The second edition of the Fosco Corti International Competition for Choir Conductors is organised by Feniarco, Associazione Cori Piemontesi and the G. Verdi Conservatoire of Turin, in partnership with the European Choral Association, the support of Ministry of Culture, with the patronage of Piedmont Region and CIty of Turin, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
The competition will be held on 21st, 22nd and 23rd October 2022 at the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Turin, Via Mazzini 11.
The competition is open to conductors of all world's nationalities. All participants must be
born between 1st November 1982 and 21st October 2004. A maximum number of 18 conductors are admitted to the competition. Participants will be selected upon scrutinising all the eligible application materials, videos and curriculum vitae.
The competition falls into three parts: preliminary, semi-final and final.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
First part: performance without rehearsing of two pieces out of six, chosen by lot on the evening of Thursday 20th October.
The conductors' performance order will also be drawn on the evening of Thursday 20th October.
Second part: rehearsing of a piece (7 minutes maximun lenght), among six, chosen by lot on the evening of Thursday 20th October. The final performance of the piece is not mandatory. The conductors' performance order will be reversed with respect to the first part.
At the end of the preliminary round, the jury will announce the candidates who will be admitted to the semi-final (maximum of 10 conductors). The candidates' order and the pieces for the semi-final round will then be drawn.
SEMI-FINAL ROUND
First part: rehearsing and performance of a compulsory piece and rehearsing of a piece, among five, chosen by lot on the evening of Friday 21st October. The candidates will have a maximum time of 15 minutes.
Second part: rehearsing and performance of a compulsory piece and rehearsing of a piece (or a couple of pieces), among five, chosen by lot on the evening of Friday 21th October. The candidates will have a maximum time of 15 minutes.
At the end of the semi-final rounds the jury will announce the candidates who will enter the final round (maximum of 5 conductors).
FINAL ROUND
First part: each candidate will have 25 minutes to rehearse the compulsory piece and one other piece chosen by lot, at the moment, among five proposed. The jury will be present at the rehearsal which, therefore, will be evaluated.
Second part: each candidate must perform the two rehearsed pieces in the first part of the final.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
First part
1. Piero Caraba (1956) Laetitia Adventi [SATB, Feniarco]
2. Manolo Da Rold (1976) Ave Maria [SATB, Ut Orpheus]
3. Gianmartino Durighello (1961) Mátyás [SATB, Suvini Zerboni S.11467 Z.]
4. Battista Pradal (1964) Make me a picture of the sun [SATB, PH Publishers]
5. Camilla Andrea Piovano (1993) Notte [SATB, Feniarco]
6. Patrick Quaggiato (1983) Good night [SATB, unpublished]
♪ Ensemble InContrà | mixed choir | conductor Roberto Brisotto
Second part
1. Ivo Antognini (1963) Vox clara [SSAA+S solo, ICOT]
2. Javier Busto (1949) Gloria from Missa Minima [SSAA, Carl Fischer Music]
3. Ola Gjeilo (1978) Ave generosa [SSAA, Walton Music]
4. Ko Matsushita (1962) Ave Regina caelorum [SSAA, Kawai]
5. Arvo Pärt (1935) Peace upon you, Jerusalem [SSSAAA, Universal UE 32639]
6. Ivan Yohan (1975) Salve Regina [SSAA, Muziksea]
♪ Coro Artemusica | youth female choir | conductor Debora Bria
SEMI-FINAL ROUND
First part
Compulsory piece:
1. Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), Farewell, my joy [SATB, Choral Public Domain Library]
By lottery:
1. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Liebeslieder-Walzer op. 52, n. 1-2 [SATB and 4-hand piano, Peters]
2. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Liebeslieder-Walzer op. 52, n .8-9
3. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Liebeslieder-Walzer op. 52, n. 10-11
4. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Liebeslieder-Walzer op. 52, n. 15-16
5. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Neue Liebeslieder-Walzer op. 65, n. 15 [SATB and 4-hand piano, Peters]
♪ Coro da camera of Torino | mixed choir | conductor Dario Tabbia
Second part
Compulsory piece:
1. Orlando Di Lasso (1532-1594) Amicus meus [TTBB, transcr. Feniarco]
