REGULATION

CASCAIS OPERA – INTERNATIONAL VOCAL COMPETITION – 2025

1. GENERAL CONDITIONS

1.1. The Associação CIVOC – Concurso Internacional Ópera Cascais (“CIVOC”), an

association based in Portugal at Passeio do Báltico, no 43-2E, 1990-036 Lisboa,
legal person no. 517761637, within the scope of its statutes, promotes and
organizes (“Organization”) the Cascais Opera - International Vocal Competition
2025, in accordance with the following regulations.

1.2. The 2025 “Cascais Opera - International Vocal Competition” (“Competition”) will
take place in Cascais and Lisbon, PORTUGAL, between 23 April and 4 May 2025.

1.3. The 2nd edition of the Competition, which takes place in 2025, has one category:
Opera.

1.4. The Competition is open to opera singers of all nationalities who:

a. are not younger than 18 years old on the date of the beginning of the
competition (23 April 2025)
b. are 32 years old, or younger on the day of the final — born on 5 May 1992 or
later;
c. have completed their professional education or are in their final year and aim
for a professional career or have an equivalent level of training.

1.5. Singers who in the previous edition of the Competition (2024) were awarded the
“Grand Prix - ÉGIDE”, the “1st Prize for best female voice or countertenor ‘Teresa
Berganza’” or “1st Prize for best male voice ‘Maurício Bensaude’” are not allowed to
participate in this year’s competition (2025). All other former contestants are
allowed to apply again in this edition (2025).

1.6. All decisions of the Jury shall be final, and no correspondence will be entered into
regarding its decisions.

1.7. Contestants selected to the Live Phase of the competition, will be informed from
1st to the 10th of February 2025.

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1.8. Some contestants may be put on a Waiting List, subject to the decision of the
Jury. These contestants will be informed of the Waiting List on the 10th February.

1.9. Waiting List:

a. The inclusion in the waiting list is always subject to the discretion of the Jury;
b. Contestants on the waiting list may be invited to the Live Phase until the 10th of
March 2025, which is subject to the decision of the Jury and dependent on
availability;
c. Contestants from the Waiting List invited to the Live Phase must confirm their
availability until the 24th of March 2025.

1.10. Timetable:

1 Oct 2024 - 15 Dec 2024 Applications open

15 Dec 2024 (23:59 GMT) Applications close

16 Dec 2024 - 31 Jan 2025 Selection of Contestants

Between 1 - 10 Feb 2025 Announcement of Selected Contestants for Live Phase

and Contestants in Waiting List

10 March 2025 1.Deadline for confirmation of participation in Live Phase,

and all other details for the Live Phase such as repertoire,
bringing of own pianist, etc.

2. If availability of places, invitation of Waiting List

Contestants to the Live Phase.

24 March Deadline for confirmation of participation in Live Phase of

the Invited Contestants in Waiting List, and all other
details for the Live Phase such as repertoire, bringing of
own pianist, etc.

23 April - 4 May 2025 Live Competition: in Cascais and Lisbon, Portugal

23 April Opening Ceremony
24-25 April First Round
26 April Masterclasses
27-28 April Semi-Finals
29 April Masterclass and Rehearsals for Semi-Finalist Concert

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30 April Rehearsals for Final and Semi-Finalist Concert
1 May Nature Day
2-3 May Rehearsals with piano and orchestra
4 May Final at Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

More details of the Program during the Live Phase at cascaisopera.com

1.11. The official languages during the Competition are English and Portuguese.

1.12. The live performances of the Cascais Opera – International Vocal Competition are
open to the public: free entrance for First Round and Semi-Finals, the Final will be
ticketed.

1.13. Rehearsals for the Final are closed to the public. Other related events of the
Competition may be ticketed.

1.14. All videos and photos given by the organization to the contestants, during or after
the Competition, when and if used by the contestants must always mention
Cascais Opera, and whenever possible the homepage (cascaisopera.com) and
social media identification (@cascaisopera).

1.15. The contestants should mention Cascais Opera in any and all communications (on
social media, interviews and similar) about contracts and work opportunities
received directly or indirectly due to their participation in Cascais Opera 2025

1.16. The order of performance in the Live Round will be determined by the order of
application. Changes may be made, depending on the discretion of the
Organization.

