Artistic Director and Scientific Adviser
Giorgio Monari
President of the Singing Section
Antonio Florio
Board of Directors
Giada Ruspoli
member of the Ruspoli family
Silvestro Fochetti
President of Centro Studi e Ricerche Santa Giacinta Marescotti
CENTRO STUDI E RICERCHE
SANTA GIACINTA MARESCOTTI
9 th Principe Francesco Maria Ruspoli
Baroque Music and Musicological Studies
International Competition
Baroque Singing
Musicology
October 28-29, 2017
Castello Ruspoli, Vignanello – Italy
Artistic Director and Scientific Adviser: Giorgio Monari
President of the Baroque Singing Section: Antonio Florio
Board of Directors:
Giada Ruspoli, Honorary President of Centro Studi e Ricerche S. Giacinta Marescotti
Silvestro Fochetti, President of Centro Studi e Ricerche S. Giacinta Marescotti
Subject and Goals
The Centro Studi e Ricerche Santa Giacinta Marescotti di Vignanello presents the 2017 9th edition of the Principe Francesco Maria Ruspoli International Competition, with the following goals:
- a) honouring the memory of Prince Francesco Maria Ruspoli, leading personality of Roman Baroque and great patron of artists such as Georg Friedrich Handel, Jacques Hotteterre “Le Romain”, Antonio Caldara, Benedetto Marcello and the poets of the Academy of Arcadia, by reviving his patronage and passion for arts and music;
- b) recovering and expressing the genius loci as represented by the music of the Baroque period, which embodied the identity of Vignanello and Castello Ruspoli during the years of Prince Francesco Maria; he made his own household one of the most prestigious cultural centres in those days, along with other European courts;
- c) favouring the launching of young talents in the field of historically informed performance of music of the Baroque period (17th and 18 th ), also giving them the opportunity to relive the atmosphere of Castello Ruspoli, where many prominent artistic events took place;
- d) ranging over several different musical fields and alternating singing with instrumental music, as well as testing new techniques also in a modern fashion;
- e) promoting research and occasions for discussion in the field of musicology, ranging from historical and archival research on patronage to the study of expressive languages, musical and iconographic sources, and musical instruments in the Baroque era (17th and 18 th ).
Structure of the competition
The Principe Francesco Maria Ruspoli International Competition consists of:
– one musicological section with a given topic chosen by organizers each year;
– one section alternating singing and one Baroque instrument every other year, with singing being the subject of this section for the 2017 edition.
BAROQUE SINGING SECTION
Article 1 – Participants
1.1 – This competition is open to all Italian or foreign citizens who will be of legal age and will not have turned 35 by the deadline of August 31, 2017.
1.2 – Participation in other sections of the “Principe Francesco Maria Ruspoli” Competition is not grounds for exclusion.
1.3 – Participation in previous editions of this Competition is not grounds for exclusion.
Article 2 – How to participate
2.1 – Applications must be filled out using the form which can be downloaded from the 2017 edition page of the website of Centro Studi (www.centrostudisgm.com). All applications must be submitted by the deadline of August 31, 2017; late applications will not be considered.
2.2 – In order to complete application procedure, the following documentation must be enclosed:
(Incomplete applications will not be processed)
1) detailed CV;
2) copy of valid ID;
3) 2 photos in digital format (JPG, GIF, or similar) which will be used by the administrative office for the purpose of competition-related press or promotion ;
4) fee of €50.00 via bank transfer to the account of “Associazione Centro Studi e Ricerche Santa Giacinta Marescotti”, at the bank: Cassa di Risparmio di Orvieto,
filiale di Vignanello (VT), IBAN: IT71 E062 2073 3600 0000 1100 859 – BIC: BPBAITR1, description of payment: “Baroque Singing Section” (this fee will not be refunded if applicants fail to participate in the competition);
5) musical program of audio or audio-video recordings of applicants’ own performances; applicants must upload their recordings to the internet preferably to YouTube or using software such as Dropbox, Google Drive, wetransfer, 4 shared, divShare, iDrive, mediaFire, SugarSync. The musical program must be arranged according to the instructions under 4.1.2 of this notice. Applicants must also submit links to files and all necessary information to watch and/or download files, as well as a list of the files uploaded with complete information on piece authors and titles and recording places and dates, via email to Centro Studi.
2.3 – All documents and links to uploaded files must be emailed to the address: centrostudisgm@gmail.com
Article 3 – Judges
The board of judges will be composed of the same members for both preliminary and final trials:
Antonio Florio (President), Conductor
Laurence Cummings, Conductor, Harpsichordist
Gemma Bertagnolli, University of the Arts Bremen
Furio Zanasi, L’Aquila Music Conservatory
Juan Ángel Vela del Campo, Music Critic
Article 4 – Trials
Competitors must pass two trials, as follows:
4.1 – Preliminary trial
4.1.1 – The preliminary trial will be based on the examination of audio-video files submitted by competitors as per article 2.2.5.
