AUDITION

  1. Entrants must prepare a programme of six items for their initial audition.
  2. Entrants’ programmes must include:
    (a)    Two operatic arias
    (b)    One aria from an oratorio, mass or cantata
    (c)    One German Lied, French Melodie or European Art Song (e.g. Rachmaninov, Sibelius) in a language other than English
    (d)    Two items of their own choice (may be from the above categories or an art song, lighter song, ballad, waiata, etc).
  3. Entrants’ programmes must include three languages, one being English.
  4. All items are to be sung in the original language and key (except for accepted published transpositions of German Lieder, French Melodie and European Art Song, and translations into te reo Māori of some major arias commissioned by the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts).
  5. One aria may be up to seven minutes in length. All other items must not exceed five minutes each. A combination of any three items must not exceed a total of 15 minutes. (Cuts may be necessary and long instrumental preludes or interludes should be omitted.)

SEMI-FINALS

Entrants are not required to submit either their Semi-Final or Grand Final programmes at the audition stage. Selected Semi-Finalists will be required to submit both their Semi-Final and Grand Final programmes by Friday April 2022, 5pm.

  1. Entrants’ Semi-Final programmes must include:
    (a) Two contrasting songs for piano accompaniment, one must be either German Lied, French Melodie or European Art Song in a language other than English; the other can be of your own choice (may be from the previous categories or an art song, lighter song, ballad, waiata, etc). The two songs must be different from the song you put forward for the Grand Final and can be of varying lengths but the two songs together must not exceed 10 minutes in performance.
    (b) One aria: either operatic or from an oratorio, mass or cantata (to be performed with piano accompaniment). Your selected aria can be one of the arias that you submit for the Grand Final. Each aria should not exceed seven minutes in performance.
  2. Entrants’ Semi-Final programmes should demonstrate a range of languages.
  3. All items are to be sung in the original language and key (except for accepted published transpositions of German Lieder, French Melodie and European Art Song, and translations into te reo Māori of some major arias commissioned by the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts).
  4. Entrants can choose to include any of the pieces from their audition for the Semi-Finals.

GRAND FINAL

Entrants are not required to submit either their Semi-Final or Grand Final programmes at the audition stage. Selected Semi-Finalists will be required to submit both their Semi-Final and Grand Final programmes by Friday 29 April 2022, 5pm.

  1. All entrants must submit a programme of three items for the Grand Final (the five finalists will be selected by Teddy Tahu Rhodes at the completion of the Semi-Finals concert on Sunday 17 July 2022).
  2. Entrants' repertoire must be what they will perform at the Grand Final on Saturday 23 July 2022, therefore they will rehearse these items with the piano accompanist and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
    1. Entrants’ Grand Final programmes must include:
      (a) One song for piano accompaniment, this must be either German Lied, French Melodie or European Art Song. The song must be different from the two songs you put forward for the Semi-Finals stage and must not exceed seven minutes in performance.
      (b) Two arias: either operatic or from oratorio, mass or cantata (to be performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra). One of your selected arias can be the same aria that you submit for the Semi-Finals stage and each aria must not exceed seven minutes in performance.
      IMPORTANT: The instrumentation for each aria must NOT exceed the following instrumentation:
      3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, 1 timpani, 3 percussion, 1 harp, violins, second violins, violas, celli, double basses
  3. Entrants’ Grand Final programmes should demonstrate a range of languages.
  4. All items are to be sung in the original language and key (except for accepted published transpositions of German Lieder, French Melodie and European Art Song, and translations into te reo Māori of some major arias commissioned by the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts).

NOTES

All entrants must submit a copy of each score of their selected six items for audition as part of their online application form. Scores must be submitted electronically by uploading as part of the online application form or sent to lexussongquest@festival.co.nz.

Applicants need to ensure their name and contact details are included and the music is received by the closing date of Monday 21 March 2022, 5pm.

If you are selected as a Semi-Finalist you will need to provide a copy of each of your scores for the Semi-Finals stage and the Grand Final by Friday 20 April 2022, 5pm. Scores must be submitted electronically to lexussongquest@festival.co.nz.

For overseas applicants auditioning by video entry, the recording must be supplied in mp4 format and contain a vocal track of all six items and a recording of your performance of the six items. The vocal recording must be of a professional quality to give you the best chance of auditioning by video for the judges. The tracks must be unedited, recorded without excessive reverb or processing and have a good balance between the voice and piano. The visual recording of your performance of the six items is to ensure the preliminary judges are able to witness your performance style as an integral part of the judging process. Audition videos may be submitted electronically as mp4 files sent via an online file transfer website (e.g. Dropbox) and or/emailed to lexussongquest@festival.co.nz. Each song must be individually labelled with the name of the applicant and the name of the item. Video auditions must arrive by Friday 8 April 2022.

Entrants must bring three printed copies of their scores to their audition.