Overview

Conditions

Qualifying Round – Worldwide

• Admission: Singers (female/male/diverse) of all nationalities are invited to enter the competition.
• Age Limits: Singers, born between 1993 and 2007.
• Rounds of the competition: The competition is divided into a qualifying round and three final rounds (subdivided into “1^st Round”, “Semi-finals” and “Finals”).
• Registration: The registration has to be addressed no later than the deadline for the respective venue of qualification (see Locations & Dates). The number of participants is limited: we recommend early and complete registration. The time slots for the auditions will be emailed to the candidates after the registration deadline. For application deadlines, the Central European Time (CET) applies. Participation in the qualifying rounds without registration is not possible.
  These General Standard Terms and Conditions have been acknowledged and approved by the candidate by completion of online registration.
• Arias: For the qualifying rounds candidates have to prepare two opera arias of their choice, to be sung from memory in the original key and original language. The jury will listen to one or both arias.
• Registration Fee: A registration fee of € 59.00 (incl. bank and/or credit card charges and VAT) for the qualifying round has to be paid after online registration. Available method of payment: PayPal. Singers from certain countries are exempted from the fee, see Fee Exemption
• Withdrawal of participation: Please find all information at the end of this document.
• Data exchange for jurors and observers in the Qualifying Rounds: Candidates agree that their data (Name, Voice Type, Nationality, Birthday, Languages, Arias, Education, Engagements, Studied Parts) will be made available to judges and professional observers in the qualifying rounds. Please find information to Data exchange and protection under General Conditions on this page.
• Registration confirmation: The registration will only be valid when the Competition Management has confirmed by e-mail that it has accepted the candidate.
• Singers’ Login: After the registration candidates will get a personal access to the online database (Singers’ Login) to change e.g. their arias or the venue of qualification and their contacts.
• Pianist: There will be an official accompanist, but you are free to bring a coach of your choice at your own expense. Exceptions:
  Theaters where you have to bring your own pianist

  • Gdansk: Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanislawa Moniuszki
  • Kassel: Staatstheater Kassel
  • Kraków: Akademia Muzyczna
  • Melbourne: Studio 1
  • Pretoria: Musaion - School of the Arts, University of Pretoria
  • Sofia: Austrian Embassy - Österreichische Botschaft
  • Stockholm: Royal Swedish Opera
  • Tokyo: Studio B-Tech Japan
  • Toronto: Canadian Opera Company Theatre
  • Udine: Teatro della Fondazione Luigi Bon
  • Vancouver: University of British Columbia
  • Warsaw: Österreichisches Kulturforum
  • Zagreb: Academy of Music - Musicka akademija Sveuciliste Stančić Hall
  • Budapest: Österreichisches Kulturforum - Osztrák kulturális fórum
  • Cape Town: Artscape
  • Cape Town: The Baxter Concert Hall
  • Bern: Bühnen Bern
  • Seattle: Opera Seattle
  • Montreal: University of Montreal - Faculty of Music
  • Novi Sad: Serbian National Theatre
  • Shanghai: School of Music, East China Normal University
• Warm-up: Please warm-up before you come to the audition venues.
• Results of the qualifying round: All singers who have participated in the qualifying rounds will be notified within 5 days of the audition if they have been accepted to take part in the competition in Bern, Switzerland.
• After qualifying rounds: To take part in the final rounds in Bern, applicants must have been selected at one of the qualifying rounds in 2025. Candidates can only take part in one of the qualifying rounds in 2025.

