17th International Choral Festival Flanders-Genk 2024 

COMPETITION

​​

I. General

1. The festival will take place from Friday 4 October to Sunday 6 October 2024 in the cultural center of the city of Genk, C-mine.

2. The festival includes the following mandatory parts:

   • a competition performance on Saturday;

   • a performance at C-mine on Saturday night;

   • a performance of +/- 30 minutes on Sunday afternoon;

   • participation in the community singing of the festival song on Sunday afternoon;

   • the award ceremony on Sunday evening with performance by the laureates.

3. There are two categories:

   1. mixed choirs of 16-36 members;

   2. like-voiced choirs of 16-36 members.

4. A choir can register in 2 categories.

5. The singers must be at least 15 years old.
    

II. Registration

1. The registration fee is 400 euros per choir and per category.

2. The choirs that register in two categories are treated as separate choirs.

3. Registrations must arrive at the secretariat at the secretariat before 15 March 2024. Registration is done exclusively via the registration form on the website: www.ikv-genk.be .

4. Additional information and documents are always sent to the festival secretariat:

   • Postal address: IKV-Genk c/o Christiane Janssens, Oude Hoevestraat 51, 3600 Genk;

   • e-mail: info@ikv-genk.be.

5. Tenders will only be accepted if all required documents and documents have been submitted in a timely and complete manner:

   • Registration form: the name of the choir is stated in their own language and in English via the website www.ikv-genk.be ;

   • Curriculum vitae of the choir (in English and/or Dutch, approx. 150 words in continuous text) with recent photo(s) in digital format jpeg or tiff format (minimum 300 dpi);

   • Curriculum vitae of the choir director (in English and/or Dutch, approx. 150 words, via website) with recent photo(s) in digital format jpeg or tiff format (minimum 300 dpi);

   • One copy of all choral works of the competition program. All scores must indicate the composer's surname, first name, date of birth and, if applicable, date of death in Roman script;

   • Short summary of each choral work for the competition program (in English and/or Dutch). Titles must be in the original language and in English;

   • A high-quality sound recording, maximum two years old, with at least three a cappella choral works.
      

III. Selection

1. The selection of registered choirs is based on the submitted documentation (scores, curriculum vitae and a recent sound recording.

2. Choirs will be notified no later than 1 April 2024 whether they have been selected or not. Registration will only become final after receipt of the entry fee, which must reach the organisation by 30 April 2024 at the latest. When a selected choir declines to participate, it loses its registration fee.

3. After payment of the registration fee, the selected choirs receive the required work.
    

IV. Program

1. Competition:

   • For the competition on Saturday, each choir presents itself with a program from different style periods with a duration of 22 – 25 minutes, including:

     • A work composed before 1900;

     • A work from our own country, composed after 1970;

     • The obligatory work (new composition of approx. 3'30 - 4'00) by a Flemish composer;

     • A folksong (unison)  of the choir's native country (a cappella);

     • Some works of your choice, a cappella or with piano and/or non-melodic percussion accompaniment.

   1. The choirs are free to determine the order of their competition program. The final order must be communicated to the secretariat before June 30, 2024 at the latest and cannot be changed afterwards.

   2. The solo parts should be limited.

2. Concerts:

For the concerts on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, the choirs provide a program of 25 to 30 minutes with lighter music accessible to a wide audience. In that context, a folkloric character and/or traditional costume will always be highly appreciated.

   3. Festival song:

The score of the festival song will be handed over along with the compulsory work.

   4. Proclamation:

The announcement of the results will take place at C-mine on Sunday evening. The laureates will give a short performance during this proclamation.

 

V. Jury

1. The international jury consists of 5 members.

2. The jury secretariat is provided by the VZW "International Choir Festival Vlaanderen-Genk".

3. All participating choirs receive – in addition to their percentage result – a written assessment from each jury member.

4. The jury's verdict is indisputable.
    

VI. Prizes

1. The prizes per category:

   • mixed choirs:

     • first prize: 1,500 euros

     • second prize: 1,250 euros

   • like-voiced choirs:

     • first prize: 1,500 euros

     • second prize: 1,250 euros

2. Special prizes:

   • Prize for the best performance of the compulsory work in each category: 500 euros

   • Prize for the best performance of the unison national anthem: 500 euros

3. Prize for the best developed and innovative program: 500 eurosPrize for the highest rated choir of the competition: a work of art, donated by the city of GENK. 

 

VII. miscellaneous

1. The performers cannot claim compensation for recordings and/or broadcasts by radio or television, or when making CDs.

2. The choirs themselves must comply with copyright law. Each choir is responsible for its own scores. The Flanders-Genk International Choir Festival does not bear any responsibility for this.

3. The organizers are not responsible for any accidents, theft, etc

4. Participating choirs agree that all images sent and made during the festival can be used by the organization for PR purposes.
    

Practical information

1. The choirs are welcome in C-mine from Friday,  04 October, 2024.

   • Address: C-Mine 10/1, Evence Coppeelaan 91, 3600 Genk, Belgium;

   • GPS coordinates: Evence Coppélaan 91, B-3600 Genk, Belgium

2. The participating choir members and a maximum of 3 accompanists and 2 drivers can choose their accommodation:

   • in host families, if available, at EUR 30 per person for the entire duration of the choir festival;

   • in a youth hostel, guest house or hotel at your own expense;

   • In the event of an earlier arrival and/or a longer stay, the accommodation costs will be borne by the registered choir.

1. A permanent accompanist is provided for each choir.

2. The choirs are responsible for the organization and costs of the outward and return journey to and from Genk.

3. A certificate of participation can be requested from the festival secretariat.

4. Each choir will provide its complete and final list of participants before September 1st, 2024. This list includes name, first name and date of birth.

5. When registering in C-mine, the choir provides 5 folders to the festival secretariat. Each folder contains one copy of all competition scores in the order they are sung at the competition. The name of the choir and the city of origin are clearly stated on the map.

6. All folders can be picked up at the secretariat after the competition.