CENTRO STUDI E RICERCHE
SANTA GIACINTA MARESCOTTI
Embassy of Italy in Cuba
Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana
San Pietro a Majella Music Conservatory of Naples
Istituto Italiano per la Storia della Musica
Church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome
Conjunto de Música Antigua Ars Longa
Ruspoli Association
6th Ruspoli Latin American Itinerancy
11th Principe Francesco Maria Ruspoli
Baroque Music and Musicological Studies
International Competition
Baroque Soprano and Tenor
Audition for the modern premiere of the opera
Il Colombo by Bernardo Pasquini (1691)
Havana, April 2020
Award Ceremony and Concert
October 27-28, 2019
Castello Ruspoli, Vignanello
Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Lucina, Roma
Giorgio Monari, Artistic Director and Scientific Adviser
Antonio Florio, President of the Baroque Singing Section
Board of Directors
Giada Ruspoli, Silvestro Fochetti,
Honorary President and President
of the Centro Studi e Ricerche S. Giacinta Marescotti
Subject and Goals
The Centro Studi e Ricerche Santa Giacinta Marescotti di Vignanello presents the 2019 11th edition of the Principe Francesco Maria Ruspoli International Competition, with the following goals:
a) honouring the memory of Prince Francesco Maria Ruspoli, leading personality of Roman Baroque and great patron of artists such as Georg Friedrich Handel, Jacques Hotteterre “Le Romain”, Antonio Caldara, Benedetto Marcello and the poets of the Academy of Arcadia, by reviving his patronage and passion for arts and music;
b) recovering and expressing the genius loci as represented by the music of the Baroque period, which embodied the identity of Vignanello and Castello Ruspoli during the years of Prince Francesco Maria; he made his own household one of the most prestigious cultural centres of the day, alongside other European courts;
c) favouring the launching of young talents in the field of historically informed performance of music of the Baroque period (17th and 18th cent.), also giving them the opportunity to relive the atmosphere of Castello Ruspoli, where many prominent artistic events took place;
d) covering several different musical fields and alternating singing with instrumental music, as well as testing new modern technical approaches;
e) promoting research and discussion in the field of musicology, ranging from historical and archival research on patronage to the study of expressive languages, musical and iconographic sources, and musical instruments in the Baroque era (17th and 18th cent.).
BAROQUE SINGING SECTION: SOPRANO AND TENOR
Article 1 – Participants
1.1. This competition is open to Italian or foreign citizens who will be of legal age by the deadline of August 10, 2019.
1.2. Participation in previous editions of this Competition is not grounds for exclusion.
Article 2. How to participate
2.1. Applications must be filled out using the form which can be downloaded from the 2019 edition page of the website of the Centro Studi (www.centrostudisgm.com). All applications must be submitted by the deadline of August 10, 2019.
2.2. In order to complete application procedure, the following documentation must be enclosed:
1) detailed Curriculum vitae;
2) copy of valid ID;
3) 2 photos in digital format (JPG, GIF, or similar) which will be used by the administrative office for the purpose of competition-related press or promotion;
4) fee of €50.00 via bank transfer to the account of the “Associazione Centro Studi e Ricerche Santa Giacinta Marescotti”, at the bank: Cassa di Risparmio di Orvieto, filiale di Vignanello (VT), IBAN: IT71 E062 2073 3600 0000 1100 859 – BIC: BPBAITR1, description of payment: “Baroque Singing Section” (this fee will not be refunded if applicants fail to participate in the competition);
5) links to audio-video files and all necessary information to watch and/or download files (using Youtube, Dropbox, WeTransfer or similar software), according to the instructions under 4.1.2 of this notice.
2.3. All documents and links to online audio-video files must be emailed to the address: centrostudisgm@gmail.com. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
Article 3. Judges
Five members will compose the jury nominated by the Board of Directors of the Centro Studi and the Artistic Director of the Competition:
Antonio Florio (President), Conductor, Naples Music Conservatory
Furio Zanasi, Singer, Frosinone Music Conservatory
Laurence Cummings, Conductor, Harpsichordist
Marta Fumagalli, Singer
Teresa Paz Román, Conductor, Havana Early Music Festival
The jury names the winners of the competition. Special Mentions may also be awarded.
Article 4. Examination/Audition
Competitors must pass two trials, as follows.
4.1. Preliminary examination
4.1.1. The preliminary stage of the competition will be based on the examination of curricula, photos, and audio-video files submitted by competitors as per article 2.2.5.
4.1.2. Competitors must select Italian original or arranged solo vocal music with continuo, dating from the second half of the 17th century or the first half of the 18th century, for one or more audio-video recordings to be submitted to the judging committee (see art. 2.2.5).
4.1.3. The committee will select the competitors who pass on to the final stage.
4.2. – Final examination: Audition
4.2.1. The final examination will take place in Naples at the end of September 2019. Before 10 September 2019, the competitors selected by the jury will receive information about place and date of the audition.
