1 – 4 August 2019

Singapore


Esplanade Concert Hall

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Concert Hall


Information Package
(International Choirs)
























Organised by:



th
6 Singapore International Choral Festival 2019
Singapore
1 August – 4 August 2019

Festival Director | Welcome Message

Dear fellow Conductors and Choristers,

We are happy to invite you to the 6th Singapore International Choral

Festival, held in the bustling modern metropolis of Singapore from 1
August – 4 August 2019. Over the four days, choristers will get to
perform at some of the most emblematic, cultural and historical
venues in Singapore and there is nothing better than choral music to
bind a community and serve as a bridge between generations.

Under the artistic direction of Singapore Cultural Medallion

recipient Ms Jennifer Tham of Singapore, this festival brings together
an international panel of choral clinicians to lend their experience and
guidance to participants through their choral journey.

In addition to this, the festival has partnered with the Bali International Choir Festival of
Indonesia and the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival of Philippines to start
the Asia Grand Prix of Choral Singing. Grand Prix winners of
each festival will be invited to participate in the Asia Grand Prix of Choral Singing which will
be hosted in rotation by the participating festivals.

Over the past editions, we have had the honour of hosting some of the most artistic and
culturally diverse choirs from around the region and beyond, and this year is no different.
Come and join us at the 6th Singapore International Choral Festival for a great choral and
intercultural experience!

With warmest regards,

Ms Lim Ai Hooi
Festival Director
Singapore International Choral Festival

Festival | Schedule
Morning Afternoon Evening

Choir Arrival and Registration

1 August, Thursday
Opening Concert

International Choral Competition

2 August, Friday
Individual Choral Clinics and SICF Choral Exchange

International Choral Competition

3 August, Saturday
Outreach Performances, SICF Choral Exchange and Individual Choral Clinics

Outreach Performances Meet-the-Jury Session Grand Prix & Results

4 August , Sunday Choral Director’s
Reception

* Do note that festival schedule may be subject to change and the final festival schedule will be confirmed nearer
the date.



Festival Programmes | Overview

1. Choral Directors’ Reception

The Choral Directors’ Reception is only open to the conductor and one other representative to attend.
This event provides an opportunity for participating choirs to network and interact with other choir
representatives as well as the jury. The event will be held over a cocktail reception.

2. Meet-the-Jury Session

This session allows the Jury to provide valuable feedback, advice and tips for the conductors post-
competition – a perfect platform for conductors and choirs to learn and improve. The session is
conducted in seminar style where conductors of the same category will meet selected jury from who
adjudicated them and provide feedback for improvement.

3. Individual Choral Clinics

Choirs can sign up for a choral clinic, where a member of the SICF adjudication panel will work with
individual choirs on selected competition repertoire. Clinicians will share their musical knowledge and
know-how, suggesting areas for improvement and development.

4. Outreach Performances

The organisers will tie-up with various partners to provide outreach performance venues for the choirs.
This usually involves a 10-15 minutes performance to locals and/or tourists at the venues, providing a
platform to share your culture and music with Singapore.

5. SICF Choral Exchange

The SICF Choral Exchange is a unique and fun programme facilitated by local Singaporean conductors
with their choirs. Come join us for two-hour session of singing and sharing amongst other participants of
the festival. Each exchange typically involves up to 4 participating choirs of SICF together with a local
choir host.



Competition | Rules & Regulations
1. Participation

The Singapore International Choral Festival is open only to amateur choirs. The amateur qualification
does not extend to the conductor or accompanist. Choirs may be from conservatories or music academies.

The minimum size of the competing choir is 20 participants, not including the conductor and
accompanist(s). Special permission to compete with fewer than 20 singers may be obtained from the
organisers, should there be extenuating circumstances that prevent the choir from meeting the minimum
requirement. There is no upper limit to the number of participants a choir may have.

2. Categories

There is no limit to the number of categories a choir may compete in. The categories in the competition
are as follows:

CATEGORY AGE LIMIT

A1 12 years and below
A2 17 years and below
A: EQUAL VOICES
A3 25 years and below
A4 Open
B1 19 years and below
B: MIXED VOICES B2 25 years and below
B3 Open
F: FOLKLORE F Open
J: JUBILEE J 50 years and above
S: MUSICA SACRA S Open

Choirs cannot compete in 2 categories within the same voicing (i.e. A choir cannot take part in both A1
and A3).

Choirs taking part in Category J are not allowed to participate in Categories A or B.

