Rules

Please read the rules very carefully as they contain all the details necessary regarding the choice of a choir’s programme and the criteria for adjudication. Each choir must be familiar with the rules.

Enrolments and requested documents for the Rimini   International   Choral   Competition   must   be sent through the Entry e-Form (available on the competition website, www.riminichoral.it) before the 10 October 2025 at the latest.

Enrolments will be registered in order of arrival. Enrolments are subject to the approval of the organizing Committee, whose decision will be confirmed to both selected and non-selected choirs by e-mail no later than one week after receiving the application. The groups selected must confirm their application by e-mail immediately and will then, by email receive information giving all further details.

They shall then:

1. Pay an application fee of 200 Euros for the first category chosen and 100 Euros for every additional category (for each choir and for each category chosen) as described in detail at the bottom of the
2. Send not later than the 10 October 2025 the Repertoire e-Form and, by registered post not later than the 15 October 2025, five copies of each work chosen for the category or the categories entered, included the five further copies of the scores for the category X, the Grand Prix (in the event the Choir achieves the final round). Copies of the scores will not be

No enrolments will be considered complete until all these formalities have been met.

1– Competition Categories

The Rimini International Competition includes four normal categories (A, B, C, D) and a special category (X). The same competing Group may participate in not more than three normal categories, if it wishes.

A – Choirs with secular music repertoire. All choirs may participate in this category, with no age or vocal subdivision limits (equal voices and mixed voices). The specification ‘equal voices’ describes the vocal type (SSAA or TTBB, for example) and does not refer to the gender of the singers.

B – Choirs with a sacred music repertoire. All choirs may participate in this category, with no limit on age or vocal subdivision (equal voices and mixed voices). The specification ‘equal voices’ describes the vocal type (SSAA or TTBB, for example) and does not refer to the gender of the singers. 

C – Folk/Spiritual/Gospel/Pop Choirs. All choirs may participate in this category with no age or vocal subdivision limits (equal voices and mixed voices). The specification ‘equal voices’ describes the vocal type (SSAA or TTBB, for example) and does not refer to the gender of the singers. 

D – Children Choirs (The singers of the children’s choirs must not be born before 1 January 2011; non-quota singers born no earlier than 1 January 2009 are admitted up to a maximum number of 15% of the total number of choir members. Choirs intending to enroll choristers born before 1 January 2011 must highlight the names of the out-of-quota choristers in the declaration to be issued by the Choir Manager for the purpose of identification and control).

X – “Grand Prix City of Rimini” Competition (the winners and runners-up from each of the categories, A, B, C and D – if their mark is at least 80,01 points or higher – must be prepared to compete in this category). If a choir is the winner of two or more categories, it will participate only once in category X, which represents the first qualification in order of score, and the choir that came third in the other category will also participate, if its score is 80.01 or higher.

Example: The mixed choir Giuseppe Verdi wins category B with 89.25 points, then wins category A with 85.60 points. The Giuseppe Verdi Choir will therefore participate in the Grand Prix as a mixed choir representing category B together with the choir that came second in that category. For category A, the choirs ranked second and third (if with a score equal to or higher than 80.01) will sing in the Grand Prix

2 – Prizes

At the outcome of each competition, the following prizes will be awarded:

The Jury shall not assign any ex-aequo prize.

The first prize-winners of categories A, B, C, D, will receive a gold-plated hand-made medal. The second prize-winner of categories A, B, C, D will receive a silver-plated hand-made medal. The third prize-winner of categories A, B, C, D will receive a bronzed hand-made medal.

The winner of the “Grand Prix” (category X) will receive a special trophy and a money prize of 1.000 Euros.

The winner of the Grand Prix 2025 will also have the honour to participate in our partner competition: the WORLD CHORAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2026. More information here:

http://www.worldchoralchampionship.org/

Other prizes:

Prize “Emilia Romagna Region”: Diploma and trophy to the best Choir Director of the X category.

Prize “Musica Sacra Nova Composition Competition”: For the choirs participating in category B only, a diploma and a cash prize of 500 euros for the best performance of the winning piece or of the second or third place winner at the 2024 edition of the Sacred Music Composition International Competition ‘Musica Nova’. Sheet music available on request.

The Committee reserves the right to add other prizes.

Choirs will be judged according to the following criteria:

INTONATION

FIDELITY TO THE SCORE

 SOUND QUALITY

OVERALL ARTISTIC IMPRESSION and PROGRAMME CHOICE

The jury will award a maximum of 100 points for each choir, as follows:

95,01-100,00:          Outstanding

85,01-95,00:            Excellent

80,01-85,00:            Very Good

75,01-80,00:            Good

65,01-75,00:            Moderate

According to the mark achieved, Bronze, Silver and Gold Diplomas will be awarded. If the choir does not achieve a Diploma (mark under 65.01) it will receive a certificate of participation.

