Preliminaries

Sept 18 - Sept 19
2024

Semi-finals / Finals

Sept 20 / Sept 21
2024

Venue

Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023

Mission

The New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD) “International Chinese Vocal Competition” is one in a series of international cultural and arts events hosted by NTD Television. The aim of this competition is to promote traditional vocal arts of pure authenticity, pure goodness, and pure beauty, and provide a world arena for all Chinese vocalists to showcase their talents.

Organizer

The Competition will be hosted by NTD Television.  The final round of the Competition will be broadcast through live stream video on NTD’s social media platforms. It will also be broadcast on NTD’s TV network.

Panel of Judges

The 2024 NTD International Chinese Vocal Competition has specially invited vocalists with the world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts to serve on its panel of judges.

Min Jiang

Soprano

Min Jiang has had a flourishing career that began at age 17, when she was selected to perform professionally as a featured soloist with the Heilongjiang Province Arts Troupe. She has received coaching in both Chinese folk singing and Western vocal methods from many accomplished voice teachers, and has been an adjudicator for the New Tang Dynasty Television International Chinese Vocal Competitions since their inception in 2007. Since joining Shen Yun Performing Arts in 2006, she has given over 1,000 performances on many of the world’s great stages.

Haolan Geng

Soprano

Known for her formidable and emotive voice, Haolan Geng won the gold medal at the First Music Competition of the Guangdong Arts Festival in 2007. A graduate of the Guangzhou Conservatory of Music, her 2008 graduation recital earned her critical acclaim. She later went on to star in the Guangdong Opera Company, and gained international attention in 2009 upon winning first prize in New Tang Dynasty Television’s International Chinese Vocal Competition. Also since 2009, she has been a soprano with Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Gu Yun

Tenor

Before becoming a soloist, Gu Yun graduated from China’s prestigious Beijing Academy of Dance and went on to win multiple national-level dance competitions in China. After joining Shen Yun as a principal dancer in 2009, Gu Yun also dedicated himself to dance choreography and instruction before finally turning to his passion of singing. He pursued the study of voice with Fei Tian College professor D.F. in New York. In 2018, he won first place at NTD International Chinese Vocal Competition.

Tian Li

Soprano

Tian Li began studying voice at age 7 before attending China’s Shenyang Conservatory of Music. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she then also pursued her master’s degree at the Conservatory. Tian Li has won awards at many vocal competitions. After auditioning into Shen Yun Performing Arts, she furthered her study of voice with D.F., professor at Fei Tian College, in the United States.

Gao Liang

Tenor

Gao Liang earned his master’s degree in vocal performance at the prestigious Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow. He is the winner of multiple international singing competitions in Europe. Before joining Shen Yun, he starred as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème, and Nemorino in Donizetti’s L'elisir d'amore, among many other principal roles.

Location & Dates

Preliminaries
Semi-Finals
Finals
Date
September 18 - 19, 2024
September 20, 2024
September 21, 2024
Address
Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023
Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023
Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023
Preliminaries
Date
September 18 - 19, 2024
Address
Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023
Semi-Finals
Date
September 20, 2024
Address
Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023
Finals
Date
September 21, 2024
Address
Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023

Qualifications to Enter the Competition

  1. Open to all Chinese (at least one-fourth Chinese ancestry) vocalists of the age between 18 and 50 years old during the time of the Competition. We encourage entry by professional vocal instructors, vocal artists, and students, as well as professional-level enthusiasts.
  2. The contestants who won the gold award in NTD previous vocal competitions cannot compete again.
  3. To qualify for the Competition: After the Organizing Committee reviews all of the application materials, a formal invitation will be sent by email to those who meet the criteria. The contestant may use this invitation to apply for a U.S. visa and to register on the day of the Competition.