Final Rounds

• Admission: Only singers who have been selected in one of the qualifying rounds are entitled to take part in the final rounds.
• Finals Fee: The fee for singers participating in the 1^st Round of the final rounds is € 179.00 (incl. bank and/or credit card charges and VAT). The participation in the Semi-finals and Finals is free of charge. The fee for the 1^st Round has to be paid through the competition website before participation. Available methods of payment: PayPal, to be paid until the Singers Login closes on June 2, 2025, Central European Time (CET). Singers from certain countries are exempted from the fee, see Fee Exemption
• Withdrawal of participation and refund of final fees: Please find all information at the end of this document.
• Data exchange for jurors and observers in the Final Rounds: Candidates agree that their data (Name, Voice Type, Nationality, Birthday, Languages, Arias, Education, Engagements, Studied Parts) will be made available to judges and professional observers in the final rounds and the finals concert. Please find information to Data exchange and protection under General Conditions on this page.
• Arias: Each singer must prepare five opera arias in the original key and original language to be sung from memory. These arias must include: Two compulsory opera arias and three opera arias of the singer’s own choice (these may be taken from the list of compulsory arias as well).
  Compulsory Arias:
  Soprano

  • Bizet: Carmen: C’est des contrebandiers le refuge ordinaire/ Je dis
  • Charpentier: Louise: Depuis le jour
  • Donizetti: Don Pasquale: Quel guardo il cavaliere (without recitative)
  • Donizetti: L´élisir d`Amore: Prendi, per me sei libero
  • Dvořák: Rusalka: Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém
  • Gounod: Faust: O Dieu! Que de bijoux! Ah! Je ris de me voir
  • Gounod: Roméo et Juliette: Ah! Je veux vivre
  • Mozart: Così fan tutte: Temerari/Come scoglio
  • Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail: Ach, ich liebte
  • Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail: Durch Zärtlichkeit
  • Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail: Martern aller Arten
  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte: Ach, ich fühl’s
  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte: Der Hölle Rache
  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte: O zittre nicht
  • Mozart: Don Giovanni: Batti, batti, o bel Masetto
  • Mozart: Don Giovanni: Crudele/Non mi dir
  • Mozart: Don Giovanni: In quali eccessi/Mi tradì quell’alma ingrata (S)
  • Mozart: Don Giovanni: Or sai chi l’onore
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: E Susanna non vien/Dove sono
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Giunse alfin il momento/Deh vieni, non tardar
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Porgi amor
  • Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber v. Windsor: Nun eilt herbei
  • Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann: Elle a fui la tourterelle
  • Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann: Les oiseaux dans la charmille
  • Puccini: La Bohème: Addio senza rancor
  • Puccini: La Bohème: Quando m’en vò
  • Puccini: La Bohème: Si, mi chiamano Mimi
  • Puccini: Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo
  • Puccini: Tosca: Vissi d´arte...
  • Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Una voce poco fà (F-Dur/F-major))
  • Verdi: Ernani: Ernani, involami
  • Verdi: Falstaff: Sul fil d’un soffio etesio
  • Verdi: Il Trovatore: Tacea la notte (with usual cut)
  • Verdi: La Forza del Destino: Pace, pace
  • Verdi: La Traviata: È strano
  • Verdi: Rigoletto: Caro nome
  • Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera: Morrò
  • Wagner: Tannhäuser: Dich, teure Halle
  • Weber: Der Freischütz: Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen
  • Weber: Der Freischütz: Und ob die Wolke sie verhülle
  Mezzo-Soprano / Alt

  • Bizet: Carmen: En vain pour éviter les réponses amères
  • Bizet: Carmen: Habanera (L’amour est un oiseau rebelle)
  • Bizet: Carmen: Seguidilla (Près des remparts de Seville)
  • Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice: Che farò senz’Euridice (without rezitativo) (M/A)
  • Händel: Rinaldo: Cara sposa (D minor) (M/A)
  • Mozart: Così fan tutte: Ah, scostati/Smanie implacabili
  • Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito: Parto, parto (M/A)
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Non sò più
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Voi che sapete
  • Purcell: Dido and Aeneas: When I am laid in earth
  • Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Una voce poco fà (E-Dur/E-major)
  • Rossini: L’Italiana in Algeri: Cruda sorte
  • Tschaikowsky: Evgenij Onjegin: Ja ne sposobna k grusti tomnoi
  • Verdi: Don Carlo: O don fatale
  • Verdi: Il Trovatore: Condotta ell’era in ceppi
  Tenor

