Acclaim Awards

· Accommodation provided

· Per diem

As a minimum it will usually include part, or all of the costs associated with private singing lessons in Italy; Italian language classes (in Italy and Australia) and sometimes attendance at part of an Italian Academia program. The time spent in Italy is usually at least 8-10 weeks.

The Acclaim Awards Italian Opera Fellowship is unique; there is no other Opera Prize quite like it offered in Australia. It is highly focused and targeted and will not be appropriate for all young Australian opera singers and consideration for entry into the Acclaim Awards Competition should not be taken lightly. It is a significant opportunity for those who are determined on an international opera career as a bel canto singer with an extremely strong emphasis and focus on Italian opera.

The Acclaim Prize Competition

For an opportunity to win the Acclaim Awards Italian Opera Fellowship , candidates must enter the Masterclass Competition. The Masterclass Competition will be held in Melbourne over two weeks from Monday 24 September to Saturday 6 October. Competitors must attend at least 70% of the teaching components of the Acclaim Masterclasses as well as the final audition.

The Masterclass Competition is open to all young Australian opera singers that meet the following requirements:

· Be an Australian resident;

· Aged between 18 and 32 years old;

· Bel canto singer;

· Have 2 Italian arias prepared. The pieces must be Bel Canto and can be no longer than five minutes long;

· Can provide documentation of musical and vocal training at public or private institutions;

· Commit to attend at least 70% of the teaching components of the Masterclass.

The Acclaim Masterclass teaching and judging is conducted by internationally renowned opera soprano and teacher, Professor Valeria Esposito.

Application Requirements. As the number of participants is limited to just 10 position, registration will not automatically grant a place in the Masterclass Competition and all Competition Applicants will be pre-judged for the most ideal suitability from all Applications received that year.

All Applications must be received by 5.00pm on 20 July 2018. No entries will be considered after this date. Entry forms and all competition information can be received by emailing [email protected] .

Applicants will need to submit:

· The Application form;

· A tape of their performance of two arias;

· Copy of their Curriculum Vitae;

· A written submission of between 500 and 1,000 words detailing their career objective and why the Acclaim Prize is an important component to their career;

· An application fee of $50.

Judging

There is a three-stage approach to the Competition; 1) Pre-Selection, 2) Competition, and 3) Recommendation & Approval.

Pre-Selection. To ensure the best available talent is selected to enter the competition, there will be an initial selection process. All Competition Applicants will submit their tape to Acclaim and these will be evaluated, and Acclaim will select a maximum of 10 Competitors for participation in the annual Masterclass and Competition.

All Competition Applicants accepted will be invited by Acclaim to participate in the Acclaim Awards Masterclass Competition for an opportunity to win the Acclaim Prize.

If required, Acclaim can provide competitors with assistance with air fares as well as accommodation. Applicants will need to demonstrate their financial requirements.

Competition. The Masterclass objective is two-fold. During the Acclaim Awards Masterclass Competition each Competitor will receive at least ten teaching sessions. The lessons are provided by Professor Esposito.

Secondly, during the Competition, Professor Esposito will judge each Competitor. Professor Esposito will judge all competitors and she will be evaluating and judging those she believes would best benefit from the Acclaim Prize.

If a candidate is not identified during the annual Masterclass competition who meets all the criteria, then the Acclaim Prize will not be awarded that year.