The 9th Fukushima

Vocal Ensemble
Competition 2016
March 18 - March 22, 2016
Fukushima, Japan
Contents

Hosts / Co-hosts / Sponsors ————— 1

Venue
Tentative Schedule
Program

Competition Rules ———— 2~3

Category
Entry Qualification
Performance
Order of Performance
Accompaniment
Judging and Evaluation
Prizes and Awards
Rehearsal
Copyright
Information

Conditions of Participation — 4~5

Preliminary Screening
Registration
Participation Fee
Accommodation / Meals / Transport
Financial Assistance
Admission / Application of Visa
Contact Address

Preliminary Screening
Application Form ————— 6~7

Fukushima ——————— 8~9

The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016
“ Inspiring singing voices, Resonating to the true skies ”
March 18 ‒ March 22, 2016
Fukushima, Japan

The Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition is the biggest choral competition for small vocal
ensemble groups (2-16 singers) in Japan. Every year we invite more than 120 top level choirs
selected from all over Japan. And now the competition is open internationally to share the joy
of singing with people from all around the world.
Fukushima is known as the“Kingdom of Choirs”in Japan, which has a big population of music fans
and award-winning choirs. You are cordially invited to experience the fascinating atmosphere of
our music cities, and let your singing voices ring out together under the sky, which a 19-century
poet once described as the“True Sky.”

Hosted by ・Fukushima Prefecture

・Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education
・Executive Committee of the Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition

Co-hosted by Japan Choral Association, Japan Choral Association Tohoku Branch, Fukushima Chorus League,
Fukushima City, Fukushima City Board of Education

Sponsored by Agency for Cultural Affairs(expected), All Japan Senior High School Cultural Federation, Fuku-
shima Prefecture Senior High School Cultural Federation, Fukushima Prefectural Association of
Junior High School Principals, Fukushima Prefectural Association of Elementary School Princi-
pals, Fukushima International Association, Fukushima-Minpo Co., Ltd., The Fukushima Minyu,
The Asahi Shimbun Fukushima Bureau, The Mainichi Newspapers Fukushima Branch, The
Yomiuri Shimbun, the Sankei Shimbun Co. Ltd., Fukushima Branch Office, The Kahoku Shimpo,
Nikkei Inc. Fukushima Bureau, Jiji Press Ltd., Fukushima Bureau, Kyodo News Fukushima
Bureau, NHK Fukushima, Radio Fukushima, Fukushima Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd.,
Fukushima Central Television, Fukushima Broadcasting Co., Ltd., TV-U Fukushima, Inc., FM
Fukushima

Venue Fukushima City Music Hall, Grand Hall

1-1 Irie Town, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-8117 Japan

Tentative Time March 17 March 18 March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22

Schedule Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. Mon.
Competition
10:00 Grand Champion
Competition Workshop

14:30 Special
Category I Category II Category III program
16:00 Award
Ceremony

18:00 Award Award Award

Ceremony Ceremony Ceremony
Welcome Party
(Meeting)
(Hall Visit) (Hall Visit) (Hall Visit) for tomorrow

*Open at 9:30a.m. Start at 10:00a.m. on March 18 – 21. / This schedule is subject to change by the committee.

Program ・Category Competition

・Grand Champion Competition
 Competed by Gold titled choirs (top 5 choirs) in each category
・Special Program
・Welcome Party with local choirs
・Workshop
 Presentation on traditional music and culture by overseas choirs and local choirs.

*Overseas choirs will be asked to perform at the Category Competition, Workshop and Welcome
Party.

The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016 1

 Competition Rules

Category Category I : Ages 12 - 15

Category II : Ages 15 ‒ 18
Category III :
  Group 1 : Ages 6 ‒ 12
  Group 2 : Other than Category I, II and Group 1

*Ages are determined as the age of the participant on the day of March 21, 2016.

*Some singers of ages 12-15 (Category I) and ages 15-18 (Category II) can participate in Group
1, only if the number of ages 6-12 is biggest compared to ages 12-15 and ages 15-18
respectively.

*The singers of ages 12-15 (Category I) and ages 15-18 (Category II) must sing as a children’
s choir,
when in Group 1.

*Overseas choirs will be asked to perform at the Welcome Party on March 21 and Workshop
on March 22 in addition to the Category Competition.

*Overseas choirs, who enter Category III, Group 1 or 2, will receive financial assistance of
Max JPY 7,000 per night for 3 nights from March 19 to March 21 for each choir member (up
to 18 persons). Please refer to the section of Accommodation and Financial Assistance.