  • Bizet: Carmen: La fleur que tu m’avais jetée
  • Donizetti: Don Pasquale: Com´è gentil
  • Donizetti: Don Pasquale: Povero Ernesto/Cercherò lontana terra
  • Donizetti: L’Elisir d’Amore: Una furtiva lagrima
  • Gounod: Faust: Salut, demeure chaste et pure
  • Mozart: Così fan tutte: Un’aura amorosa
  • Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail: Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke
  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön
  • Mozart: Don Giovanni: Dalla sua pace
  • Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber v. Windsor: Horch, die Lerche singt im Hain
  • Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann: Il était une fois à la cour d’Eisenach
  • Puccini: La Bohème: Che gelida manina
  • Puccini: Tosca: Recondita armonia
  • Puccini: Turandot: Nessun dorma
  • Rossini: L’Italiana in Algeri: Languir per una bella
  • Tschaikowsky: Evgenij Onjegin: Kuda, kuda vi udaljilis
  • Verdi: La Traviata: Lunge da lei
  • Verdi: Rigoletto: Ella mi fu rapita
  • Verdi: Rigoletto: La donna è mobile
  • Weber: Der Freischütz: Nein, länger trag’ ich nicht die Qualen ... Durch di Wälder, durch die Auen
  Baritone / Bass

  • Bizet: Carmen: Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre
  • Donizetti: Don Pasquale: Bella siccome un angelo
  • Giordano: Andrea Chénier: Nemico della patria
  • Gounod: Faust: Avant de quitter ces lieux
  • Gounod: Faust: Vous qui faites l’endormie
  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte: Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte: Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte: In diesen heil´gen Hallen
  • Mozart: Don Giovanni: Fin ch´han del vino
  • Mozart: Don Giovanni: Madamina, il catalogo
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Hai già vinta la causa/Vedrò mentr’io sospiro
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: La vendetta, o, la vendetta
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Non più andrai
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Se vuol ballare
  • Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Tutto è disposto/Aprite un po’quegl’occhi
  • Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia: La calunnia (in c major)
  • Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Largo al Factotum
  • Tschaikowsky: Evgenij Onjegin: Ljubvi vse vozrasti pokorni
  • Tschaikowsky: Pique Dame: Ja vas ljublju
  • Verdi: Don Carlo: Oh Carlo ascolta/Io morrò
  • Verdi: Don Carlo: Per me giunto è il dì supremo
  • Verdi: Don Carlo: Per me giunto è il dì supremo...O Carlo ascolta...Io morrò
  • Verdi: Don Carlos (Don Carlo): Ella giammai m'amò (Elle ne m'aime pas)
  • Verdi: Macbeth: Come dal ciel precipita
  • Verdi: Simon Boccanegra: Il lacerato spirito
  • Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera: Alzati, là tuo figlio
  • Wagner: Tannhäuser: Wie Todesahnung / Oh, du mein holder Abendstern
  • Weber: Der Freischütz: Schweig, damit dich niemand warnt
  Countertenor

  • Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice: Che farò senz’Euridice (without rezitativo) (CT)
  • Händel: Ariodante: Dopo notte (CT)
  • Händel: Giulio Cesare: Svegliatevi nel core
  • Händel: Giulio Cesare: Va tacito e nascosto
  • Händel: Rinaldo: Cara sposa (D minor) (CT)
  • Händel: Serse: Frondi tenere - Ombra mai fu
  • Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito: Parto, parto (CT)
• Singers’ Login: The five arias are to be indicated after the qualifying round in Singers’ Login until at the latest June 02, 2025, Central European Time (CET). Until June 02, 2025 participants can always change the arias in their accounts.
• Pianist: There will be an official accompanist, but you are free to bring a coach of your choice at your own expense.
• Piano reduction (Klavierauszug): Please bring your piano reduction with you for the pianist, since there will be no material provided.
• Pitch of the piano: The pitch of the piano is 440-443 Hz.
• Warm-up: Please warm-up before you come to the audition venues.
• Dress code: We recommend: For the final rounds, be dressed with respect to the audience. For the finals, ladies: evening dress and gentlemen: suit/tuxedo/tailcoat.
• Accommodations: For reasonably priced accommodation in Bern, we recommend checking online providers such as Booking, Airbnb, hostelworld, booking.apartmenthouse.ch or the Bern Youth Hostel – you may also want to check the Zurich Youth Hostel.
  An opportunity unfortunately not possible for every participant: Bernese citizens provide free accommodation to participants of the final rounds. These accommodations are primarily available to finalists from countries where no fees apply. Selection will take place continuously from mid/end of February 2025 among singers who qualify for the finals, depending on the availability of accommodations. Singers from the relevant countries do not need to apply for these free private accommodations, as the selection is made by lottery/random draw, and they will be contacted by us. This is a voluntary offer from which neither claims nor liabilities arise on the part of the hosts and organizers, even in the event that an already given promise for free accommodation is withdrawn for whatever reason.
• Jury: The jury reserves the right to refrain from awarding a prize altogether or to divide a prize. The decision of the jury is final and incontestable. The General Management cannot guarantee that all rounds of the competition will be held in front of the complete and entire jury. The jury reserves the right to listen to excerpts of the presented arias only.
• Schedule of the final rounds and the finals - choice of the five arias:
  Singers´ Enrolment on 14 June 2025 at 11am to 2pm
  Enrolment Address: Bühnen Bern, Kornhauspl. 20, 3011 Bern, Switzerland.
  It´s necessary for candidates of the Final Rounds to be present at the Singers´ Enrolment on 14 June 2025. Alternatively, the singer may be substituted by a representative. The representative must present a passport copy of the singer and choose the rehearsal and audition times for the singer. Participation in the final rounds is not allowed without the successful enrolment.
  Please note that rehearsals and auditions in front of the jury have to be performed in the given order without exception. Rehearsal and audition slots cannot be exchanged.
  Rehearsal address: will be announced in time.
  Audition address: will be announced in time
  1st Rounds
  The aria for the first round is chosen from the five arias by the singer.
  Rehearsals on 15 June for audition on 16 June
  Rehearsals on 16 June for audition on 17 June
  Semi-finals
  The aria for the semi-finals is chosen by the jury. In the semi-finals a second aria may be chosen by the jury. Therefore, please bring the piano scores for all 5 arias to the audition.
  Rehearsals on 17 June for audition on 18 June
  Rehearsals on 18 June for audition on 19 June
  Orchestra rehearsals: will be announced in time.
  Orchestra rehearsal (OHP): will be announced in time.
  Dress rehearsal (GP): will be announced in time.
  Finals on 21 June at 7:30pm (public concert)
  The aria for the finals with orchestra is chosen by the jury. This aria can be an aria already presented in the final rounds or an aria not yet presented in the final rounds. In any case, this aria will be a compulsory aria . If the five arias chosen by the singer include more than two compulsory arias, the jury may also choose one of the other compulsory arias for the finals concert.
• Finals Programme: The programme of the finals will be determined by the opera jury.
• Prize Money: The prizes awarded in terms of money will be paid after the finals concert on 21 June 2025 by bank transfer. The money prizes are gross amounts less the applicable withholding taxes in the host country. Should a main prize (1st, 2nd or 3rd prize) as well as the audience and the media prize be awarded by the jury to more than one singer, the associated prize money will be shared.
• Participation of former winners of main prizes: Winners of the main prizes (1st, 2nd and 3rd prize opera) of all past Belvedere Singing Competitions are excluded from participation.

