9. INTERNATIONAL CHORAL COMPETITION
MARIBOR 2008, SLOVENIA

18. - 20. April 2008

RULES OF THE COMPETITON

I. APPLICATION

1. PARTICIPANTS
9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008 is intended for female choirs, male choirs, and mixed choirs.
Only amateur choirs can participate at the competition.
Conductor and eventual instrumentalist can be professional musicians.
Number of singers is limited: choir must have at least 16 and at most 48 singers.
Number of participating choirs is limited: at most 12 choirs can participate at the competition.
Artistic Council of the Competition (appointed by the Organising Committee) selects participating choirs according to their artistic merits, inherent in the application materials.

2. APPLICATION MATERIALS
Choirs must send to the organiser their application, consisting of:
Precisely filled-in Application Form.
Audio recording of at least 3 compositions on audiocassette or CD, recorded in the period from 1 January 2007 to the time of application.
Short description of choir and its activities (at most 15 typewritten lines), sent by e-mail to mihela.jagodic@jskd.siand 1 printed copy attached to the application.
Good (sharp) photography of the choir.
One clearly readable score of each composition, entered in the competition program, only exception is the score of contemporary Slovenian compulsory composition.
Selected choirs will be obliged to send 6 additional copies of other competing compositions for the members of the Jury and the archive of the competition (photocopies are allowed only with publisher's written approval - or composer's written approval for manuscripts) till Monday, 26 February 2008.
Above-mentioned application materials will be returned to the applicants.

3. APPLICATION DEADLINE
Application must be sent not later than on Monday, 23 November 2007 (date on the post office seal).
Choirs will be sent notice about their participation till Monday, 17 December 2007.
Choirs will at the same time receive invoice for the admission 200 EUR to be paid in January 2008.
Choirs have time to make eventual changes to their competition program till Monday, 26 February 2008.

II. PROGRAMS

1. THE COURSE OF THE COMPETITION

9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008 is divided into 2 non-competitive and 3 competitive events.

A: Non-competitive events:
1. Opening concert is the first non-competitive event: each choir must present folk songs in entire duration not exceeding 6 minutes of pure music. Program must consist of folk songs from the choir's native country, sung by heart. Performance in national costumes is much desired for.
2. Choirs that will not qualify for the Grand Prix competition will perform in a non-competitive concert in Maribor or its vicinity on Sunday morning, 20 April 2008, if requested by organiser.

B. Competitive program consists of 3 programs:

1. COMPULSORY PROGRAM
Mixed choirs:
1. *Composition by Iacobus Gallus of choir's own choice (Ed. MAMS, SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenija).
2. Composition from the Romantic period of choir's own choice.
3. **Compulsory contemporary Slovenian song
Male choirs:
1. *Composition by Iacobus Gallus of choir's own choice (Ed. MAMS, SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenija).
2. Composition from the Romantic period of choir's own choice.
3. **Compulsory contemporary Slovenian song
Female choirs:
1. *Composition by Iacobus Gallus of choir's own choice (Ed. MAMS, SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenija).
2. Composition from the Romantic period of choir's own choice.
3. **Compulsory contemporary Slovenian song

*You can get additional information on Gallus compositions and how to acquire licenced copies from: muz_ist@zrc-sazu.si and astrum@siol.net.
** Compulsory Contemporary Slovenian Compositions are available from September 10, 2007. Choirs can order scores, English translation of their text and the CD with pronuncination in Slovene language from JSKD (Javni sklad RS za kulturne dejavnosti), Štefanova 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia (Ms. Mihela Jagodic, mihela.jagodic@jskd.si)
Each choir will receive additional copies for all members of choir after the payment of admission (mailing expenses are included in the admission).

Program must be sung a cappella. Entire duration of all 3 compositions must not exceed 12 minutes.
Compulsory program must be performed in the prescribed order.

2. FREE PROGRAM
Choirs perform compositions of their own choice in this category (folk songs and their arrangements are not allowed in this category).
Program must be sung a cappella.
Program must comprise at least 2 compositions.
Compositions from the compulsory program are not allowed in the free program.
Entire duration of all compositions must be in the range of 10 to 15 minutes.