Entry a. The number of singers should be 2-16 (no fewer than 2 and no more than 16) and member
Qualification changes for musical pieces will be approved only within the registered members.
b. No singer shall compete as a member of more than one choir, regardless of the categories.
A conductor and an accompanist will not be included in this regulation.
c. For Japan-based choirs, the number of school choirs shall be limited to one from each
school in either Category I or II.
d. No qualification is required for a conductor or an accompanist. For Japan-based choirs, a
principal shall approve a conductor or an accompanist for Category I or II.
e. A conductor and an accompanist will be included in the singers when they sing in the
choir.
f. The Gold titled choirs (Top 5 choirs in each category) shall proceed to the Grand
Champion Competition on the last day.
g. In principle, a singer who have not registered in the category competition will not be able
to perform in the Grand Champion Competition.

Performance a. There is no compulsory work in any category. All music pieces performed will be
determined by the competitors. Any change will not be allowed after registration.
b. For each category, the overall duration of performance time from the beginning of the first
piece until the end of the last piece (including time between songs) must not exceed 10
minutes.
c. For the Grand Champion Competition, the overall duration of performance time from the
beginning of the first piece until the end of the last piece (including time between songs)
must not exceed 15 minutes.
d. Tuning musical instruments on stage is included in the performance time.
e. Failure to comply with the above rules will result in disqualification.

Order of a. The order of performance in each category shall be determined by lottery, drawn by
Performance representatives from each choir on a specified date. Choirs that cannot attend the lottery
shall leave the selection to the organizer.
b. In the 9th annual competition, the performance of Group 1 will be followed by Group 2 in
Category III.
c. When a conductor or an accompanist performs in more than one choir, and their schedule
in the venue is in conflict with others, the lottery will be held again to resolve the conflict.
d. The order of performance for the Grand Champion Competition shall be determined by lot,
drawn by the organizer, and will be announced at a later date.

2 The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016

Accompani- a. The instruments and style of accompaniment shall be up to each competing choir.
ment b. A piano (Steinway&Sons), a cembalo (J.C.Neupert), a positive organ and a pipe organ
(Marcussen&Sons) will be provided by the organizer. The pitch of the piano will be
A=442Hz.
c. If the contestants use musical instruments other than the above, they are expected to carry
their own instruments, and will be responsible for the required expenses.
d. If the contestants require a person to turn the pages of notes, each choir shall prepare for
it.

Judging and a. The following judges will evaluate the competition.

Evaluation Peter Phillips (Conductor), Keiichi Asai (Chorus Master),
Fumiya Amamori (Chorus Master), Tadashi Isoyama (Musicologist),
Maki Ueda (Composer), Hiroto Kiyohara (Chorus Master), Masahiro Sato (Conductor)
b. Each competition is evaluated according to a round system specified separately.
c. Results of the category competition and judges’ comments will be mailed to each participating
choir after the competition.

Prizes and a. The competition will be evaluated in each category, and Gold (Top 5 choirs in each
Awards category), Silver, Bronze or Excellence prizes will be awarded to every participating choir
in each category.
b. Even if they are not selected as one of the top 5 choirs, at least one choir from either
group shall qualify for the Grand Champion Competition as an extra Gold winner in
Category III, provided that the number of participating choirs in that group is no fewer
than 6.
c. In the Grand Champion Competition, JPY 500,000 will be awarded to the best choir, JPY
300,000 to the 2nd winner, JPY 100,000 to the 3rd winner and JPY 30,000 to other
finalists.
d. In addition, the“Governor of Fukushima”Award will be awarded to the best choir,“Mayor
of Fukushima”Award to the 2nd winner,“Superintendent of Education”Award to the 3rd
winner.

Rehearsal a. On the day of the performance, the participating choir will be able to do a rehearsal twice
at the venue.
b. Also, the travel agency authorized by the organizer will book a rehearsal room in the city.
c. Up to 2 members of the participating choirs can look over the competition hall on the day
before the performance.

Copyright a. Copyright royalties for the pieces managed by the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors,
Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) will be paid by the organizer.
b. If the competitors partially omit or rearrange the piece, they have to gain an approval from
the copyright holder in advance.

Information a. The information provided by the participating choirs will be used for organizing the
competition, such as posting on websites, printing in publications, recording to CDs or
DVDs, and provided to the mass media and parties related to management of the
competition.
b. The organizers or the companies authorized by the organizer may use pictures, sound
recordings and video recordings on the Internet, in publications and broadcasting, and
provide the information to the mass media. The companies authorized by the organizer will
sell pictures and recordings in the form of photos, CDs or DVDs.

The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016 3

 Conditions of Participation

Preliminary Japan-based choirs

Screening Applicants have to be recommended by the choral association of each prefecture or approved
by the organizer through the preliminary screening. Some choirs could be qualified by
recommendation by the organizer.

