About the competition

The Classical Voice Singing Competition Inc. has been developed by a team of passionate educators and performers to celebrate and foster the next generation of classical vocalists coming through the tail end of their pre-tertiary education, and provides these students with a safe and warm performance environment to help them prepare for their VCE Exam. 

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The competition provides students an opportunity to perform a portion of their recital, as well as receive feedback from a leading educator in the field of classical voice. Competitors are also invited to a free masterclass with the adjudicator at the conclusion of the competition. 

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Student's also receive the opportunity to engage and perform with a professional accompanist.

Venue:

Prudence Lewty Hall

Mentone Girls' Grammar,

11 Mentone Parade, Mentone. 

Proudly sponsored by

Mentone Girls Grammar School

Proudly sponsored by

Fine Music Melbourne

The competition is split into two parts.

1. Unit 1+2 VCE Music.

2. Unit 3+4 VCE Music. 

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Unit 1+2 Section

• Perform one item of your choice in the classical style

• At the conclusion of the section the adjudicator will announce a 1st Prize and 2nd Prize, and those who have received an Honourable Mention. 

• Competitors must be enrolled in VCE Music Unit 1+2, however voice does not need to be their main instrument of study to compete. 💡 This may be an opportunity to see if you would like to switch to classical voice for your Unit 3+4 study. 

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Unit 3+4 Section

• Perform one accompanied item from your VCE Program in an allocated heat. 

• At the conclusion of a heat the adjudicator will announce a 1st and 2nd place within that heat. All competitors will receive a written critique from the adjudicator. 

• At the conclusion of all heats, the adjudicator will select the 6 highest scoring performances from across all heats, these 6 competitors will progress to the final. 

• In the final, you will re-perform your item from the heat, along with two more pieces: a second accompanied song in a language that is different to the first, and an unaccompanied song. 

  • ​(This is a total of three songs and a minimum of two different languages to be presented in the final).  

  • You will be required to perform all three songs back-to-back, as a mini recital! 

• ​💡 Competitors must be enrolled in VCE Music Unit 3+4 with Classical Voice as their instrument of study to be eligible to compete. 

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At the conclusion of the final, the adjudicator will announce the recipients of the Special Awards which are awarded to competitors for performances in the heats.

Following this presentation, the adjudicator will then announce the winner of the 2021 Classical Voice Singing Competition. All other finalists will receive a certificate and adjudicator's critique. 

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At the conclusion of the competition, all competitors from both the Unit 1+2 division, and the Unit 3+4 division (including all heats and the final) are welcomed to attend a free masterclass provided by the adjudicator. 💡 Be sure to come along as you may be one of the performers the adjudicator chooses to work with!  

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The Winner's Award

The winner of the Classical Voice Singing Competition 2021 will receive a cash prize of $500, along with two coachings, and an invitation to come back to the following year's competition and perform as a guest artist. 

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Special Awards

All competitors in the Unit 3+4 competition are eligible to receive one of the following special awards for a performance of an eligible item in the heats. The recipients of each award will be announced at the conclusion of the final, so it is recommended that all competitors attend the final should they receive a special award. 

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If there isn't an eligible competitor in any of the heats, the adjudicator reserves the right to award a Special Award to a performance in the final, or not award a prize at all. 

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Alliance Française Melbourne Award

Awarded to a competitor of the adjudicators choice from the heats for excellence in the performance of a song in French.

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Prize: Certificate and 60 minute coaching.

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Songmakers Australia Lieder Award

Awarded to a competitor of the adjudicators choice from the heats for excellence in the performance of a song in German.

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Prize: Certificate and 60 minute coaching with pianist and coach, Andrea Katz.

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Dante Alighieri Society Melbourne Award

Awarded to a competitor of the adjudicators choice from the heats for excellence in the performance of a song in Italian.

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Prize: Certificate and 60 minute coaching. 

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Opera Society Victoria Aria Award

Awarded to a competitor of the adjudicators choice from the heats for excellence in the performance of an Aria in any language from an Opera or Oratorio.

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Prize: Certificate and cash prize of $100

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Musical Theatre Excellence Award

Awarded to a competitor of the adjudicators choice from the heats for excellence in the performance of a song from a musical or operetta. 

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Prize: Certificate and 60 minute coaching with Musical Director and Pianist, Geoffrey Castles. 

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Proudly sponsored by

Pats Music Melbourne

Proudly sponsored by

Cranbourne Music Melbourne

Proudly sponsored by

Songmakers Australia

Proudly sponsored by

Alliance Française Melbourne

Proudly sponsored by

Dante Alighieri Society Melbourne

Proudly sponsored by

Opera Society Victoria

Proudly sponsored by

Geoffrey Castles

Disclaimer: The Classical Voice Singing Competition is in no way affiliated with VCAA or any of it's persons, and is a stand alone competition for students who are currently enrolled in the VCE Music Performance subject at their day schools.