Blue Danube International Opera Conducting Competition 2023 (9th Edition)
14 – 21 SEPTEMBER 2023
with the State Opera Stara Zagora in Stara Zagora / Bulgaria
2nd Prize – Geoffrey LOFF / USA
3rd Prize – Justin PAMBIANCHI / Italy & Canada
DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT OUR 2023 COMPETITION:
Password: baguette
REPERTOIRE:
HOW TO APPLY:
1. Send the BDM Application Form and your CV via e-mail or standard post.
2. Provide recent examples of your conducting (files, links, etc) to the address under \’contact\’ on this website. These may be instrumental, choral or operatic conducting. Conductors who have participated in our previous masterclasses or competitions DO NOT need to send examples.
3. Pay the application fee of €50,00 (and deposit if accepted) via bank wire transfer (bank account details are below) or with a Visa or MasterCard. Please inquire about credit card payments.
Conductors will be notified if they are accepted immediately after we receive everything requested in nos. 1, 2 & 3 above. Upon acceptance, conductors secure a competition place by sending a deposit of €325. The balance fee of €620 is payable no later than the conductor’s first day at the Competition. Thus, the total for the Opera Conducting Competition is €995 – €50 application fee (non-refundable); €325 deposit (refundable before 22 July 2023); and €620 balance fee.
The Competition is limited to 39 participants. Qualified conductors who apply and are accepted, will receive the Competition slots. We urge conductors to apply as soon as possible. Conductors may not compete if they are currently, or have ever been, general manager, chief conductor, artistic director, associate conductor or Erste Kapellmeister of a professional opera company. There is no minimum or maximum age limit for this Competition.
The orchestra, chorus and soloists of the State Opera Stara Zagora and guest soloists will be used for all rounds of the Conducting Competition. 12 conductors will advance to Round II; and 4 to Round III. First, second and third-prize winners from our previous opera conducting competitions are NOT eligible to compete.
Hungarian Opera Cluj-Napoca, Romania
The winners will also conduct a gala performance on the evening of 21 September at the conclusion of the Competition. Winning conductors will receive the standard fees and conditions offered by the participating opera theaters and orchestras for their guest conductors. Engagements will take place during the 2023-2024 or 2024–2025 seasons. Titles to be conducted will be by agreement between the artistic directors of the respective opera theaters or orchestras and the prize-winning conductors. Winners are urged to accept the date offered by the institution or risk losing the engagement.
INTERNATIONAL JURY MEMBERS, OPERA DIRECTORS & MANAGERS: the jury will comprise a cross-section of conductors and opera professionals from a variety of countries and continents. Opera house managers, directors and concert and opera agents will be at the Competition during Rounds II and III to see and hear (and sometimes engage) conductors whose work they like.
VIDEO/AUDIO RECORDING (optional)
High definition video/audio recording with graphics of your Competition conducting is available on site and to be paid there in cash at the prices below. These videos do not indicate you are taking part in a Competition – only that you are conducting a professional opera company in rehearsals.
Round I – EUR 100
Round II – EUR 130
Round III – EUR 160
STATE OPERA STARA ZAGORA: http://en.operasz.bg/
Conductors have a total of 30 minutes in Round I with the State Opera Stara Zagora’s full forces — orchestra, choir, soloists — 15 minutes in the morning in a Sitz-probe situation (soloists and choir seated on stage with the conductor and orchestra in the pit) with Die Zauberfloete; and 15 minutes in the evening in a General probe (dress rehearsal) situation with Rigoletto with some sets and soloists and choir moving per the staging.
The jury will be evaluating how effectively a conductor rehearses his/her assigned segment of the opera during the morning rehearsal. In contrast, the requirement of the evening rehearsal will be to see how well a conductor maintains the flow and continuity of his/her assigned segment. Conductors receive their assigned segments on the morning of their conducting in Round I (segments are drawn out of a hat). The entire opera is performed from beginning to end during both morning and evening rehearsals; in this way the orchestra, choir & soloists do not have to repeat the same segment or segments over and over.
DAY-BY-DAY SCHEDULE
Round I, up to 39 conductors, 13 conductors each day, 30′ for each conductor
| 14 September / Thursday | 10.00 – 14.00 (Sitzprobe/Italiana, Die Zauberflöte), 15′ each / 13 conductors
18.00 – 22.00 (Generalprobe, Rigoletto), 15′ each / 13 conductors |
| 15 September / Friday | 10.00 – 14.00 (Sitzprobe/Italiana, Die Zauberflöte), 15′ each / 13 conductors
18.00 – 22.00 (Generalprobe, Rigoletto), 15′ each / 13 conductors |
| 16 September / Saturday | 10.00 – 14.00 (Sitzprobe/Italiana, Die Zauberflöte), 15′ each / 13 conductors
18.00 – 22.00 (Generalprobe, Rigoletto), 15′ each / 13 conductors |
Round II, 12 conductors, 6 each day, 60′ for each conductor
| 17 September / Sunday | 10.00 – 13.30 coro and piano, Tosca / 12 conductors 18.00 – 21.30 Sitzprobe Tosca / 12 conductors |
| 18 September / Monday | 10.00 – 13.30 Generalprobe Tosca / 6 conductors |
| 19 September / Tuesday |
18.00 – 21.30 Generalprobe Tosca / 6 conductors
ANNOUNCEMENT OF ROUND III CONDUCTORS
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Round III, 4 conductors, 90′ each conductor
| 20 September / Wednesday | 10.00 – 13.45 Generalprobe Rigoletto, 4 conductors
18.00 – 21.45 Generalprobe Tosca, 4 conductors |
| 21 September / Thursday | 19.00–Gala Performance & Award Ceremony |
*All rehearsals will take place at State Opera Stara Zagora unless otherwise noted.
CANCELLATION POLICY. The signed application form is binding. All cancellations must be submitted in writing (email).
The deposit will be refunded if the accepted conductor cancels for any valid reason — such as health issues, impossibility to get a visa, or other similar reasons prior to 22 July 2023. The reason must be substantiated with documentation.
Once a refund is approved, please allow four to six months.
Blue Danube Musikimpresario reserves the right to shorten or postpone the Competition dates or cancel the Competition due to insufficient enrollment, force majeure, or any other circumstance or event for which Blue Danube Musikimpresario cannot be held responsible. Jury members, repertoire and prizes are subject to change.
