We are happy to announce the Voicingers 11th International Jazz Competition for Singing Musicians will take place this year on August 12-15 in Żory, Upper Silesia, Poland. Submissions are now open! Entries for the competition can be submitted until June 5! ACT NOW!
— The Voicingers Team
The Voicingers International Jazz Competition for Singing Musicians (VIJCSM) became the Polish hub for jazz vocalists from all around the world—a meeting place where the works of artists fascinated with jazz and the improvisational nature of performance are presented.
Initiated in 2008, The VIJCSM is one of the flagship events of the Voicingers Festival.
The competition takes place in Poland, in the Upper Silesian town of Żory.
In the 18-year history of The Voicingers Festival, 10 editions of the competition have taken place between 2008 and 2018. During that period over four hundred candidates from all inhabited continents have applied to be part of the VIJCSM.
Among semi-finalists, one hundred and nine singers have performed on the stage of the Old Town Cinema (Scena na Starówce) and the stage of the Municipal Cultural Center in Żory (MOK).
IG# voicingerscontests
The VIJCSM supports the promotion of new talents and the development of their careers in the difficult niche profession of improvising musicians, by enabling the presentation of their own vision of music-making in a convention based on interaction during a live performance.
The opportunity to cooperate with experienced professionals, the presence of the audience, and the jury which includes professionally active artists and music journalists and promoters creates an electrifying atmosphere, bursting with the energy of inspiration.
Previous editions’ participants have presented their work in front of outstanding professionals such as Jorgos Skolias, Patricia Barber, Karin Krog, Marek Bałata, David Linx, Lars Danielsson, Anna Serafińska, Grażyna Auguścik, and many others.
The main financial prize for selected performers is funded by Fundacja Voicingers.
RULES AND PRIZES
- How to register ?
Applications must be sent by mail to both karolina@voicingers.com and to info@voicingers.com.
This is the list of the things we ask for :
A concise and precise biography of you, written in English, in the 3rd person singular, in several sentences. In your text, mention your major achievements but don’t dwell on them. Write about the music you make and how it relates to who you are.
Three high-quality digital photographs for press purposes (maximum size of one file is 6MB).
A link to three audio files of your choice depicting a variety of repertoire selections, (only live recordings from a studio or a concert are accepted) characteristic and currently representative of you as the performer, preferably your originals.
Let us taste the sound of your NATIVE LANGUAGE in your music if lyrics are a part of it. At least two songs must be up-tempo. We love ballads, but each evening will host up to four different singers who might share the same love for ballads.
-
The name of the country that issued your passport (visa invitations for participants from outside of the EU may apply).
-
Proof that the registration fee transfer of 100 EUROS has been made.
Here is the account number for transferring the registration fee:
-
IBAN: PL89 1140 2004 0000 3412 2703 8380
-
BIC: BREXPLPWMBK
-
The name of the bank: Mbank
Here is, for your reference, the legal information about our partner organisations receiving the transfers:
-
Name: Fundacja Voicingers
-
Address: Osiedle 700-Lecia Żor 3A /15, 44-240, Żory, Poland
-
Tax Number (NIP): 6511746169
-
ID number (KRS): 000107402
-
REGON: 52715591500000
♦ IMPORTANT! The payment can only be made via bank transfers (in special cases, we accept transfers via Western Union). The registration fee is not refundable
2. Who will be chosen ?
The Contest is intended for vocalists born after January 1, 1986.
Up to 12 semi-finalists, and no fewer than 8 (depending on the overall level of the applicants), will be selected in the quarter-finals based on the materials sent during the registration process.
The selection will be carried out by the jury composed of:
The quarter-finals jury will consider factors such as overall musicality, performance style, technical abilities, general cohesion of repertoire, and originality.
The order of appearances at the competition will be established on a random basis, and the competitors chosen to perform will be announced until June 5, 2026
3. How will the contest proceed ?
SEMIFINALS ( Wednesday, Thursday, Friday): Semifinal presentations will take place in the concert hall of the Municipal Cultural Center in Żory (320 people capacity).