2. APPLICATIONS

2.1. Applications can only be made via the online portal on the competition’s website
cascaisopera.com, through Muvac. The application is only definitive after the
Contestants have paid the application fee and submi ed all required information
and documentation correctly.

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2.2. Information and Documentation necessary:
a. Filled in the application form.
b. CV (maximum 1 page) either as a pdf or on Muvac CV format
c. Colour Headshot (high resolution)
d. Youtube links to videos of two (2) arias, where:
d.1) One of the arias must be either by W. A. Mozart, G. F. Händel or J. S. Bach and
may be either from an Opera, Oratorio or Cantata.
d.2) One of the two arias must be from an Opera.
d.3) The two arias must be sung in the original languages and in the original key.
d.4) The two arias must be in different languages and by different composers.
d.5) The videos should not be older than 1 year at the start of this application -
they should have been recorded after 1st October 2023.
d.6) The videos must be recorded in one single take and the sound should not be
edited.
d.7) The videos must show the Applicant’s face while singing.
d.8) The videos may be recorded professionally or simply with a phone.
d.9) The videos must indicate the repertoire that is sung: Composer, Work and
Aria Title. This can either be embedded in the video or added to the
description.

2.3. Application fee

a. Payment and inscription details and deadlines are announced on the Cascais
Opera website.
b. Application fee: 60 Euros (not refundable) payable via our website at the
moment of the application submission.
c. Accepted payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express.

2.4. Participation fee - if selected for the Live Phase. This applies to candidates invited
for the Live Phase and to Candidates in the Waiting List subsequently invited to the
Live Phase.
a. Payment and inscription details and deadlines are announced on the Cascais
Opera website.
b. Participation fee: 50 Euros (not refundable) payable at the moment of
confirmation of participation via website or bank transfer.
c. Accepted payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and bank
transfer.

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3. THE JURY

3.1. The members of the Jury of the 2025 Competition are:

a. Sergei Leiferkus - President of the Jury

b. Anna Samuil - Soprano at Berliner Staastoper, Professor at Hochshule für
Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin
c. Eline de Kat - Artistic Coordinator at Opera de Monte Carlo
d. Ivan van Kalmthout - Senior Opera Executive
e. Jennifer Larmore - Mezzo-Soprano, Professor at the Music College of Seoul
National University
f. Juliane Banse - Soprano and Artistic Director at Festival Internacional de Música
de Marvão
g. Pål Christian Moe - Casting Consultant at the Glyndebourne Festival
h. Artistic Direction of São Carlos National Theatre

3.2. Active contestants shall not communicate with Jury members during the
Competition, nor shall any other person communicate with the Jury members on
behalf of any contestant. Failure to abide by this rule may result in disqualification,
decided by the Organization.

3.3. Each contestant not selected to go through to the subsequent round, may have a
consultation with one or multiple members of the Jury to receive feedback. The
Finalists will have the opportunity of receiving feedback from members of the jury
on 5th May 2025 (day after the Final). More details regarding feedback sessions will
be announced.

3.4. The Jury has the right not to grant any prize or award.

4. REPERTOIRE FOR LIVE PHASE

4.1. The arias must be performed in the original language and original key.

4.2. The arias must be sung from memory and in the sequence specified by the
contestant beforehand (see timetable).

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4.3. Repertoire for the First Round:
a. Two (2) arias, with a total maximum duration of 10 minutes.
b. One of the arias must be by W. A. Mozart, G. F. Händel or J. S. Bach. It may be from
an Opera, Oratorio or Cantata. It is allowed to repeat the arias sent as a video link
for the Application.
c. The two arias for the First Round must be in different languages.

4.4. Repertoire for the Semifinal:

a. Three opera arias, with a total maximum duration of 15 minutes.
b. The three arias must be different from the ones chosen for the First Round. It is
allowed to repeat one or more arias sent as a video for the Application if they
have not been sung in the First Round.
c. The three arias for the Semifinal must be in three different languages.

4.5. Repertoire for the Final:

a. The contestant must choose four (4) opera arias from the repertoire list made
available by the Competition (see addendum to this document).
b. The four (4) arias proposed by the contestants may have been sung in previous
phases (Selection Round (online), First Round or Semifinal), but must be part and
included on the A ached list.
c. The Jury will choose two (2) of the four (4) proposed arias for the contestant,
to sing in the Final with the orchestra.
d. Finalists will be informed of the repertoire selected for them at the
announcement of the Finalists.

