Welcome to the VIII International Choir Festival Herceg Novi
ICFHN 2023
from October 3rd to 6th 2024
A WEEKEND MADE FOR EVERY CHORISTER
The International Choir Festival ICFHN is held every year at the beginning of October in the beautiful city of Herceg Novi on the coast of the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. From October 3rd to 6 th this year, Herceg Novi will host choirs and ensembles in programs of choral competitions and revue concerts. For visiting choirs, in addition to performances, Herceg Novi offers the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the special ambience of the city and the breeze that mixes the drops of the waves and the freshness of the pine trees. The festival has two parts: competitive and non-competitive. The character and main concept of both parts is the combination of music, rest, socializing and fun. The idea of the Festival is to bring music closer to people and to present music on the streets and squares of Herceg Novi and along the Bay of Kotor.
The festival has an international character.
GENERAL CONDITIONS
All choral ensembles can participate in one part of the Festival: competitive or non-competitive. All choral ensembles can apply to participate in the Festival, regardless of the gender and age of the members. Participating in the non-competitive, revue part, choirs are offered the opportunity to perform informally at various locations in the city, and at the same time meet other choirs, as well as listen to festival concerts. Choirs are free to organize their own tourist activities while at the festival, but please inform the Festival board about this. The festival is very flexible when it comes to planning shows, and we encourage you to emphasize specific needs and requirements regarding your activity schedule.
COMPETITIVE PART – COMPETITION PROPOSALS
The festival is open to children, youth and adult choirs/vocal ensembles.
Categories:
Category A: Children's choirs, up to 16 years of age, with a minimum of 12 members
Category B: Youth choirs, up to 26 years of age, with a minimum of 12 members
Category C: Choirs and vocal ensembles, mixed, male or female, no age limit, with a minimum of 4 members
Category D: All kinds of choirs and vocal ensembles where musicians perform EXCLUSIVELY a unique program of spiritual/folk music:
D1 - Spiritual music - it is mandatory that the program contains exclusively works from the field of spiritual music.
Program duration 15 minutes.
D2 – Folk music – it is mandatory that the program contains exclusively works from the field of folklore music. Program duration 15 minutes.
- The ICFHN organizers reserve the right to, in accordance with the number of registered ensembles, combine categories A and B into one when ranking
- The ICFHN organizers reserve the right to, in accordance with the number of registered ensembles, subsequently add subcategories for categories B and C during the ranking if the number or type of interested ensembles in any of these categories requires it
- It is allowed for 10% of the choir members to be younger or older than stated in the propositions
- For all festival sections except for outdoor performances, the festival will provide an electric piano.
By applying to the Festival, the choir agrees to respect and regulate the legal rights of the authors of the works they perform and gives the Festival the right to use any material recorded during the Festival. Information about the participating choirs is provided by the participants themselves and the Festival assumes no responsibility for their accuracy (choir name, city and country they represent, names of compositions and composers, etc.). The organizing committee has the right to make any necessary logistical changes to the program at the last minute.
THE PROGRAM
Each choir performs 4 compositions of their choice. The program should represent a balanced combination of styles. It is mandatory that the program includes at least three works from different periods, styles and genres: Medieval - Renaissance - Baroque - Romantic - 20th century - Contemporary - Pop - Jazz - Folk - Spiritual. The duration of the performance is between 12 and 15 minutes of pure singing (this means the duration of the performed pieces - without applause, exiting and leaving the stage). Exceeding the time will be reflected in the reduction of the number of points for the performance. In category A, 2 (two) compositions with instrumental accompaniment are allowed, and in other categories – B, C and D, at most one. With a cappella performance, only non-tempered percussion instruments can be used. The organizers of the Festival will provide a digital piano for the performances. All performances are open to the public.
Performances in the competition section will take place in front of highly qualified members of the international Jury appointed by the Artistic Committee of the Festival. The competition will be judged by an international jury composed of three to five members. A grading system is used for evaluation, according to which ensembles can receive a maximum of 100 points.
The following aspects of the performance will be evaluated:
- TECHNICAL QUALITY (intonation, performance)
- VOCAL QUALITY (sound culture, expressiveness, vocal affinity)
- STYLE QUALITY (dramaturgy, expressiveness, performance)
- QUALITY OF THE PROGRAM (choice of repertoire, repertoire complexity)
AWARDS
Based on the level of performance, the jury can award a Gold, Silver or Bronze diploma.