Three or four candidates (depending on the number of applicants accepted for the competition) will be auditioned each day, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Each semifinalist will be given 75 min for rehearsal with one of the festival rhythm sections (from 8:30 a.m.- 14:00 p.m.) and will present themselves in a 30-minute program on stage with a repertoire of their choice. One of the compositions sang during the competition is expected to be in the participant’s native language (for English native speakers, a composition in a foreign language is expected). This applies only if you choose to sing lyrics!
After the last semi final presentations on Friday evening, the jury will announce the names of four vocalists chosen for the Finals.
FINALS (Saturday): Finals presentations start at 6:30 p.m. Finalists will present themselves in 15 min performances (maximum!) and in a different repertoire.
Each presentation will be preceded by a 45 min rehearsal (the order of the performances will be chosen by drawing lots).
After the last audition, the jury will deliberate and set the order of prizes, which will be followed by the announcement of the results and presentation of awards.
Jurors of the 11th International Competition For Singing Musicians are:
4. The participants’ commitments:
Each participant of the VIJCSM is:
To read the rules of the contest and agree with them. The very act of applying to take part in the contest is tantamount to agreeing with the rules.
To present, upon being accepted to the competition, to the organizer the list of songs planned for the performance at least 7 days before the beginning of the contest.
To perform, upon being selected for the contest, on the date designated by the organizers, bearing in mind that the act of applying to the International Competition for Singing Musicians commits the applicant to keeping those dates available for Voicingers until the day the list of the competition winners is announced.
To prepare clearly written music sheets for the rhythm section, and present them to the organizer at least 7 days before the beginning of the contest.
To authorize The Voicingers Festival to use, distribute, and/or display the content sent by the participant during the registration process (audio/video/photo and text materials that may be otherwise protected by any proprietary rights). The act of applying to take part in the contest is tantamount to such authorization.
To publish information about being admitted to participate in the Voicingers competition on participants’ social medias.
Each participant understands that their registration is binding. The participant agrees to ensure their availability in case of being selected to take part in the contest.
5. Organizers’ commitments:
The organizers will:
Provide accommodation with breakfast for all of the contest’s participants from the day before the semi final presentations begin until the day after the finals end.
- Provide the time and the conditions for a proper 75-minute rehearsal on the day of the performance.
Provide a stage with a full PA, lighting, and a professional technical staff for the competition performances.
Provide an experienced, jazz rhythm section including: piano, bass, and drums for both rehearsal and the competitions performance.
Record all the presentations (audio/video) while reserving the right to use the recorded material FREELY for further promotion of the Voicingers Festival (0nly chosen materials will be published on Voicingers social media).
6. Audio/video registration of the contest performances:
All the semifinals and finals presentations are audio recorded on a stereo balanced system as well as video recorded on three high-quality video cameras with prime lenses.
The festival will mix/edit and present on Voicingers Youtube channel one of the tunes each participant will perform.
The participants are free to share it on their social media if they wish to do so.
If you want to get RAW (unmixed and unedited) audio recording of your full performance along with the video tracks, the service fee of 200 euros will be charged.
You will need to provide us with a 256 GB hard drive on the day of your performance to get your copy of the recorded materials before you leave.
7. Prizes:
The prizes for the Voicingers International Jazz Competition for Singing Musicians will be as follows:
First Prize – 2000 Euros (gross pay, paid via money transfer in up to 30 working days after the prize being granted).
Second Prize – 1000 Euros (gross pay, paid via money transfer in up to 30 working days after the prize being granted).
Artistic Director’s Prize – an invitation to perform a concert with the Voicingers team at one of the Voicingers Festivals in Europe.
It is a lot of information to process. You can direct your questions to the following email address: karolina@voicingers.com and info@voicingers.com
vocal jazz contest, vocal jazz competition, jazz vocal contest, jazz competition, jazz contest, jazz competition, konkurs wokalistów jazzowych