For each category, except for Category A1, each choir is to prepare three songs according to the following
requirements:

Category A1

For Category A1, each choir is to prepare 2 songs according to the following requirements:

- One composition/arrangement by a composer of the choir’s country or region

- One composition/arrangement by a composer not of the choir’s country or region
- There is no restriction on the number of works sung with or without live accompaniment in this
category

For Category A1, there will be an optional third piece - Night of Rainbows by Darius Lim. The best
performance of Night of Rainbows will be awarded a special Jury Prize, separate from the Category Awards.
Only the required two songs will count towards the final scoring of the choir and their singing time.

Choirs interested in performing this optional piece should head over to the composer's website
https://www.dariuslim.com/sicf2019 for perusal copies and/or score purchase.

Category A2 and B1

- One composition/arrangement by a composer of the choir’s country or region

- One composition/arrangement by a composer not of the choir’s country or region
- One free choice
- There is no restriction on the number of works sung with or without live accompaniment in these
categories

Category A3, A4, B2 and B3

- One composition by a composer born before 1870

- One composition by a living composer at the time of application
- One free choice
- At least one work must be performed a cappella

Category F

- Three folk songs from the choir’s country/region

- There is no restriction on the number of works sung with or without live accompaniment in
Category F

Category J

- Three contrasting choral compositions or arrangements of the choir’s choice

- There is no restriction on the number of works sung with or without live accompaniment in
Category J



Category S

- One composition written/composed by a composer before 1750

- One composition written/composed by a composer after 1945
- One free choice

3. Age Limit

The age limit of the singers must be observed according to category specifications, with age calculated in
the year of the competition (in this case, 2019). However, a maximum of 15% of the singers in the
competition choir may exceed this limit, provided a valid reason is submitted to the organisers in writing
at the time of application.

There is no age restriction on participants competing in the Open Categories.

4. Competition Repertoire

The intended competition repertoire using the prescribed form (attained after registration) must be
submitted in soft copy to the organisers by 30 April 2019 to ensure that all requirements are met. There is
to be no change in programme once it has been approved.

Please note that hard copies of the scores will still be required: five (5) sets are to be sent to the Organisers after
online registration has been completed. Choirs who are performing songs not in English or Latin are to submit
a song description/translation in English.

For choirs competing in multiple categories, repertoire should not be repeated. Each work may be
performed only once (that is, under one category).

5. Original Scores

Choirs are individually responsible for honoring copyright and performance rights of the songs. Choirs
are to submit 5 original scores of each competition piece to the organisers for the purpose of adjudication
by 1 June 2019. These scores should be labeled clearly with the choir’s name for the purpose of
redistribution post-competition. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in disqualification
from the competition.

All published choral works may only be sung using original scores. The use of unauthorized/reproduced copies is
strictly prohibited and will be subjected to a 5% final score penalty based on jury discretion.



6. Singing Time

The pure singing time limit for each category is as follows. This does not include time taken by
movements on/off-stage, between pieces, or applause. In the event a choir exceeds the time limit, a
penalty of 5% of the total mark will be deducted from their final score.

CATEGORY SINGING TIME LIMIT

8 minutes
A1
(excluding optional third piece)
A: EQUAL VOICES A2 12 minutes
A3 15 minutes
A4 15 minutes
B1 12 minutes
B: MIXED VOICES B2 15 minutes
B3 15 minutes
F: FOLKLORE F 15 minutes
J: JUBILEE J 15 minutes
S: MUSICA SACRA S 15 minutes

7. Change of Key

All songs performed for the competition must be performed in the original key in accordance to the score
submitted. No transpositions are allowed.

8. Video/Sound Engineering

It is a condition of participation that choirs must agree to the photography, recording and broadcast of
their participation in the festival by the organisers. Unauthorised video or audio recordings are strictly
prohibited, likewise the use of equipment for the amplification of voices or instruments other than the
technical setup provided.



Competition | Adjudication and Evaluation
1. The Jury

The decision of the jury is final and cannot be contested. The choir will be awarded points based on the
average of the jury scores.

2. Assessment Criteria

For each work performed, choirs will be assessed on the following criteria:

a. Intonation – singing in tune, with pitch accuracy (50 points)

b. Fidelity to Score – degree of exactness to performance directions (tempo, dynamic markings,
articulation and so on) (50 points), on a 100-point scale.

The average mark for (a) Intonation and (b) Fidelity to Score will be calculated by dividing the total
points by three (total points for Category A1 will be divided by two).