Competition Content

  1. Standard operatic repertoire. NTD "International Chinese Vocal Competition" only offers Bel Canto singing.
  2. Types of vocal works include Chinese classic songs, arias, and art songs.
  3. The competition will consist of three rounds: Preliminaries, Semi-Finals, and Finals.
  4. Preliminary round: performance of one song of contestant's choice (selected from: a section of an aria Western opera; a lied; or one of the 30 Chinese songs provided by the Competition)
  5. Semi-final round: Performance of two songs: one, a section of an aria from a western opera or an art song; the other from a Chinese song; or two Chinese songs (you may choose from the 30 Chinese songs provided by the Competition).
  6. Final round: Performance of two songs: one, a section of an aria from a western opera or an art song; the other from a Chinese song; or two Chinese songs (you may choose from the 30 Chinese songs provided by the Competition). But one of the two must be different from the piece song in the semi-finals.
  7. The Organization Committee shall provide piano accompaniment for contestants. Contestants may also bring their pianist(s).
  8. Applicants are required to submit all the vocal scores, lyrics, and accompanying musical scores to the Organizing Committee with the application materials. If the vocal pieces do not conform to the criteria of the Competition, the applicant will be notified by the Organizing Committee in a timely fashion.

The following is the list of the 30 Chinese songs provided by the Competition

Registration

1. Deadline
The application deadline is August 31, 2024. All application materials must be received by the Competition’s Organizing Committee.

2. Methods of Registration

  1. Internet: https://vocal.ntdtv.com
  2. Email: vocal@globalcompetitions.org
  3. Hotline: +1 888-477-9228
  4. Fax: +1 888-600-1998
  5. Mail: 229 W. 28th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001, U.S.A.
    Attention: NTD Television International Chinese Vocal Competition

3. Personal Information

  1. The applicant should fill out and submit the International Chinese Vocal Competition Registration Form as well as the Resume Form; both of which can be downloaded from the Competition’s Website.
  2. Each applicant must provide two 1" × 1" color photos (digital photos preferred) and a copy of a valid ID.
  3. The applicant should submit a recent recording(s) of his/her recital (5 minutes minimum) in the format of audio (CD or MP3) or video (DVD or viewable online video link). NTSC DVD is preferred. The applicant’s information should be clearly marked on the cover of the disk. No subtitles or logos that reveal any information about the applicant may be displayed in the video. Otherwise, the submission will be invalid. If the applicant has difficulty in fulfilling this request, please contact the Competition’s Organizing Committee.
  4. The above application materials should be sent to the Competition’s Organization Committee by registered mail. All application materials shall not be returned.

4. Registration Fee
1) Nonrefundable registration fee of US$120. Applications cannot be processed without payment.
2) Under normal circumstances, the applicant's registration becomes valid only after paying the registration fee. For applicants who cannot prepay the registration fee due to particular difficulties, they are required to submit a formal written request to delay the payment of the registration fee until the time of Competition. There will be a US$20 surcharge in such cases.
3) Accepted forms of payment include online payment, credit card, traveler’s check, or money orders.
4) Please make your check payable to New Tang Dynasty Television, and write “Vocal Competition” on the check.

5. Registered express mail charges
For contestants who need an original (paper format) invitation letter for visa application, an additional US $50 fee is required for USPS Priority Mail Express International shipping. Please check this option on the Registration Form.

6. New Tang Dynasty Television is indemnified from any legal responsibility for any contestant who enters the U.S. with a visa for this Competition but does not appear at the Competition.

Awards

Male division: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze;
Female division: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze;
Honorable Mention Awards will also be presented to exemplary contestants.

Gold
Award
US$10,000
Silver
Award
US$3,000
Bronze
Award
US$1,000

Note: According to U.S. tax regulations, if the prize winner is a foreign individual (nonresident alien or foreign entity), up to 30% of the prize winnings are subject to tax withhold. It is the contestant’s personal responsibility to file tax returns and obtain tax refunds.

Hotels & Transport

  1. The Competition's Organization Committee will recommend hotels to contestants.
  2. Contestants and their entourage shall pay for their own accommodation and transportation.

Miscellaneous

  1. All contestants shall comply with the Rules and Regulations, as well as all the arrangements of the Competition's Organization Committee. The committee reserves the right to revoke violators' eligibility and the prizes awarded in the case of breaches of Competition regulations.
  2. Contestants take full responsibility for any copyright issues related to the music they choose for the Competition.
  3. All winners must personally attend the award ceremony to accept the prize. Cash will not be awarded in lieu of that prize. Failure to attend the ceremony results in forfeiture of the prize.
  4. New Tang Dynasty Television retains all copyright to audio and video products made during the Competition.