90.00 -100.00 points Gold diploma
80 – 89.9 points Silver diploma
70 – 79.9 points Bronze diploma
50 – 69.9 points Participation diploma
During the awards ceremony, each choral ensemble will be handed a score list with a professional review of that choir's performance.
According to the decision of the expert jury, a special plaque can be awarded to the choir for an outstanding performance of a piece of music from the field of spiritual music or a piece by an old master or a contemporary composition (after 1980), if the choir has at least 95 points.
The jury can also award other special plaques.
The MEETING of the members of the expert jury with the conductors of the choirs will be held after the end of the competition at the Festival, and immediately before the official announcement of the results.
THE NON-COMPETITIVE, REVUE PART:
Choirs can also participate in the revue (non-competitive) part of the Festival. This gives choirs the opportunity to present informal performances at various locations in the city, meet other choirs and attend Festival concerts. The festival is very flexible when it comes to creating a program of revue performances and we invite you to emphasize any specific request regarding your schedule. You choose when, how much and with what kind of program you want to present yourself in the revue program. We will try to fulfill your wishes regarding the schedule of show performances. The choirs that participate in the revue will receive a Certificate of Appreciation for the revue performance at the Festival.
Participation in the non-competitive part of the Festival is possible for all choral ensembles, regardless of the gender and age of the members. The choral ensemble program is free to choose with no restrictions on the instruments that can accompany the choral ensemble. Until the deadline 01/09/2024 the following application documents must be submitted: a) Fully completed application form; from our website; b) A short biography of the choral ensemble in digital form; c) Photograph of the choral ensemble, digital, in a form suitable for reproduction; d) Proof of bank transfer covering the application fee.
In addition to the competition, the Festival offers various activities to the visiting choirs:
- Various informal performances, as part of the popularization segment of choral music
- Performance in one of the city's churches, as part of a festival concert of spiritual music
- Performance of selected choirs at the festival concerts and the Opening Ceremony.
REGISTRATION FOR THE FESTIVAL
Registration for the Festival is possible by filling out the application form on the website www.choirfestivalhn.com
After registration, you will receive a confirmation that you have successfully applied, as well as information about further activities related to your participation in the Festival. If you have a problem with the application or a doubt when filling it out, you can contact us by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Each ensemble submits with the Application::
- Completed application forms, from our website https://www.choirfestivalhn.com
- Short biography of the choral ensemble in digital form;
- Photograph of the choir ensemble, digital, in a form suitable for reproduction;
- Link of audio or video performance (YouTube, Facebook, etc.) of the choral ensemble / CD with the performance of the choir;
Proof of bank transfer covering the application fee/no later than 15/08/2024
THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION IS UNTIL 01/09/2024
Contact phones:
+382/31 200 373; +382 69 699 221 – Nada Karadžić, Festival director
+381 653 350 850 – Jelena Cvetković Crvenica, Artistic director
SELECTION
Choirs are selected based on application materials. Only applications that have complete required documentation will be accepted. Special attention is given to the repertoire and quality of the choir's performance, based on the attached audio or video recordings.
PARTICIPATION
The participation fee for participating in the competition or revue part of the Festival for choirs from Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, BiH, North Macedonia and Slovenia is €150 per ensemble. For choirs from other countries, the participation is €200. The participation covers: administrative costs, accreditation of the choir at the Festival, official badge and the Festival brochure.
The application fee must be paid in full to Passepartout Montenegro DOO Herceg Novi and is due immediately upon registration. All bank charges that may arise are borne by the applicant. If the choral ensemble arbitrarily cancels the performance, it is not entitled to a refund. Bank details for registration in both parts of the Festival are:
Payment instructions:
TRAVEL COSTS
Each choir bears the costs of its trip to Herceg Novi and back.
Choirs bear the costs of their accommodation and food.
Meeting of the conductors with the Festival Organizers
On the first day after arrival, conductors and choir leaders will meet (individually or as a group) with the Festival coordinator to receive all the necessary materials for participation. This meeting also allows the conductors to ask the Organizers any remaining questions regarding the Festival. If the conductor is unable to attend this meeting, please send a group representative.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
All choirs are free to organize their own tourist activities, but please inform the Organizers about this.
* Please note that it is necessary to walk to the locations where the Festival is held. Be prepared for hundreds of stairs through the city!
* Any recording and photography of festival events is allowed.
* The weather in Herceg Novi is mostly sunny and warm at the end of summer, so you can include swimming in your leisure activities.
ORGANIZER: Passepartout Montenegro DOO and Montenegrin Choral Association