Choirs will also be assessed on their overall (c) Vocal Quality (50 points) and (d) Artistic Impression (50
points), on a 100-point scale.

The final score is on a 100-point scale, calculated by dividing the sum of (a), (b), (c) and (d) by 2. The
awards are given according to the following:

80.00 – 100 points GOLD

70.00 – 79.99 points SILVER
60.00 – 69.99 points BRONZE

The choir that attains a Gold award with the highest score in each category will be awarded the title of
“Category Champion” and may be selected to take part in the Grand Prix.

Intonation - 50 points (a) Fidelity - 50 points (b)

Song 1 40 41
Song 2 42 40
Song 3 39 43
Average 40.33 41.33

Vocal Quality- 50 points (c) Artistic Impression - 50 points (d)

43 40

Final Score [(a+b+c+d)/2]

82.33

Fig 1. Sample Scoring Criteria, 6th SICF 2019



3. Special Awards

The jury may award special prizes or recommend a choir for participation in the Grand Prix Competition
as they deem fit.

Competition | Grand Prix

Grand Prix Finalists will be selected at the discretion of the jury, and may or may not include all Category
Champions. The jury’s decision is final and cannot be contested. The Grand Prix Competition will take
place on 4 August 2019 at the Esplanade Concert Hall.

Choirs selected for the Grand Prix Competition are required to sing two songs up to a maximum
performance time of 10 minutes based on the following criteria:

1. A new piece not performed before in the competition rounds

2. Either a song previously performed from the category of competition that won the choir a place in
the Grand Prix, or another new piece.

Choirs selected for the Grand Prix are to submit 10 original scores of both pieces to the organisers for the
purpose of adjudication.



Grand Prix Finalists will be ranked based on their performance and the choir with the highest average
rank among the panel will be awarded Grand Prix Champion and a cash prize of SGD$5,000. The SICF
Grand Prix Champion will also qualify for the 2nd Asia Grand Prix for Choral Singing to be held in Bali,
Indonesia in 2021. The champions of each of the following qualifying festivals will vie for the highest
accolade in the Asian choral festival circuit: Singapore International Choral Festival, Bali International
Choral Festival and the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival.

Competition | Registration & Application

1. Registration Fees

The registration fee for overseas choirs participating in the festival is a one-time charge of SGD$300. The
deadline for the registration for the 6th Singapore International Choral Festival is 30th April 2019. These
fees are non-refundable and payable upon application to take part in the festival and will include:

- 15 entrance tickets to the Grand Prix and Award Ceremony on 4th August 2019 (due to limited venue
space, our Grand Prix and Award Ceremony will be live-streamed on our Facebook Page)
- Registration in up to two categories in the competition. There will be a SGD$100 charge per category
beyond the first two.

Choirs that send in their completed registrations before 31st December 2018 will get an early bird
registration waiver of SGD$300 which will be offset in their final invoice. Please note that individual festival
fees still must be paid (refer to Expenses | Festival Fee segment).

2. Application Requirements

The items in the list below must accompany every festival application, failing which the application would
not be considered complete.

- Write-up and Photograph of choir and conductor in high resolution (minimum file size of 1 MB)
- Completed application form
- Registration fees



Expenses | Festival Fee (International Choirs)

The festival has 3 festival fee packages to select from. Every participating choir must select a festival
package as part of their participation. Please note accommodation, travel and transport are not included in
the festival fee and you are allowed to make your own arrangements. If you wish for us to manage your
accommodation, travel or transport, please indicate in the application form and we will be on hand to help
with your requests.
PACKAGE A:

Choral Directors’ Reception (2 Pax)

International Choral Competition
Meet-the-Jury Session (2 Pax)
Scoring Sheet and Judge's Written Evaluation (1 per choir)
SGD$180 per person
Competition Certificate (1 per choir)
Chorister Certificate (1 per chorister)
Festival Magazine (1 per chorister)
Official Photographs and Competition HD Video Recording of the
Choir in Softcopy

PACKAGE B:

Choral Directors’ Reception (2 Pax)

International Choral Competition
Meet-the-Jury Session (2 Pax)
Scoring Sheet and Judge's Written Evaluation (1 per choir)
SGD$215 per person
Competition Certificate (1 per choir)
Chorister Certificate (1 per chorister)
Festival Magazine (1 per chorister)
Outreach Performance
SICF Choir Exchange (subject to timing and suitable pairing)
Official Photographs and Competition HD Video Recording of the
Choir in Softcopy

