Conditions GLORIA

Registration deadline 30th September 2024
Scores submission deadline 15th October 2024
Registration fee per ensemble 200€ 
Participation fee per person 50€ 

 

CONDITIONS OF MUSICA ORBIS GLORIA

I. Categories:

The festival is open to amateur choirs only. The choirmaster may be a professional.

Category A – Unrestricted repertoire

  • A5 – Vocal Ensembles (up to 8 singers)
  • A6 – Youth Choirs (up to 21 years)
  • A7 – Choirs of Seniors

Category B – Non-competitive

  • B1 – Children’s Choirs (up to 16 years of age*)
  • B2 – Adult Choirs

*10 % of choristers may be older than 16 but not older than 18 years of age

II. Conditions of participation

Competitive categories (A)

  • Choirs must perform at least 1 a cappella piece.
  • Other pieces of free choice in any order.
  • The competition performance must include an arrangement of a folk song or a piece by a Czech composer.
  • The competition performance must not exceed 15 minutes (including the choir’s entrance and exit).
  • Choirs not respecting these time limits may lose 2 points. 

Non-competitive category (B)

  • Free choice of repertoire – a capella or accompanied
  • The performance must not exceed 15 minutes (including the choir’s entrance and exit).

III. General conditions

  • A choir is considered to be a group consisting of at least 12 singers.
  • To register, it is necessary to fill out the registration form by September 30, 2024.
  • The registration fee is due within 14 days after the invoice is issued. The registration fee is non-refundable.
  • All participants must submit a list of both competition and non-competition pieces along with copies of the scores by October 15, 2024. Choirs that fail to submit the list by the deadline may be disqualified.
  • For the accompanying singing of the mass in St. Vitus Cathedral, a piece of a spiritual nature is required. The title of the piece along with the composer’s name must be sent to the festival organizer by the choirs along with the other scores by October 15, 2024. Choirs will receive the piece that will be performed as a communal song at the end of the mass.
  • Each choir will have a 10-minute sound check at a time designated by the organizer.
  • A piano will be available both for the sound check and the performance.
  • The jury’s evaluation is based on a 30-point scoring system with integration into gold, silver, and bronze tiers.
  • Choirs are responsible for their own transportation at their expense.
  • Participants from outside Prague are obliged to choose one of the festival packages with accommodation.

IV. Evaluation

The performances of individual competing choirs and their placement in the respective tiers are evaluated by an expert jury composed of renowned choir conductors and directors for choral singing.

The conductor of each choir has the opportunity to participate in a brief evaluative meeting with the jurors, where they will receive feedback on their ensemble’s performance. This applies to both competitive and non-competitive categories.

Competitive categories (A)

The Jury evaluates the overall interpretive level of the choir according to the criteria:

  • Technical performance – voice culture, vocal technique, intonation, rhythm
  • Interpretation – dynamics, tempo, sound color, phrasing, style of interpretation, etc.
  • Dramaturgy of competitive performance
  • Overall artistic impression

On the basis of the overall achieved points the choirs will be assigned:

25.00 – 30.00 GOLD MEDAL
20.00 – 24.99 SILVER MEDAL
15.00 – 19.99 BRONZE MEDAL
0.00 – 14.99 HONORABLE MENTION

The winner of a category is the choir with the highest score in that category, provided that there are at least two choirs in that category. The overall winner of the festival is the choir with the highest score in all categories. The jury may decide to award a special prize.

GRAND PRIX

A special award, the Grand Prix, will be given to the choir that achieves the highest number of points across categories.

V. Final provisions

The organizer reserves the right to change the festival program. However, we firmly believe that together we will fill Prague with song!

GDPR DISCLAIMER: We handle all data following the GDPR-legislation. Pictures, audio, and video recordings made during the Festival as well as all personal data will be kept by the company and used for practical and non-commercial purposes only. They will only be shared with others if necessary for the organization of the Festival.