4.2.2. Competitors must adhere to the following instructions when choosing the repertoire for the audition:
Repertoire: Two recitativos and arias from Pasquini’s Il Colombo (before 10 September 2010, scores will be provided to the singers selected during the preliminary examination);
One short Italian solo cantata by Händel or by any other contemporary composer, chosen by the competitors;
One single Italian/Latin Sacred or devotional piece (a motet, a song or an aria from an oratorio) from the second half of the 17th century or the first half of the 18th century, chosen by the competitors;
Criteria: While criteria for choosing repertoire are personal, competitors should still aim at showing their artistic maturity and singing mastery to the judging committee.
4.2.3. The competition will provide finalists with a harpsichord and an official harpsichordist. Competitors who wish to perform with their own accompanist must inform the organizers at the time of application.
Article 5. Finalists
5.1. Before 10 September 2019, the competitors who passed the first phase will receive information about place and date of the audition in Naples, to be held at the end of September. The organizers will not cover travel, accommodation and meal expenses to/in Naples.
5.2. All finalists may have, upon request, a certificate of participation in the final audition of the competition, which will be provided after the audition itself.
Article 6. Prizes
6.1. The prizes, consisting of two cheques for € 750,00 (seven hundred and fifty euros), will be awarded to the two winners at Castello Ruspoli of Vignanello on Sunday, 27 October 2019.
6.2. The winners will then perform as soloists in a Gala Concert during the Awards Ceremony on the same day, and they will participate in a baroque concert in Rome, on Monday, 28 October, as per Article 8 below.
6.3. The winners will sing the roles of Colombo (Tenor) and his son Fernando (Soprano), in the modern premiere of the opera Il Colombo by Bernardo Pasquini (1691; ed. António Jorge Marques 2019), in Havana (April 2020), as an event of the 6th Ruspoli Latin American Itinerancy organized by the Ruspoli Association.
6.4. The Centro Studi will cover travel expenses to Havana, and the co-organizers in Cuba will deal with artistic costs and all other expenses.
6.5. The winners will possibly take part in more events during the Ruspoli Latin American Itinerancy (last months of 2019 or 2020).
6.6. The Centro Studi will also provide the winners with a video from the concert on Sunday, 27 October 2019.
Article 7. Judges’ decisions
7.1. Judges’ decisions are final and may not be appealed.
7.2. The judges, according to their experience and competence, will select the finalists (Sopranos and Tenors) on the basis of curricula, photos, and audio-video recordings submitted.
7.3. Before 10 September 2019, the results of the preliminary examination will be published on the website of the Centro Studi.
7.4. Each judge will evaluate performances in the final examination individually and with a score ranging between 0 and 10. The jury also reserves the right to ask competitors to repeat their performances. The president, after collecting all judges’ votes, will add together the votes for each competitor, thus selecting the winners (one Soprano and one Tenor).
7.5. The Committee’s meetings will be valid with the majority of the members present.
7.6. Results will be announced at the end of the auditions, together with the names of the winners.
7.7. In the case of ex aequo, scores will be reconsidered and the jury will proceed with discussion and a new vote. If the jury is not able to designate the winners even after the second vote, the president will decree the winners and award the prizes.
Article 8. Awards Concerts
8.1. The winners will perform as soloists in a Gala Concert during the Awards Ceremony. The program for the winners’ final concert will include pieces chosen by the jury among those presented by the winners during the examinations. They will also participate in a sacred baroque concert in Rome, on Monday, 28 October.
8.2. The program of the final concerts will be established by the jury.
8.3. The Centro Studi will provide a harpsichord and an accompanist.
Article 9 – Due to circumstances beyond the organizers’ control, in case of proven necessity, or if the minimum number of 10 submissions is not reached, the organizers reserve the right to cancel the competition, in which case submission fees will be returned.
Article 10 – The organizers decline all responsibility for damage to persons or things that may occur during the competition and the Awards Ceremony.
Article 11 – Awardees and accompanists will not be able to lay claim to any audio and/or video recordings shot during the audition and the Ceremony. They will be invited to sign a document authorizing the use of texts, pictures and recordings, which will become visible on the website of the Centro Studi in the section dedicated to the competition.
Article 12 – The Centro Studi Santa Giacinta Marescotti will cover the winners’ travel, accommodation and meal expenses to/in Rome and Vignanello, on October 27-28. Winners’ guests will be offered a discounted accommodation package by the competition organizers.
Article 13 – As per article 10 of Italian law n. 675/96 regarding “personal data protection”, competitors are hereby informed that data collected by the Centro Studi is solely used for the purposes of this competition and ceremony, with any other use being excluded.
Article 14 – Registration to the competition implies unreserved acceptance of these conditions.
For more informations about the Centro Studi and the Associação Ruspoli, please visit our websites at www.centrostudisgm.com and www.associacaoruspoli.com