Overseas choirs
Applicants have to be approved through the preliminary screening conducted separately
prior to the one for Japan-based choirs. Some choirs could be qualified by recommendation by
the organizer.

Applications for the preliminary screening;

a. An Application form written in English
b. A recent recording of the choir recorded by 2-16 expected singers, after April 2015.
*The screening process will be conducted anonymously. Therefore, the choir’s name and any
other sounds except the performance must not be recorded on the CD etc.
*The time of performance shall be within 10 minutes, and the choral pieces can be different
from the ones to be performed in the competition. The each piece must be recorded on
separate tracks.
*The recording media shall be either a cassette tape, a CD(CD-DA format) or a MD. DVDs
are not acceptable. The recording media will not be returned.
c. One digital photo showing the choir

Deadline: October 31, 2015

*The result of the preliminary screening will be announced by November 30, 2015 at the
latest.

Registration Qualified Choirs should provide the following documents.

Registration Documents;
a. Fully completed registration forms.
b. A bank cheque or proof of bank transfer covering the participation fee (only if you select
bank transfer).
c. 7 original scores for the category competition

Deadline: a.&b. December 15, 2015 / c. January 15, 2016

*The mailing address will be announced later.

Participation Japan-based choirs

Fee Ticket fees will be charged when the choirs participate as an audience. The costs for CDs,
DVDs and photos will be announced separately later.

Overseas Choirs
For participation in the competition, a non-refundable participation fee of JPY 20,000 has to be
paid per choir after being selected through the preliminary screening. Any costs that arise
must be paid by the applicant.

The registration fee JPY 20,000 per choir covers;

a. Free entry to the competitions, Welcome Party and Workshop for each choir member
including the accompanist and the conductor
b. Program booklet per choir member
c. CD recorded by the authorized agent
d. Photo taken by the authorized agent

Payment Methods;
a. Credit Card
b. Bank Transfer *The bank details will be notified later.

Deadline: December 15, 2015

4 The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016

Accommodation / Japan-based choirs
Meals / Transport The participating choirs will be responsible for their travel and accommodation costs. The
general travel services could be provided by travel agents authorized by the organizer.

Overseas choirs
The organizer provides the following package.
NO. Package Room 3 nights per person Additional day per person
1 Economy Hotel Twin JPY 27,000 JPY 9,000
2 Twin JPY 30,000 JPY 10,000
Deluxe Hotel
3 Single JPY 33,000 JPY 11,000

This package includes;

a. Accommodation for 3 nights, March 18-21 (check-out)
b. 10 Meals
 3 × breakfast, 4 × lunch, 3 × dinner (from lunch on March 18 to lunch on March 21)
 including dinner at Welcome Party and lunch at Workshop
c. Local transportation between the hotel and the venue/rehearsal room
d. Rehearsal rooms
e. English speaking guide

*The participating choirs will be responsible for their own costs of travel and accommodation.
However, the competition has a fund to support overseas choirs with accommodation costs,
JPY 21,000 per person for 3 nights. Please see the section of“Financial assistance.”

Payment Methods;
a. Credit Card
b. Bank Transfer *The bank details will be notified later.

Deadline: January 15, 2016

Financial Japan-based choirs

Assistance Japan-based choirs selected for the Grand Champion Competition will have financial
assistance of Max JPY 7,000 per stay at hotels after selected for the finals for each choir
member, including the accompanist and the conductor. If the choirs should return due to
inevitable reasons, such as attending school events, they will be subsidized partial expenses
up to 7,000 yen per contestant.

Overseas choirs
a. Accommodation: Max JPY 21,000 per person for 3 nights
 Overseas choirs, who are asked to perform at the Welcome Party and Workshop, will
receive financial assistance of Max JPY 7,000 per night for 3 nights from March 19 to
March 21 for each choir member (up to 18 persons), including the accompanist and the
conductor, regardless of whether or not they proceed to the Grand Champion Competition.

Admission/ a. Please kindly note that all applicants will be only admitted as a participant and obtain
Application of visa-related documents issued by us, if we received fully-completed registration forms and
Visa payments.
b. Our authorized travel agency, on request basis, will arrange for non-performers’stay and
issue the documents for visa applications as a tourist, but only if they received
fully-completed applications and payments.

Contact Address
The Executive Committee of the Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition
(Cultural Promotion Division of the Fukushima Prefectural Government)
2-16 Sugitsuma Town, Fukushima City
Fukushima Prefecture
960-8670 Japan

URL http://www.vocalensemble.jp/en/
e-mail bunka@pref.fukushima.lg.jp

The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016 5

 The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016
PRELIMINARY SCREENING APPLICATION FORM
Fill in using block letters and put  mark in the chosen boxes.