By lottery:
1. Cristóbal de Morales (1500-1553) Peccantem me quotidie [TTBB, transcr. Feniarco]
2. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) Ave Maria [TTBB, transcr. Feniarco]
3. Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) Animam meam dilectam [TTBB, transcr. Feniarco]
4. Josquin Desprez (1450ca-1521) Tu pauperum refugium [TTBB, rev. Sacquegna, transcr. Feniarco]
5. William Byrd (1543-1623) Ave verum corpus [TTBB, trascr. Feniarco]
♪ Gruppo vocale Novecento | male choir | conductor Maurizio Sacquegna
FINAL ROUND
First part
Compulsory piece:
1. Paolo Orlandi (1989) Occhi di Bragia [SSAATTBB, Feniarco]
By lottery:
1. Wolfram Buchenberg (1962), Ich bin das Brot des Lebens [SSAATTBB, Carus]
2. Pascal Dusapin (1955), Umbrae mortis [SATTBB, Èditions Salabert]
3. Nana Forte (1981), Sancta Trinitas [SATB+SATB, Gehrmans Musikförlag]
4. Paweł Łukaszewski (1968), Nunc dimittis [SATB + soli, Chester Music]
5. Agneta Sköld (1947), Let your light come [SSAATTBB, Gehrmans Musikförlag]
♪ Slovenian Philharmonic Choir | professional mixed choir | conductor Gregor Klančič
Second part
Pieces reharsed during the first part.
► Thursday 20th October 2022
6:30 pm: participants' presentation, draw to establish the order of performance and the pieces for the preliminary round.
► Friday 21st October 2022
PRELIMINARY ROUND
First part
h 9:30 n. 6 candidates
h 11:00 n. 6 candidates
h 12.15 n. 6 candidates
Second part
h 16:00 n. 6 candidates (7 minutes each)
h 17.15 n. 6 candidates (7 minutes each)
h 18:30 n. 6 candidates (7 minutes each)
h 20:00 announcement of the candidates admitted to the semi-final, draw to establish the order of performance and the pieces for the semi-final round
► Saturday 22nd October 2022
SEMI-FINAL ROUND
First part
h 10:00 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 11:15 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 12:30 n. 2 candidates (15 minutes each)
Second part
h 16:00 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 17:15 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 18:30 n. 2 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 19:45 announcement of the candidates admitted to the final round
► Sunday 23rd October 2022
FINAL ROUND
First part
h 10:00 draw to establish the order of performance
h 10:05 n. 3 candidates (25 minutes each)
h 12:00 n. 2 candidates (25 minutes each)
Second part
h 17:00 final and concert
h 19:00 winners' announcement and awards
First prize: € 2.000 and diploma
Second prize: € 1.500 and diploma
Third prize: € 1.000 and diploma
Special prizes:
Grazia Abbà special prize for the youngest conductor admitted to the final: € 500
Final concert audience prize: € 500
Special prize Noël Minet Fund of the Friends of the European Choral Association: scholarship of up to € 500 € for a promising young conductor to attend a training course in 2023/24
The jury of the competition will consist of 5 well-known musicians:
- Frieder Bernius (Germany)
- Josep Vila i Casañas (Spain)
- Maria Goundorina (Russia)
- Filippo Maria Bressan (Italy)
- Carlo Pavese (Italy)
To join the competition, candidates must complete and send by 31st May 2022 the application form available on this website.
Together with the personal data it is required a music curriculum vitae, two videos featuring a candidate's conducting performance and the payment of the registration fee. The two videos have to propose two different compositions in terms of era and style. In addition, at least one of them must have a front view of the conductor, otherwise he/she will be excluded from the selection. The videos must be live and not the result of editing or post-production changes. Videos with orchestra or piano conducting are not admitted.
By the 15th July 2022, the list of candidates admitted to the competition will be announced by a jury consisting of 4 members representing respectively Feniarco, Associazione Cori Piemontesi, G. Verdi Conservatoire of Music and European Choral Association.
The official language of the competition is English, in all rounds and contexts.
Participation in the competition implies acceptance of the regulation in each of its articles.
The jury's judgment and decisions are final and binding.
The choirs will have good knowledge of the repertoire.
Every participant must perform from original scores and it is responsibility of the individual participant to use them.