4.6. Contestants are allowed to present minor changes to their repertoire and
programmes for the competition until Monday 10 March 2025 (23:59 GMT). After
this date no requests for changes will be accepted.

4.7. Contestants selected for the Live Phase from the Waiting List are allowed to
present minor changes to their repertoire and programmes for the competition
until Monday 24 March 2025 (23:59 GMT). After this date no requests for changes
will be accepted.

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5. PRIZES AND AWARDS

5.1. The Competition will award the following prizes:

a. Grand-Prix Égide - 10,000 Euros and a contract for a presentation with São Carlos
National Theater
b. 1st Prize Female Voice ‘Tereza Berganza’ - 7,500 Euros
c. 1st Prize Male Voice ‘Maurício Bensaude’ - 7,500 Euros
d. 2nd Prize - 5,000 Euros
e. 3rd Prize - 3,500 Euros
f. Best Singer under 25 Award – 2,500 Euros
g. RTP Audience Prize - 1,500 Euros
h. Stage Skills Award - 1,500 Euros and contract for a presentation at Serbian
National Theatre – Novi Sad
i. Finalist Award - 1,000 Euros. This prize will be awarded to each finalist who has
not been awarded any monetary prizes.
j. Contract for a presentation at Serbian National Theatre – Novi Sad
k. Contract with the Festival Internacional de Música de Marvão – 2026
l. Contract with the Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras
m. Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra “Filipe de Sousa”

5.2. The “Best Singer under 25 Award”, “RTP Audience Prize” and “Stage Skills Award” are
cumulative amongst themselves and to the other prizes (with exception of the
Finalist Award). Contracts are cumulative to all prizes.

5.3. Cascais Opera – International Vocal Competition can add extra prizes and contracts
to the Competition, of which prior notice will be given to all interested contestants.

6. FACILITIES

6.1. The Competition will supply the following:

a. Flights for Finalists: Reimbursement up to 300 Euros (based upon the receipt of
travel expenses) for international travel expenses for those contestants who are
admi ed to the Final.

b. Hotel for Finalists: Guaranteed accommodation in Lisbon for those contestants

who are admi ed to the Final only (2 May to 5 May 2025 - 3 nights).

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 c. Hotel for Semifinalists: Semifinalists that are staying and participating in the
Semi-Finalist concert on the 30th April 2025 will receive a reimbursement up to
200 Euros (based upon receipt) of accommodation costs from 29th April to 1st
May (2 nights).

6.2. The Competition will provide pianists to accompany all the contestants selected
for the Live Phase. If the contestants wish, they can bring their own pianists at
their own expense (deadlines apply, see above).

6.3. Rehearsal and Warm-up rooms: all rehearsal time will be divided equally amongst
participants.
a) Rehearsal rooms for solo rehearsal will be made available for limited periods of
time.
b) Every contestant will have an equal amount of time to rehearse with the
pianists.
c) An individual warm-up room will be made available at least 15 minutes (for the
1st Round) and at least 20 minutes (for the Semifinal) before the performances
in the competition. More time will be given for the Finalists before the Final.

6.4. All contestants admi ed and present on the Live Phase, who stay in Lisbon until
the Final on May 4th, and the Finalists, will receive 2 free tickets for the Final.

6.5. The Competition will host Masterclasses held by members of the Jury and invited
professionals of the music and opera world. All contestants are allowed to actively
participate free of charge in all the Masterclasses. Terms and conditions for the
participation in Masterclasses will be made available closer to the start of the
competition.

7. LIABILITY

7.1. The obtaining of appropriate travel documents, visas and insurance is the sole
responsibility of each contestant.

7.2. “CIVOC” accepts no liability of any kind whatsoever for any personal illness or injury
sustained by the contestant, nor for loss or damage to a contestant's belongings
during transit or while at the Competition.

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7.3. Medical costs, of whatever nature, will not be reimbursed by “CIVOC”. Doctors will
be on call for the duration of the Competition in case of any medical emergency.

8. JUDICIAL

8.1. By submi ing the application form through the website, applicants state their
agreement:
a) with all articles and rules in the present regulation
b) with all ensuing engagements as part of any prize
c) that all concert and recording engagements obtained by the “CIVOC” regarding
the Competition or its designates as part of the prizes will not be subject to
any fee payable to the prize-winner's current or future artist management
d) that the Competition is authorized to record, videotape, film, broadcast or
photograph any Competition concerts or events for any purpose, without
payment of any fee.

