dassault Group, the artistic committee and/or the artistic direction.

 

Article 12 - DISPUTES

In the event of a dispute, only the Paris Court of Justice is competent, it being specified that in the event of an interpretation of the clauses of the contracts or the regulations or any written instructions, only the French version will prevail over any other language.

 

Article 13 - COMMITMENT

Participation in the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION implies unreserved acceptance of the present rules.

Failure to comply with all or part of the commitments stipulated in the present rules will render any candidate liable to exclusion from the competition.

 

 

 

APPENDIX 1

Documents for the pre-selection file

 

The recordings must have been made during the year 2022 at the latest. The videos must be uploaded by the candidate on a hosting platform such as Youtube. Only the videos accessible via the links indicated in the registration form will be viewed.

 

 

APPENDIX 2

Calendar

 

 

 

APPENDIX 3

Musical program

 

The musical program of the finals will be composed of opera arias and ensembles from different periods and styles: classical (1750-1830), romantic (1830-1900), 20th century and contemporary music.

As far as the French repertoire is concerned, arias from operas by foreign composers will also be accepted, provided that the original libretto is in French and/or that the work was created in France.  For example, "Orpheus and Eurydice" by Gluck, "La fille du régiment" by Donizetti, "Guillaume Tell" by Rossini, "Don Carlos" by Verdi...

As in the semi-final, the arias in the final must be sung from memory, in the original language and tonality of the work's creation.

The choice of arias for the finals, including any cuts, will be decided by the artistic director in consultation with the artist and according to his or her repertoire.

 

 

APPENDIX 4

Rehearsals and costumes

 

Musical and stage rehearsals will take place from September 11 to 15, 2023, according to a precise schedule that will be given to the candidates upon their arrival in Paris without exception. The Competition will provide a pianist to accompany the candidates.

PARIS OPERA COMPETITION reserves the right, depending on the staging, to choose the candidates' stage attire either from among the gala clothes proposed by the candidate or by providing the costume.

 

 

APPENDIX 5

Image and sound rights

 

The candidates registered in the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION competition authorize the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION association - or any other agent appointed by the association - to use their image and their vocal performance within the framework of the Competition for commercial or publicity purposes, for all operations linked to the name of PARIS OPERA COMPETITION. Thus by the effect of the present for a period of 70 years and for the whole world as from the acceptance of the present General Rules, the candidates authorize : 

The fixation of their image and their vocal performance within the framework of the photographs and the reproduction of their image thus fixed by all technical processes known or unknown to date (graphic, photographic, digital, etc...) on all supports, on all formats, for an unlimited number of uses in whole or in part, together or separately, and in particular for the purposes of realization of any publicity or promotional document (guide, brochure and printed matter of any nature, posters, POS, flyers, product packaging, cover jacket etc... ) for the purpose of reproduction on any written press medium whatever the periodicity and distribution (professional or general public), on any textile medium and on any object in any multimedia work whatever the medium (CDROM, DVDROM, CDI, Cartridge etc...) any television or film work, as well as on any digital server, for the purpose of their exploitation on media intended for sale, rental or loan and/or communication to the public under the conditions set out below. 

The communication to the public of their image and their vocal performance thus fixed and reproduced under the conditions referred to in the paragraph above, in whole or in part and that goes through any means of diffusion, known or unknown to date and in particular the public representation in any place receiving the public (cinema, cine-club, network of video transmission, etc.. ), broadcasting in analog or digital mode whatever the vector and the number and in particular by radio broadcasting and/or terrestrial broadcasting, marketing (channel by subscription, pay per view, free TV, NVVOD etc...) as well as by communication by electronic way (Internet site, Extranet, Intranet etc...) whatever the format (html, PHP, . net, Java, Javascript, mode etc...) whatever the vector and the device of reception (mobile or fixed telephone network, cable, BLR, satellite, fiber etc...) as well as by provision of the public whatever the analog or digital process (and in particular, without this list being restrictive: streaming, downloading, uploading, pear-to-pear, Torrent etc...) or the mode of audio-visual transmission or mobile or fixed telephone (Internet, BLR, UMTS, I-Mode, GPRS etc...) used.

 

The captions accompanying the use of the image and/or the voice, in whole or in part, of the candidates under the conditions mentioned above will not infringe on their reputation or their private life. The candidates will represent the association during all performances or activities within the framework of the PARIS OPERA COMPETITION.