4.1.2 – Competitors must adhere to the following instructions to select the repertoire for the video and/or audio-recording to be submitted to the judging committee:
– program duration: ca. 20 minutes
– repertoire: Italian solo vocal music with harpsichord continuo; music may be original or arranged, and dating between the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century; only one piece may be in a language other than Italian (i.e.: English, French, German, Latin etc.)
4.1.3 – The committee will select 6 (six) competitors who pass on to the second final stage.
4.2. – Final trial
4.2.1 – The final trial will be open to the public and will take place at Castello Ruspoli on Saturday, 28 October 2017, starting at 2.30pm.
4.2.2 – Competitors must adhere to the following instructions in order to gather the repertoire for the final trial:
– program duration: 25’-30’
– repertoire: solo vocal music with harpsichord continuo; music may be original or arranged, and dating between the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, in Italian or other European languages; pieces in the final trial must be different from those presented in the preliminary trial;
– mandatory piece: one Italian solo cantata 1 by Händel, chosen by competitors, that was not presented during the preliminary trial;
– criteria: while criteria for choosing repertoire are personal, competitors should still aim at showing their artistic maturity and singing mastery to the judging committee.
4.2.3 – The competition will provide finalists with a harpsichord and an official harpsichordist. Competitors who wish to perform with their own accompanist must inform the organizers at the time of application.
Article 5 – Finalists
5.1 – The six competitors that will have passed the first phase will be welcome to arrive at Castello Ruspoli of Vignanello from the morning of Friday, 27 October 2017.
5.2 – All finalists may have, upon request, a certificate of participation to the final trial of the competition, which will be provided after the final trial.
Article 6 – Prize
6.1 – The prize, consisting of a check for € 1.500,00 (one thousand and five hundred euros) will be awarded to the first-place winner at Castello Ruspoli of Vignanello on Sunday, 29 October 2017. The winner will then perform as a soloist in a final concert as per article 9. The winner will also be invited to perform during the European Day of Early Music (21 March 2018, Copenhagen) and to take part in the next Latin American Itinerância Ruspoli (2018) organized by Associação Ruspoli.
6.2 – Centro Studi also provides the winner with a demo from the concert on Sunday, 29 October 2017, and its recording on CD.
Article 7 – Judges’ decisions
Judges’ decisions are final and may not be appealed.
7.1 – The judges, according to their experience and competence, will select the six finalists on the basis of audio and/or video recordings submitted, by attributing a score from 0 to 10. The president, after collecting all judges’ votes, will add together the votes for each competitor; the six competitors with the highest scores will be admitted to the final trial.
7.2 – The results of the preliminary trial will be published on the website of Centro Studi by 25 September 2017.
7.3 – Each judge will evaluate performances in the final trial individually and with a score in a range between 0 and 10. The jury also reserves the right to ask competitors to repeat their performances. The president, after collecting all judges’ votes, will add together the votes for each competitor, thus electing the winner.
7.4 – Results will be announced at the end of auditions, together with the name of the winner.
7.5 – In the case of ex aequo, scores will be reconsidered and the jury will proceed with discussion and to a new vote. If the jury is not able to designate one winner even after the second vote, the president will decree the winner and award the prize.
Article 8 – Rehearsal and performance schedule for final trial
8.1 – Centro Studi will provide a room for rehearsal at Castello Ruspoli on Friday 27 October 2017, starting at 1pm. Each competitor will be allowed to use the room for 45 minutes.
8.2 – The order of rehearsals will be established on a first-submitted basis. Competitors will be notified of the time within which they have to report to Castello Ruspoli.
8.3 – The order of performances will be drawn randomly by the administration of Centro Studi. Competitors who will not have answered roll-call on Saturday 28 October will be automatically rejected.
Article 9 – Final Concert
9.1 – The program for the winner’s final concert will include:
– the unabridged performance of an Italian cantata by Handel, chosen by competitors; 2
– pieces chosen by the jury among those presented by the winner during the two competition trials.
The program of the final concert will be established by the jury by the end of Saturday, after the winner has been announced.
Article 10 – Due to circumstances beyond the organizers’ control, in case of proven necessity, or if the minimum number of 10 submissions is not reached, the organizers reserve the right to cancel the competition, in which case submission fees will be returned
Article 11 – The organizers decline all responsibility for damage to persons or things occurred during the course of the competition
Article 12 – Competitors and accompanying harpsichordists will not be able to lay claim to any audio and/or video recordings shot during the competition trials. All finalists and harpsichordists will be invited to sign a document authorizing the use of texts, pictures and recordings, that will become visible on the website of Centro Studi in the section dedicated to the competition.
Article 13 – Finalists’ accommodation and meal expenses will be covered by Centro Studi Santa Giacinta Marescotti; travel expenses and finalists’ guests’ expenses will not be covered. Finalists’ guests will be offered a discounted accommodation package by the competition organizers.
Article 14 – As per article 10 of Italian law n. 675/96 regarding “personal data protection”, competitors are hereby informed that the data submitted at the time of registration are solely used for the purposes of this competition, with any other use being excluded.
Article 15 – Registration to the competition implies unreserved acceptance of these Conditions.
MUSICOLOGY SECTION
Article 1 – Participants
1.1 – All Italian and foreign citizens may apply. The competition especially welcomes students or junior scholars at an early stage of their academic career in the fields of musicology and/or history of music.