3. GRAND PRIX OF THE 9. INTERNATIONAL CHORAL COMPETITION MARIBOR 2008
At most 5 choirs with the highest average score from the compulsory and free program will qualify for the Grand Prix Competition. Jury will confirm selected choirs.
The sequence of choirs will be drawn by lot in public.
Each selected choir will perform only once in this category. Program must comprise at least 3 compositions of choir's own choice. Only one composition can be repeated from the compulsory or free program.
Only one composition can have instrumental accompaniment, if it is prescribed in the original score of the composition.
Piano will be available for eventual accompaniment. Organiser is not obligated to provide any other instrument.
Entire duration of all compositions must be in the range of 10 to 15 minutes.
Grand Prix of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008 will be awarded to the choir with the highest average score from all 3 categories (Compulsory Program, Free Program and the Grand Prix Competition).

III. JURY AND AWARDS

1. COMPOSITION OF THE JURY
Jury will comprise 5 renowned members - experts in choral music: 2 from Slovenia and 3 from abroad.

2. WORK OF THE JURY
Each member of the jury will evaluate all competitive performances of each choir with numeric mark (the highest mark is 100).
Jury will evaluate:
a) Technical prowess of each choir.
b) Difficulty of selected program.
c) Artistic persuasiveness of the performance.

3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS
List of choirs that will be allowed to compete at the Grand Prix Competition will be made known at most one hour after the completion of the free program.
The results of the competitive performances will be officially announced only at the final ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
All Jury's decisions are final and can not be appealed.
All competing choirs will receive a written appraisal of their performances by each member of the Jury.

IV. AWARDS

1. MONETARY AWARDS AND PRIZES IN THE GRAND PRIX COMPETITION
Monetary awards:

Monetary awards will be given according to the received scores at the competition.

Choirs that will compete for the Grand Prix will receive following monetary awards and prizes:

For the 1st place: the Grand Prix of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008, the monetary award 2.250 EUR, and memorial plaque of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008.
For the 2nd place: the monetary award 1.550 EUR and the memorial plaque of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008.
For the 3rd place: the monetary award 1.150 EUR and the memorial plaque of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008.
For the 4th place: the memorial plaque of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008.
For the 5th place: the memorial plaque of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008.

In the case of two or more equal scores, the actual prize and the following prize(s) will be divided between the choirs in the equal amounts.

2. ADDITIONAL MONETARY AWARDS AND PRIZES

Organiser can on Jury's proposal give also following anticipated awards:

To the conductor for the best performance of composition by Iacobus Gallus - 225 EUR.
To the conductor for the best performance of compulsory contemporary Slovenian composition - 225 EUR.
Jury can also propose some additional prizes.

Organiser will also give following awards:

The award of public to the best choir of their choice at the Folk Song Concert - The Memorial Award.
Award for the best Slovenian choir - given by JSKD.
Certificate of Participation at the International Choral Competition Maribor 2008 to all participating choirs.

Radio Slovenia will make, free of charge, archive recordings of all awarded Slovenian choirs, but not later than at the beginning of the 21th National Choral Competition Naša pesem 2009.

V. FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

1. ACCOMODATION
1. Choir - its singers, conductor and instrumentalists (up to 50 persons) have free accommodation from Friday (beginning at lunch) to Sunday (ending at the final banquet).
2. All travel expenses are covered by the participating choirs themselves.
3. All expenses due to premature arrival or postponed departure are covered by the individual choirs themselves.

2. RECORDING RIGHTS
1. All rights on audio, video and photographic recordings made at the competition belong to the organiser. Choirs will not get any recompense for their performances; they will receive only recording of their performances on audiocassette.
2. Each choir will also receive official photography of its performance.

VI. LEGAL MATTERS

1. Organiser is not responsible for any eventual mishaps, loses, thefts, or alike during choir's stay in Maribor.
2. Slovenian and English are official languages at the competition.
3. Original Slovenian text will be given preference in cases of dispute.
4. Course of competition and its realisation is fully covered in the Regulations of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008 that can be obtained from the organiser.
5. Organising Committee of the 9. International Choral Competition Maribor 2008 approved this document at its 2rd session.
6. Organising Committee has the sole responsibility to interpret it.
7. Choirs confirm their approval of above-mentioned rules by sending filled-in application form.
8. Organising Committee retains the right to alter rules of competition in the case of unexpected vis major. In such case it must give written notice to all participating choirs.