General

• Pandemic: When planning your travel to the qualifying venues and the final rounds, please take into account any legal entry requirements, in particular possible pandemic regulations. Participants will be informed in time about the possible requirements of the venues.
• VISA: Please note that you perhaps need a VISA for the country of your qualification or the final rounds.
• Journey and accommodation: Please note that you have to organize the journey and accommodation to the qualifications and to the final rounds on your own, and come up for the expenses.
• Fee Exemption: Singers from the following developing countries are exempted from the Registration Fee and Finals Fee:
  List of exempted countries

  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Bangladesh
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • Comoros
  • Congo Dem. Rep.
  • Costa Rica
  • Côte d´Ivoire
  • Cuba
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Fiji
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Ghana
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Korea Dem. Rep. (Korea North)
  • Kosovo
  • Kyrgyz Rep.
  • Laos
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritania
  • Micronesia, Fed.States
  • Moldova
  • Mongolia
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Philippines
  • Rwanda
  • Samoa
  • Sao Tomé and Principe
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Swaziland
  • Syria
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Timor-Leste
  • Togo
  • Tokelau
  • Tonga
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  Conditions for fee exemption will be considered on the registration process. The General Management reserves the right to stop this offer or decide in individual cases.
• Public auditions: The international qualifying rounds may be occasionally available to the public, the final rounds and the finals are in any case with audience.
• Media: The General Management reserves the right to allow radio and television stations to record and broadcast excerpts or all of the competition and the finals. The same applies for film, audio and video (stream) recordings in all known and future media. The participants will receive no remuneration for this.
• Cooperation with sponsor activities: Without sponsors, the organization of the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition is not possible. Therefore we kindly ask our competition participants to stand for any possible marketing activities of our sponsors. Agreements regarding time, payment, activities will be made directly in coordination between the singer and the sponsor.
• Data exchange and protection: Participants agree to the disclosure of their data (name, contact details) to agencies, opera and concert houses, festivals etc. only for professional contact purposes. If participants do not agree with this, they have the right at any time to prohibit the disclosure of their contact details to representatives of the music industry. The data protection guideline of the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition informs about how we treat personal data when you visit and/or use the services of the competition and its website.
• Place of general jurisdiction: The competent Vienna Court assumes jurisdiction over legal disputes. The competition rules are governed by Austrian Law. The English version of the text, published on this official competition website, is exclusively regarded as legally binding.
• Right of withdrawal: Participants of the Belvedere Singing Competition have the right to withdraw from the participation at the qualifying rounds or final rounds within 14 days from the day of payment of fees without giving any reason.To exercise the right of withdrawal, you must inform us (International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, Seidengasse 32/3/52, A-1070 Vienna, Phone: +43-681-110400572, Email: office@belvedere-competition.com) of your decision to withdraw from this contract by an unequivocal statement (e.g. a letter sent by post or e-mail). You may use the model withdrawal form below, but it is not obligatory. To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
• Effects of withdrawal: If you withdraw from the participation, we shall reimburse to you all payments received from you, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from the participation. We will carry out such reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
• Waiting list and withdrawal of participation: If you request explicitly to be put on the waiting list after the registration deadline and are accepted to participate in one of the qualifying rounds rounds during the withdrawal period, you renounce your right of withdrawal.
• Withdrawal form: To: International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, Email: office@belvedere-competition.com: I hereby give notice that I withdraw from my participation in the:
  a) Qualifying Round on _________ in ___________________________ .
  b) 1st Round of the Final Rounds on _________ in Bern, Switzerland
  Name and Singers_ID of the participant ___________________________ / _________ .
  Address of the participant ______________________________________________________.
  Signature of the participant (only if this form is notified on paper), Date _________.
• Conditions´ Update: Vienna, 05.01.2025 / 09.01 & 21.4. Accommodation update /