General Rules & Regulations
The following rules and regulations applies to the entire competition.
Participation
The Singapore International Choral Festival is open only to amateur choirs. The amateur qualification does not extend to the conductor or accompanist. Choirs may be from conservatories or music academies.
The minimum size of the competing choir is 20 participants, not including the conductor and accompanist(s). Special permission to compete with fewer than 20 singers may be obtained from the organisers, should there be extenuating circumstances that prevent the choir from meeting the minimum requirement. There is no upper limit to the number of participants a choir may have.
Categories
There is no limit to the number of categories a choir may compete in. The categories in the competition are as follows:
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Category | Age Limit | |
A: Equal Voices | A1 | 12 years and below |
A2 | 17 years and below | |
A3 | 25 years and below | |
A4 | Open | |
B: Mixed Voices | B1 | 19 years and below |
B2 | 25 years and below | |
B3 | Open | |
F: Folklore | F | Open |
J: Jubilee | J | 50 years and above |
S: Musica Sacra | S | Open |
Choirs cannot compete in 2 categories within the same voicing (i.e. A choir cannot take part in both A1 and A3). Choirs taking part in Category J are not allowed to participate in Categories A or B.
For each category, except for Category A1, each choir is to prepare three songs according to the following requirements:
If your choir is unable to travel, you can still take part in the Singapore International Choral Festival by choosing to go virtual with us. Choirs will be able to take part in any of the above categories via virtual recorded submission and will be provided the same written comments, scoring and certificates subjected to the following conditions:
- Choirs taking part in the virtual competition will be adjudicated by the same panel of judges but the scoring will be separate from the actual competition.
- Choirs taking part in the virtual competition will not be eligible for the Grand Prix Round.
- Competition submission must be in video format in one single take. More information and details will be provided to your choir when you sign up for the virtual competition.
The Jury
The decision of the jury is final and cannot be contested. The choir will be awarded points based on the average of the jury scores. Commencing from SICF 2023, only three jury members per panel of five members, will provide written comments for each choir’s performance.
Assessment Criteria
For each work performed, choirs will be assessed on the following criteria:
- Intonation – singing in tune, with pitch accuracy (50 points)
- Fidelity to Score – degree of exactness to performance directions (tempo, dynamic markings, articulation and so on) (50 points), on a 100-point scale.
The average mark for (a) Intonation and (b) Fidelity to Score will be calculated by dividing the total points by three.
(total points for Category A1 will be divided by two)
Choirs will also be assessed on their overall (c) Vocal Quality (50 points) and (d) Artistic Impression (50 points), on a 100-point scale.
The final score is on a 100-point scale, calculated by dividing the sum of (a), (b), (c) and (d) by 2. The awards are given according to the following:
- 80.00 – 100 points GOLD
- 70.00 – 79.99 points SILVER
- 60.00 – 69.99 points BRONZE
The choir that attains a Gold award with the highest score in each category will be awarded the title of “Category Champion” and may be selected to take part in the Grand Prix.
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Intonation – 50 points (a) | Fidelity – 50 points (b) | |
Song 1 | 40 | 41 |
Song 2 | 42 | 40 |
Song 3 | 39 | 43 |
Average | 40.33 | 41.33 |
Vocal Quality – 50 points (c) | Artistic Impression – 50 points (d) | |
43 | 40 | |
Final Score [(a+b+c+d) ⁄ 2] | ||
82.33 |
Fig 1. Sample Scoring Criteria, 7th SICF 2023
Special Awards
The jury may award special prizes or recommend a choir for participation in the Grand Prix Competition as they deem fit.
Grand Prix Finalists will be selected at the discretion of the jury, and may or may not include all Category Champions. The jury’s decision is final and cannot be contested.
The Grand Prix Competition will take place on 19th July 2023.
Choirs selected for the Grand Prix Competition are required to sing two songs up to a maximum performance time of 10 minutes based on the following criteria:
- A new piece not performed before in the competition rounds
- Either a song previously performed from the category of competition that won the choir a place in the Grand Prix, or another new piece.
Choirs selected for the Grand Prix are to submit 7 original scores of both pieces to the organisers for the purpose of adjudication.