1.2 – The following categories of people may not apply:
– persons who have had collaborations and didactic relations with at least one judge in the past 2 years;
– groups of two or more persons.
1.3 – Participation in other sections of the “Principe Francesco Maria Ruspoli” International Competition is not grounds for exclusion.
1.4 – Participation in previous editions of this Competition is not grounds for exclusion.
Article 2 – Judges (Scientific Board)
2.1 – Centro Studi Santa Giacinta Marescotti relies on a Scientific Board consisting of acknowledged experts in the fields of music and musicology, and participating in institutions and/or musical and cultural associations .
Members of the Scientific Board:
Prof. Giorgio Monari (President), Pontifical Gregorian University and Sapienza University of Rome
Prof. Dinko Fabris, President of the International Musicological Society
Prof. Álvaro Torrente, Complutense University of Madrid
Prof. Klaus Pietschmann, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
Prof. Robert L. Kendrick, University of Chicago
Article 3 – Judges’ decisions
3.1 – Judges make decisions by absolute majority. Decisions are final and may not be appealed.
3.2 – In order to improve transparency of judges’ decisions, works are submitted anonymously to them. The administration of Centro Studi binds itself to seal the identities of authors within a closed envelope that will be opened only after the verdict is received.
3.3 – The jury, after carefully evaluating the competing essays, will choose only one that proves particularly deserving according to the criteria of scientific and cultural relevance, originality and literary qualities. The jury may nominate other essays worthy of printing, only if any exist. Results will be published starting from 25 September, 2017, on the website of Centro Studi (www.centrostudisgm.com) in the section dedicated to the competition.
Article 4 – How to participate
4.1 – Applications must be filled out using the form which can be downloaded from the 2017 edition page of the website of Centro Studi (www.centrostudisgm.com). All applications must be submitted by the deadline of August 31, 2017; late applications will not be considered.
In order to complete application procedure, the following documentation must be attached:
(Incomplete applications will not be processed)
1) Typewritten historical-musicological essay (handwritten essays will not be considered)
2) Detailed CV
3) Copy of valid ID
4) 2 photos in digital format (JPG, GIF, or similar) which will be used by the administrative office for the purpose of competition-related press or promotion
4.2 – All documents must be emailed to the address: centrostudisgm@gmail.com in Word and PDF format.
4.3 – Competitors must adhere to the following criteria:
- a) historical-musicological essays must be about 40/50 pages long, in A4 format, double line spacing, font size: 12 (footnotes: 10), 30 lines per page;
- b) historical-musicological essays may regard any particular aspect, author, composition, or other subject pertaining to “European music in the 16 th , 17th and 18 th centuries: Patronage, production and reception”;
- c) essays must be original and must not have been previously published or awarded at any other similar contest (a chapter of a dissertation may be submitted provided that it was not defended before the academic year 2014-2015);
- d) essays must be written in one of the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; e) all materials will be retained by the library of Centro Studi e Ricerche Santa Giacinta Marescotti.
Article 5 – Prize
5.1 – Centro Studi awards € 1.000,00 only to the winner.
5.2 – The competition offers the winner and any other authors that may be nominated by the jury the publication of their essays in a special volume published by Centro Studi, as well as five free copies of the volume. Authors will be welcome on 29 October, 2017 in the occasion of the Prize Ceremony.
5.3 – All authors may have, upon request, a certificate of participation to the competition, which will be provided after the Prize Ceremony.
Article 6 – Due to circumstances beyond the organizers’ control, in case of proven necessity, or if the minimum number of 3 submissions is not reached, the organizers reserve the right to cancel the competition.
Article 7 – The organizers decline all responsibility for damage to persons or things occurred during the course of the competition.
Article 8 – Authors will not be able to lay claim to any audio and/or video recordings shot during the Prize Ceremony. All authors will be invited to sign a document authorizing the use of texts and pictures, that will become visible on the website of Centro Studi in the section dedicated to the competition.
Article 9 – Accommodation and meal expenses of the winner will be covered by Centro Studi Santa Giacinta Marescotti; travel expenses and guests’ expenses will not be covered. Guests will be offered a discounted accommodation package by the competition organizers.
Article 10 – As per article 10 of Italian law n. 675/96 regarding “personal data protection”, competitors are hereby informed that the data submitted at the time of registration are solely used for the purposes of this competition, with any other use being excluded.
Article 11 – Registration to the competition implies unreserved acceptance of these Conditions.
For more informations about Centro Studi and Associação Ruspoli, please visit our websites at www.centrostudisgm.com and www.associacaoruspoli.com
1 See URSULA KIRKENDALE, The Ruspoli Documents on Handel and Handel with Ruspoli: New Documents from the Archivio Segreto Vaticano, 1706-1708, in Music and Meaning, Olschki, Florence 2007, pp. 287-349 and 361-415, or ID., Georg Freidrich Händel, Francesco Maria Ruspoli e Roma, translated by Giorgio Monari and revised by Warren Kirkendale, LIM, Lucca 2017.
2 See Art. 4.2.2.