8.2. All rights, including copyright in such media shall vest in and be owned by “CIVOC”
in perpetuity.

8.3. Photographs or video recordings cannot be made by any other parties without
prior wri en permission of “CIVOC”.

8.4. All rights reserved.

9. PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION

9.1. In the context of the Competition, “CIVOC” ("Organization") may collect personal
data from participants as necessary for the proper administration and conduct of
the competition.

9.2. The types of personal data collected may include, but are not limited to: name,
address, phone number, email address, identification information, musical
background, image, video and audio recordings, and other information relevant to
participation in the competition.

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9.3. The collection and processing of personal data is primarily for the administration of
the Competition, evaluation of entries, communication with participants,
notification of winners, and distribution of prizes, if applicable. It may also be used
for advertising and marketing of the Competition to the general public.

9.4. By entering the competition, participants agree to the collection and processing of
their personal data for the purposes referred above, under the terms of the
Competition’s Privacy Policy.

9.5. The Organization is commi ed to protecting the personal data collected against
unauthorized access, misuse, or unauthorized disclosure of participants’ personal
data and will take the necessary technical and organizational measures to ensure
its security and confidentiality.

9.6. The Organization will not share participants' personal data with third parties,
except when required by law or when necessary for the administration of the
competition.

9.7. Participants have the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of

processing, data portability, objection, the right not to be subject to a decision
based solely on automated processing, as well as the right to withdraw their
consent and the right to file complaints related to data protection with the
relevant authorities.

9.8. Complete information about the types of data collected, its recipients, what it is
used for, on what grounds, and what rights participants have over it, is available in
the Competition’s Privacy Policy, at h ps://cascaisopera.com/privacy-policy/.

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 Addendum
Regulation of Cascais Opera - International Vocal Competition 2025

List of full operas available to choose from for the proposed repertoire for the Final:

BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van Fidelio

BIZET, Georges Carmen
DONIZETTI, Gaetano Don Pasquale
LEONCAVALLO, Ruggero I Pagliacci
MASCAGNI, Pietro Cavalleria Rusticana
MASSENET, Jules Werther
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus Così fan tu e
Don Giovanni
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Le Nozze di Figaro
Die Zauberflöte
PUCCINI, Giacomo La Bohème
Madama Bu erfly
Tosca
STRAUSS, Johann Die Fledermaus
TCHAIKOVSKI, Piotr Eugene Onegin
VERDI, Giuseppe Aida
Falstaff
La forza del destino
Macbeth
Rigole o
La Traviata
Il Trovatore
WAGNER, Richard Der fliegende Holländer
Gö erdämmerung

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WAGNER, Richard Lohengrin
Rheingold
Siegfried
Tannhäuser
Tristan und Isolde

List of additional individual arias available to choose from for the proposed repertoire
for the Final:

BELLINI, Vincenzo La Sonnambula Ah non credea mirarti… Ah! non giunge

DONIZETTI, Gaetano L’elisir d’amore Prendi, per me sei libero
La fille du régiment Chacun le sait, chacun le dit
GLUCK, Christoph Willibald Orfeo ed Euridice Ahimè! Che faro senza Euridice
GOUNOD, Charles Faust Avant de qui er ces lieux
Romeo et Julie e Je veux vivre
Romeo et Julie e Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle
PUCCINI, Giacomo Manon Lescaut Sola, perduta, abbandonata
La Rondine Chi il bel sogno di Dore a
ROSSINI, Gioachino Il barbiere di Siviglia La calunnia è un venticello
Il barbiere di Siviglia Largo al factotum della ci a
Il barbiere di Siviglia Una voce poco fa
La Cenerentola Cavatina di Dandini - Come un‘ape nei
giorni d’Aprile
La Cenerentola Nacqui all’affanno e al pianto...Non più
mesta accanto
La Cenerentola Miei rampolli femminini
SAINT-SAËNS, Camille Samson et Dalila Amour! Viens aider ma faiblesse!
VERDI, Giuseppe Un ballo in maschera Eri tu che macchiavi
Don Carlo O Carlo, ascolta
Nabucco Ben io t’invenni

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