Choir
Choir Name in English script

Choir Name in Chinese or Korean Characters (if any)

Address

Country E-mail

Phone Fax

Country code / Area code / Number Country code / Area code / Number
Website

Contact Person
Mr. Ms. Mrs. Dr. Prof.
Name in English script
First Name Last Name

Name in Chinese or Korean Characters (if any)

First Name Last Name
Address

Country E-mail

Phone Fax

Country code / Area code / Number Country code / Area code / Number

Participating in
Category I Category Ⅱ Category Ⅲ Group 1 Category Ⅲ Group 2
(ages 12‒15) (ages 15‒18) (ages 2-16 / up to 18) (others)

List of Choral Pieces ‒ Recording (Max.10min)

No. Title Composer Duration
Example W.A.Mozart 3:00
1.
2.
3.
Male Female Total (2-16 singers)
Number of Singers on the media recording + =
Date Month Year
Date of Recording

6 The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016

 Profile of the choir
Year of Establishment
Main Annual Activities and Highlights

Award History

List of Documents
Put  mark in the column if the document has been enclosed and fill in the number of copies of the document.
 Document Number of Copies
Application Form (with signature) 

A separate CD, MD or tape of sound recording 

(2-16 expected singers/ recorded after Apr.2015/ Max 10min)

Digital photo of the choir

All the documents should be submitted no later than October 31, 2015 to:

The Executive Committee of the Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition

(Cultural Promotion Division of the Fukushima Prefectural Government)
2-16 Sugitsuma Town, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-8670 Japan
E-mail bunka@pref.fukushima.lg.jp

Agreement
We hereby declare that the information given in this form is correct. We also understand and agree to the
competition rules and conditions of participation.
Date Month Year
‒ ‒

Signature Name

Position

The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016 7

 Fukushima 福島
Fukushima is located in the north-east region of Japan and is approximately 200km, 100min by
express train from Tokyo. It is called the “Kingdom of Choirs” in Japan, which has a big population
of music fans and award-winning choirs. Along with its unique music friendly culture, there you
can find abundant natural beauty and traditional samurai culture, which is still being handed
down over the generations. You can enjoy renowned hot spring resorts and historical samurai sites
before/after the competition. Anyone looking for friendship with true music lovers and real experi-
ences of Japan must not fail to visit Fukushima.

Thanks to the support and encouragement from all over the world, Japan has steadily recovered
since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition has
also received hundreds of messages to encourage people in Fukushima. We will never forget the
warm and heart-felt moments that we have shared with participants of the competition.

Now we are sure music has the power to get people together and bring about hope and encourage-
ment. The Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition will keep going on to convey the joy of singing
together.

＊ ＊ ＊
*The “city” of Fukushima is in the middle of the “prefecture” of Fukushima, and the Fukushima Music Hall is
more than 60km away from the Fukushima Daiichi Plant. There is no restriction advised on Fukushima City. For
more details, please refer to our website.

8 The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016

 Fukushima
Prefecture
Sapporo
Shin Chitose Airport
福島県

to Sendai
Approx.
1hr.5min.
Tohoku
Expressway
Fukushima
to Niigata
Mt.Adatara-yama
Mt.Bandai-san Tohoku
Shinkansen
Fukushima Ban’etsu
Prefecture Expressway Lake
Aizuwakamatsu Inawashiro
Koriyama
Fukushima
Approx. Airport
1hr.15min.
Fukushima
Airport
Tokyo Narita Airport
Shirakawa Iwaki
to Tokyo
Joban
Osaka Expressway
Osaka International (Itami) Airport
to Tokyo

Aizu-Wakamatsu, which used to be a

castle town during the Edo Period with 139 gushing hot springs.
(1603-1867)

From Fukushima Airport

Approx. 75min to the hotel in Fukushima city by complimentary taxi

From Narita Airport

Route1
Narita Airport ▶ Tokyo Station Approx.1hr - 1hr 30min by Express Train“Narita Express”
Tokyo Station ▶ Fukushima Station Approx.1hr.30min by Express Train“Tohoku Shinkansen”
Route2
Narita Airport ▶ Keisei Ueno Station Approx.45min - 1hr 50min by Keisei Railway trains
Keisei Ueno Station ▶ Tokyo Station Approx. 5min on foot
Tokyo Station ▶ Fukushima Station Approx.1hr.30min by Express Train“Tohoku Shinkansen”
Route3
Narita Airport ▶ Fukushima Station Approx. 5hrs 20min by Highway Bus (only 2 services a day)

助成 公益財団法人朝日新聞文化財団
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN FOUNDATION

The 9th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2016 9

 ~
ng voices, resonating to the t r ue skies
ngi
~ In
s p i rin g si

The 9th Fukushima

Vocal Ensemble
Competition 2016