STARS OF THE ALBION
Grand Prix 2023

DISCIPLINES

MUSIC
Singing (classical, contemporary, musical theatre).
Soloists and ensembles up to 12 people and choirs.
Instrumental playing (classical, folk, jazz).
Soloists, ensembles up to 12 people.
Composition (solo & group).

VISUAL ARTS
Performance in Fine Art, photography, short documentary films.

CIRCUS SHOW
Acrobatics, gymnastics, equilibristic, juggling, clowns, illusion.

Age category:        Children from 6 y.o. & adults, no age limit  

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

4 – 5 March 2023 

Saturday, 4 March 2023
Venue: Queen Charlotte Theatre, Richmond and Hillcroft adult community college Parkshot, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2RG

• 10:00 – 12:30 Registration of participants.
• 10:00 – 10:30 Rehearsals: Classical Singing; 10:30-12:30 Rehearsals: Contemporary singing.
• 13:00 – 13:45 Launch of “Stars of the Albion. Grand Prix 2023”. 
Q and A session with the organisers. Virtual tour: London and Royal Windsor.
• 14:00 – 16:15 Contemporary singing competition LIVE: 1^st (6-8), 2^nd (9-11) & 3^rd (12-15) age categories, Solo.   
• 16:45 – 18:30 Contemporary singing competition LIVE: 4^th (16+) age category Solo, Ensembles (live, online).                                                             
• 18:45 – 20:00 Classical Singing competition LIVE & ONLINE.
• 22:00 Gala performance selection announcement for singers performing at the Live Gala on Sunday 5 March. To be announced by emails sent to all singers who took part in the Live performance.

Sunday, 5 March 2023
Venue: Queen Charlotte Theatre, Richmond and Hillcroft adult community college Parkshot, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2RG

• 10:00 – 11:00 Online Dance & Circus competition.
• 11:00 – 14:30 Online Singing & Composition competition.
• 14:30 – 15:30 Online Visual arts competition.
• 13:15 – 14:30 Rehearsals for the Instrumental performance nomination competition (Live).
• 14:30 – 16:30 Instrumental performance competition Live & Online.

• 17:45 Gala performance selection announcement for instrumentalists, dancers and circus nominations.

Results announcement for the Singing, Dance, Composition, Instrumental Performance and Visual Arts nominations will be announced at the Awards ceremony.

18:30 – 21:30 Awards ceremony and Gala Concert of winners and laureates with the participation of celebrity guest artists and ensembles.

Tickets: participants free, General admission: £20

Tickets online: www.eventbrite.co.uk

Please note: there might be slight alterations in dates and venues.

AWARDS & DIPLOMAS

Based on the ratings put forward by the jury on a 10-point scale, the Org. Committee determines the winners of the first, second and third places, as well as the Grand Prix of the Competition.

• £1000 in total Grand Prix – 4 monetary prizes of £250 each per Discipline.
• I place – Golden trophy and Diploma.
• II place – Silver trophy and Diploma.
• III place – Bronze trophy and Diploma.
• I place Diploma of Participation.
• II place Diploma of Participation.
• III place Diploma of Participation. 
• Certificate.

STAR AWARDS

- A special prize for the best performance/choreography on music by the 20^th-21^st centuries.
- Concert prizes (performances throughout the year) are awarded to the Grand Prix winner and laureates of the 1st and 2nd places. 
- Special Diploma and “Star Lyre” award for the best dance/vocal number/ choreography / costume and stage presence.
- Special Diploma and award for the best artistic work and photography.                              
- Special Diploma and award for the best short film script.
- “Audience Prize” / “Jury Prize” for the best performance / work.
- A “Young Future Talent of Stars of the Albion” Diploma for the youngest contestant.
- Diploma of appreciation to teachers and directors.
- Diploma of participant for every contestant.

Every discipline is subdivided between age categories. Based on the jury recommendation, the Organisers reserve the right not to award any places in a category.
The programme of the final Gala Show will be based on recommendations by members of the adjudication panel. The jury’s decision is a final one and should not be disputed.

TECHNICAL & REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS

A free choice of repertoire within the required total duration limit. Each contestant should perform two contrasting compositions. It is compulsory for Singers to include one of the songs in English. The second song can be performed on any language of the world. A written translation should be provided to the jury prior to performance if a song is to be performed in any language other than English.
All compositions should be performed from memory and in the original language. You can resubmit same compositions for the 1^st and 2^nd rounds.
It is important that all the recordings should be of the highest possible quality and in a landscape format only.
For the 1^st round (at the time of submission of the application form) please provide us with the YouTube link to your performances. For the 2^nd round each participant will be required to submit a perfect quality video recording by WeTransfer or Google Drive.
Requirements for maximum total duration of compositions performed: 
Individual participants and groups, its possible to participate in more than one nomination.