PACKAGE C:

Choral Directors’ Reception (2 Pax)

International Choral Competition
Meet-the-Jury Session (2 Pax)
Scoring Sheet and Judge's Written Evaluation (1 per choir)
Competition Certificate (1 per choir)
Chorister Certificate (1 per chorister)
Festival Magazine (1 per chorister) SGD$245 per person
Outreach Performance
SICF Choir Exchange (subject to timing and suitable pairing)
Official Photographs and Competition HD Video Recording of the
Choir in Softcopy
45 minute Individual Choir Workshop
1h rehearsal slot at designated SICF Rehearsal Venue
Ticket entrance to SICF Feature Concert



Artistic Panel | Festival Director

Ms Lim Ai Hooi
Artistic Director, SourceWerkz
Founder and Artistic Director, ONE Chamber Choir
Singapore

Ai Hooi’s philosophy for choral music and teaching stems from her view that a
fulfilling musical journey is one that is filled with sincerity, love and excellence.
She uses the creation of music as a platform to share and infuse her values and
beliefs in her singers, and inspires them to use the beauty of music to craft
experiences that touch the hearts of the audience.

Ai Hooi actively contributes to the growth of the local choral scene, through nurturing younger choral
conductors and choristers. On top of conducting several local secondary and junior college choirs, Ai Hooi
established ONE Chamber Choir, a young adult choir. ONE entered into a partnership with the Song
Lovers Choral Society in 2010 (formerly known as Lee Howe Choral Society), to form its youth wing. In
2017, the choir achieved the 2nd Prize of the Mixed Choirs category at the 15th International Chamber Choir
Competition Marktoberdorf 2017, as well as the Special Prize of the Carl-Orff-Stiftung Diessan am
Ammersee for the best interpretation of a choral worked premiered at the competition for “The Emigrant”
by Wolfram Buchenberg. Recently, the choir took part in the 10th World Choir Games in Tshwane, South
Africa and achieved Gold in all three categories they competed in, including Champion of the World Choir
Games in the Chamber Choir Category.

She has also been the conductor of the Hwa Chong Institution Choir since 2000 which has achieved
numerous accolades over the years, including emerging Champion in the Mixed Choir category at the 5th
World Choir Games 2008, achieving the title Absolute Winner (top choir across categories) at the Festival
of Songs Olomouc, and the Prix du public (Public prize) at the 2010 Florilège vocal de Tour.

Ai Hooi also co-founded Sourcewerkz PL to further her calling to teach, touch and transform the larger
choral community and its audience. To date, Sourcewerkz has organised the Winter Choral Festival in
Hong Kong since 2010 and Festival Coros de Verão in Lisbon since 2012, as well as various workshops with
international choral clinicians. In 2014, she conceptualised and directed the 1st Singapore International
Choral Festival and since then, SICF has played host to over 10,000 choristers and is now in her sixth
iteration.



Artistic Panel | Artistic Director

Ms Jennifer Tham
Artistic Director/Conductor, SYC Ensemble Singers
Singapore

A professional choir director, Jennifer is best known for her work with the
Singapore Youth Choir (now the SYC Ensemble Singers), which she has
directed since 1986. Her training as a composer at the Simon Fraser University
(Vancouver, Canada) has led her to explore and re-define the choral idiom
through her work with the SYC and in the Singapore school choir scene. In her
hands, the SYC has earned a reputation for being the composer’s choir,
malleable to the demands of contemporary choral music, as well as won several
Photo credit - NAC prizes and awards.

Jennifer is also Artistic Director of the Young Musicians’ Society (YMS), which runs the First Aid for
Choirs and Conductors workshop series as well as the Kodaly Seminar Asia for music pedagogues and choir
conductors in collaboration with the Kodaly Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest, Hungary).
The Society also houses the Magnetic Band, the contemporary music ensemble responsible for premiering
the work of modern music icons, and engaging both professional and amateur musician in growing music
more organic to our soil.

Jennifer was Artistic Director of the Asia South Pacific Symposium on Choral Music (Singapore, 2001) and
on the Artistic Committee for the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music (Kyoto, 2005). An elected Board
member of the International Federation for Choral Music, Jennifer helps coordinate the Asia Pacific
Working Committee as well as the Asia Pacific Youth Choir.

