Singing Competitions

In 2024 there will be three days of live singing competitions, as well as the Edith Poulsen Singing and Accompanists’ Prize Competition in the Free Church, Hampstead Garden Suburb

Singing Day 1 – Younger Singers

From 4.30 pm on Friday 15 March – Adjudicator: Marika Rauscher

Singing Day 2 – Musical Theatre

From 3.00 pm on Sunday 17 March – Adjudicator: Marika Rauscher

Singing Day 3 – Adults

From 6:30 pm on Monday 18 March – Adjudicator: Anna Loveday

For the Musical Theatre and adult Opera/Operetta classes, both the singing and the characterisation of the part are important. Costumes and props are welcome but, if used, should be simple.

The Association of English Singers & Speakers Music Festivals Trophy

We are very grateful to The Association of English Singers & Speakers for sponsoring the AESS Prize. Entrants should sing two songs by British composers and recite in English one poem or piece of prose by a British poet or author. The candidate should introduce the programme and may choose the order in which to recite and sing. The songs and poem or prose should share a common theme. The AESS prize will be £25 cash, the AESS Trophy and a copy of one of the AESS’ Century of English Song books. The prize will be awarded to the winner of singing class 203.

Herbert Howells Song Prize

We are very grateful to The Herbert Howells Society for sponsoring a prize for the best performance of a song by Herbert Howells in any competition over the course of the Festival. The Herbert Howells Society Prize is £25 cash plus a copy of one of the books of Howells published songs from a list supplied to the winner. Each adjudicator of singing competitions will nominate one singer and the winner will be chosen by agreement from among those nominees.
The eligible singing competitions will be held on Monday 18 March and Tuesday 16 April – the Edith Poulsen Singing Prize Competition.

The following information applies to each of the three days of singing competitions

All entrants may sing with or without instrumental accompaniment, but no backing tracks are allowed.

Pieces may not be repeated in different competitions.

All entrants, but especially those with younger voices, should ensure they present vocally appropriate repertoire.

Entrants must provide the Adjudicator with a clean copy of the music for each work to be performed. Pieces may not be repeated in different competitions.

Entrants are reminded to introduce themselves and the piece(s) they are singing and to wear dress appropriate for a performance.

For each entry, age is the age on 1st September before the date of the class so that all the entrants in a class are in the same school year.

If an entrant has been a pupil of the Adjudicator in the year prior to the Festival or is well-known to the Adjudicator, they should contact the Section Administrator before entering.

Singers wishing to perform their own compositions may like to enter one of the composition classes.

For full details, see the Choirs and Singing Syllabus using the link to the right or below.

The closing date for singing classes is Friday 1 March 2024.

Please click on the button below to enter. The first time that you use it, you will need to register.

Click the ‘read more’ button below to see videos from 2018 and 2019 competitions

Section Administrator

Zoe South

Email: mail@zoesouth.co.uk

Adjudicators

Anna Loveday

Anna Loveday is a professional opera, oratorio and recital singer and a choral conductor. She has performed major mezzo soprano roles such as Carmen, Lady Macbeth, Amneris in Aida, Madam Larina in Eugene Onegin, Mother Goose in Rake’s Progress, Laura in La Gioconda, Klytaemnestra in Elektra and many others including roles in several Britten and Wagner operas with opera companies across England, touring for 5 years with Opera Brava, an outdoor opera company. This summer she will be playing Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlo and La Zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica.

Anna has sung the mezzo solos in all the major oratorios and in works such as Mahler’s ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ and has performed solo recitals in various venues in London and further afield.

She has conducted several different choirs over the years, but for the last 15 years she has run her own very successful chamber choir the ‘Loveday Singers’, which is based in Woking. She was previously, Head of Music and Performing Arts in schools and Sixth Form Colleges in Surrey and Sussex, in all of which she established excellent and singing and award winning choirs.

Marika Rauscher

Marika Rauscher is a London based, Global Award-Winning Opera Crossover Soprano, Vocal Coach, Choir Leader, Breathwork Facilitator and Communication/Presentation Coach.

As a performer she works as a Soloist, Session Singer and Bespoke Entertainment Specialist for Corporate and Private Engagements offering bespoke Entertainment packages for all types of Events.

Amongst her performance credits, Marika represented her motherland Austria in singing the National Anthem for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 opening match (England v Austria) at Old Trafford Stadium, has sung for the Royal Family accompanied by the Band of Scot Guards (a performance that was recorded as the official Christmas Concert, and broadcast globally on Christmas Day 2015 by BFBS Radio), made her operatic debut at The Royal Opera House: Covent Garden in Robert Carsen’s award winning production of ‘Dialogue of the Carmelites’, and has performed (as well as conducted her Choirs), at The Royal Albert and Royal Festival Halls, The Queen Elizabeth Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and countless churches/cathedrals/castles throughout the UK and abroad (has tonsils, will travel!) and was the in-house opera singer at Harrods of London from 2008-2014.

Marika’s vocals can also be heard on numerous Hans Zimmer film soundtrack recordings and trailers, including Madagascar 2, Spiderman 3, The Fantastic Four, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, King Kong, War of the Worlds, The Da Vinci Code and The Island and features on the original west-end cast recording of Cameron Macintosh’s production ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘Flashdance: The Musical’. Amongst her recording credits are clients such as Xbox, the BBC, and the English National Opera and numerous independent films that have gone to high acclaim at Edinburgh, Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals.

Her Vocal Coaching ranges across all ages and abilities, as a Choir Leader and delivering workshops: in Schools, one-to-one vocal coaching and singing lessons, Lecturing as a Personal and Professional Development Coach at Universities (Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, University of York, Imperial College London, University of London), through to Communication and Presentation Skills on a Corporate Level with clients including: Forbes, Coca Cola, TX Maxx, BP, The Institute of Directors, UCD UK Conferences and as a member of the Professional Speaking Association London. Her clients enjoy high success rates on both the Singing and Professional Speaking platforms, and has Coached at Carnegie Hall in New York, in Latvia, in Europe and with clients as far as the Middle East.

Marika is also an experienced Choir Leader having worked with the Military Wives Choir and multiple Community Choirs around London. After leaving her position as the Musical Director of The London Stroke Choir, Marika started up 2x NHS Staff Choirs during lockdown, covering 10 Boroughs of London and Hertfordshire, specialising in Singing for Wellbeing (including Singing for Lung Health, Breathing, COPD, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Dementia) Marika expanded into facilitating Breathwork, delivering sessions online and in-person, in and around London.

www.marikarauscher.com

Syllabus

View the Section syllabus

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