SINGING: 7 minutes
Notes for offline auditions:

• Participants using the backing track must provide a high-quality instrumental accompaniment on a USB flash drive. Also, the backing tracks must be sent to the organizers in MP3 format at most 2.5 weeks before the start of the competition.
• Each sound recording must be on a separate medium with the name of the work, the author of the music, the text, the name of the ensemble or the name of the artist, as well as the duration of the work.
• Vocalists are not allowed to perform with the “plus”.

DANCE: 4 minutes

• Participants using the backing track must provide a high-quality instrumental accompaniment on a USB flash drive. Also, the backing tracks must be sent to the organizers in MP3 format at most 2.5 weeks before the start of the competition.

COMPOSITION: 
Each participant should present a video recording of two compositions of their own choice. Any genre/style, can be instrumental/ vocal. If written to a lyrics, please submit also a general translation of the song in English. Total duration is up to 10 minutes.

VISUAL ARTS: Performance in Fine Art, Photography, Short documentary film
- Artistic embroidery, macrame decoration
- Decorative and applied arts and crafts
- Painting (oil, watercolour, gouache, pastel, mixed technique)
- Drawing (graphics)

All the images that you will be submitting are images of original artwork created by yourself or are the artwork created by an artist who authorized you to submit the images on his/her behalf and should be sent in a JPG format. We will have the right to publish and retain images of your artwork selected by the jurors on our website and other advertising channels to promote future competitions and your artwork. 

A maximum of 6 images, a minimum of 3.
Based on digital images sent to us with the following specifications:

• Each image must be at least 72 dpi and 200 KB.
• The shortest side of the image must be at least 338 pixels. 
• All entries must be JPG format.
• Each image should not exceed 5MB and should be smaller than 7500 x 7500 pixels.
• Each piece can be no larger than 75 x 85 inches (192 x 218 centimetres). 

CIRCUS SHOW: minimum 4 minutes, maximum 8 minutes
All types of circus art, except: performances with animals, use of fire. 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

CHOREOGRAPHY
• Composition, choice of repertoire, matching the repertoire with the age characteristics of the performer.
• Performing skills – style and technique, the culture of performance, musicality.
• Artistry, interest and variety, expression.
• Stage presence, decorations and costumes.

SINGING
• Artistic interpretation, expression.
• Performance technique, purity of intonation, pronunciation, articulation.
• Choice of works, level of difficulty.
• Stage presentation, acting, production, costumes.

INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
• Artistic interpretation, concept, architectonics.
• Performance technique, instrument control, purity of intonation (for strings and winds).
• Choice of repertoire, level of difficulty.
• Stage presence, costumes.

COMPOSITION
• Concept, form, architectonics, stylistic technique, instrumentation/ arrangement.
• Performance technique and stage presence, stage presence, costumes.

PHOTOGRAPHY
• Concept, originality, composition.
• Technique, work with light, design, style.
• Expressiveness, impact on the audience.
• Costumes, decorations.

VISUAL ARTS
• Composition, concept, originality.
• Technique, style, work with color, work with a line.
• Expressiveness, impact on the audience.
• Presentation

SHORT FILMS
• Concept, content of work, compliance with the declared genre.
• Technique of performance, video quality, installation, complexity.
• Emotional impact on the audience, expressive tools and design (the presence of sound, effects, the use of scenery, light, costumes).
• Artistic performance.

CIRCUS SHOW
• Performance technique, level of difficulty. Concept and originality.
• Costumes.
• Choreography.
• Music used for the performance, impact on the audience, artistic interpretation.

FEES

Registration deadline and competition dates
Applications deadline: 25 January 2023

Final Live & online rounds: 4-5 March 2023
Live auditions and contest will be held in London, UK. 

Fees for Soloists: £40 (online)
£120 (live)
Fees for ensembles up to 3 people: £20 (online) per person 
4-6 people £15
7 plus £10

From £65 (visa support letter and assistance) 

Accommodation: from £850 per person in 4* hotel for 4 nights in Central London with breakfast.

СONTACTS

“Musica Nova”
International Music Academy
www.musicanova.org.uk
Organiser

Tel: +44 (0) 7765 845489 | +44 (0)7832341745                        
Official competition website: www.starsofthealbion.org.uk
E-mail: starsofthealbion@gmail.com
CEO: Ms. Evgenia Terentieva-Jakubowski
President of the World Association of Performing Arts United Kingdom Section (WAPA)
Winner of a “Queen’s Award” from the British Council  
Laureate of international piano, singing, composition competitions
Laureate of the Gold Franz Kafka Medal (Czech Republic)
Concert musician: singer, pianist, composer, educator
Dip Dist St. Petersburg Conservatoire (Russia), DipGSMD, HonLGSM (UK)