Jennifer has chaired and spoken on panels at conferences in Singapore, Sweden, Estonia and Denmark, and
was principal lecturer at the 2008 Lithuanian Conductors Summer Academy, hosted by the Lithuanian
Choral Union and the Ministry of Culture. She has taught choral conducting at the Nanyang Academy of
Fine Arts and given workshops and short courses to conductors at home, in Japan and Indonesia. She is on
faculty at the Kodaly Seminar Asia where she teaches conducting and leads the Morning Sing. Last year, she
presented lectures and reading sessions on Singapore choral history and music at symposia in Croatia and
USA; and on international youth projects in China.

Jennifer has been on competition juries in Austria, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, China and Indonesia;
and represents Singapore on the World Choir Council. She recently served on jury at the 7th World Choir
Games (Cincinnati, USA) and the 11th China International Choral Festival (Beijing, China).

Jennifer is an inaugural recipient of Young Artist (Music) Award, given by the National Arts Council
(NAC) and serves on various advisory panels for the NAC and the Ministry of Education, Singapore. In
2011, she was awarded for “Artistic Excellence” by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore. Most
recently, she was conferred the Cultural Medallion, the nation’s highest arts accolade, by the President,
Republic of Singapore, for her contribution in shaping Singapore’s cultural landscape.

Contact | Information

Festival Organiser Festival Co-Organiser and Travel Partner

Mr Quee Ming, Seah Mr Steven Phua

Director | Managing Director
SourceWerkz Pte Ltd Rave Group Int’l Pte Ltd

Email: info@sicf.sg Tel: +65 6747 3721

Festival Website: www.sicf.sg Fax: +65 6747 7052

Email: info@sicf.sg

Join us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/choralfestival

Watch our videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/sicfofficial



Bank | Information
All payments related to the festival are to be made by wire transfer to the account below.

Please note that the choir or paying organisation is responsible for all bank fees incurred by the transfer. You are
advised to indicate on the transfer that the choir or paying party would pay for all bank charges incurred to avoid
any further transfers and payments.

Account Name: Rave Group Int’l Pte Ltd

Bank Name: Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation
Branch: 65 Chulia Street
Account No.: 640-849154-001
SWIFT: OCBCSGSG


Please fill in the following registration form clearly in UPPER CASE LETTERS and send it in by email to info@sicf.sg
by 30 Apr 2019. Registrations after this date will still be accepted at the discretion of the organiser.
Name of the Choir:



Name of School/Supporting Organization (if any):



Contact Person and Address of the Choir:






Total Number of Performers including Total Number of Accompanying Adults:
Conductor/Instrumentalist:


Telephone: Fax: Email:





Name of the Conductor:


Telephone: Fax: Email:





Competition Category(s) of Choice:

B1 Mixed Voices, 19 years and
A1 Equal Voices, 12 years and below
below

B2 Mixed Voices, 25 years and
A2 Equal Voices, 17 years and below
below

A3 Equal Voices, 25 years and below B3 Mixed Voices, Open

A4 Equal Voices, Open F Folklore, Open

J Jubilee S Musica Sacra, Open

Singapore International Choral Festival 2019



Please indicate which festival package your choir is selecting:

PACKAGE A at SGD$180 per person. PACKAGE B at SGD$215 per person.

PACKAGE C at SGD$245 per person.

Please indicate if you require the festival to arrange for accommodation/transport (additional
costs apply):

Yes, I require accommodation No, I will arrange my own accommodation and

and transport. transport.


By signing this registration form, the choir and its members, represented by the conductor or school/supporting organisation
confirms the accuracy of the information herein. The applicant declares that the choir is an amateur choir as defined in the
Rules and Regulations of this competition. By applying for this festival, the choir also agrees to abide by the rules and
regulations and any recordings, broadcasts as well as any sound or video recording made in conjunction with the festival. By
accepting the rules and regulations, the choir surrenders all rights resulting from such recordings to the organisers.

The choir also hereby undertakes to make no claim of any nature whatsoever against the organisers and/or SICF and/or your
agents, whether or not such claim be occasioned by the negligence, act or default of you or any of you, nor to claim against any
person whom you or any of you may be liable to indemnify by contract or otherwise, and relinquish any rights which you may
acquire to participate in salvage monies.

The choir also undertakes to indemnify the organisers and/or SICF against any charges or expenses which the choir and its
members may pay or become liable to pay for hospital, medical, repatriation or maintenance on your account, and further to
insure and indemnify the organisers and/or SICF against any claim whatsoever by any person arising out of any act, omission
or default during the participation.







Signature of Name of Conductor/Representative Date
Conductor/Representative

Singapore International Choral Festival 2019