3 – Repertoire

CATEGORY A (Choirs with a repertoire of secular music): The choice of repertoire to be performed in category A is free for each choir, provided that it includes four pieces with secular lyrics, in any language, as follows:

a) A piece composed before 1750.

b) A piece composed between 1750 and 1900.

c) A piece composed after 1901.

d) A piece of your choice from any desired period.

The duration of the repertoire performed must be between 10 and 17 minutes of ‘pure singing’ (meaning the duration of the pieces only, excluding applause, the time between one piece and another and the time to go on and off the stage). The choir may perform no more than two songs with instrumental accompaniment (with a maximum of three instruments, if provided by the author; small percussion instruments, played by the choir members themselves, are not included in this limit and can be used freely as long as they are written in the score).

CATEGORY B (Choirs with a repertoire of sacred music): The choice of repertoire to be performed, for category B, is free for each choir, as long as it includes four pieces, with sacred lyrics of any religious belief and in any language, as follows:

a) A piece composed before 1750.

b) A piece composed between 1750 and 1900.

c) A piece composed after 1901.

d) A piece of free choice from any desired period.

The duration of the repertoire performed must be between 10 and 17 minutes of ‘pure singing’ (meaning the duration of the pieces only, excluding applause, the time between one piece and another and the time to go on and off the stage). All pieces presented in this category must be performed ‘a cappella’.

CATEGORY C (folk/spiritual/gospel/pop choirs): The choice of repertoire to be performed for category C is free for each choir, provided that it includes a selection of four pieces as follows: Compositions related to the selected category with a total duration of between 10 and 17 minutes of ‘pure singing’ (meaning the duration of the pieces only, excluding applause, the time between one piece and another and the time to go on and off the stage). At least one piece must be performed a cappella, while no more than four musical instruments may be used for accompaniment, if specified by the author and/or arranger. Small percussion instruments, played by the choir members themselves, are not included in this limit and can be used freely as long as they are written in the score. Only for the ‘pop’ sub-category will it be possible to amplify the voice through the use of panoramic microphones, while in no case will it be possible to sing to recorded backing tracks.

CATEGORY D (Children Choirs): The choice of repertoire for category C, is left to each ensemble, but it must include four works, as follows:

a) One piece written before 1900, sung in any language, performed a cappella or with instrumental

b) Two pieces written after 1900 by composers of the same Country of the choir. At least one of the two pieces must be sung in the original language of the composer and at least one of the two must be performed a cappella.

c) One piece chosen freely from any period desired and in any language, performed a

The total duration of performed repertoire must be between 10 and 15 minutes of pure singing time (i.e. the duration of the performed pieces excluding applause and going onto or leaving the stage). The choir must sing at least 2 pieces a cappella (i.e. without any instrumental accompaniment).

CATEGORY X (Grand-Prix): The winners and runners-up (second place) from categories A, B, C and D, if their mark is at least 80,01 points or higher, must be prepared to compete in category.

The choice of repertoire to be performed for the X category is free for each choir, as long as it is consistent with the category to which it belongs and includes three pieces lasting between 7 and 11 minutes of ‘pure singing’ (meaning the duration of the pieces only, excluding applause, the time between one piece and another and the time to go on and off the stage). At least one of the three songs chosen must be sung a cappella, without instrumental accompaniment. No more than two songs previously performed in one of the competition categories may be used.

• No Choir may sing the same repertoire in two or more different categories of competition (A, B, C, D, X).
• Choirs will be penalized by two points for not respecting the time limits set out in the above
• Accompaniment may be provided by a piano or other instrument / Recorded accompaniment is not allowed.
• Subsequent to repertoire entry a choir may not change its repertoire nor the order in which it is to be sung.
• Five copies of each piece of music (plus five for the X category) must be enclosed with the repertoire entry Copies of the scores will not be returned. It is understood that the choirs still have the original scores in adequate number.

4 – Adjudicators and Awarding Ceremonies

The competitions will be judged by a jury of nationally and internationally recognised experts. The names of the choirs admitted to the Grand Prix will be announced at the end of each category (after the jury meeting) but the awarding of the prizes and diplomas for each category will take place during the final prize-giving ceremony on Sunday 16 November 2025, in the evening. Any prizes not collected at any prize- giving ceremony shall be available to the winners for one year following the close of the Competition. Prizes must be collected personally; under no circumstances will prizes be sent. Before the Grand Prix the participating Choirs will have the opportunity to meet the members of the Jury. During this meeting they will have the opportunity to ask the Jury Member’s opinions on technique and about their artistic observations.

5 – Sung Service at the Church of Agostino

The first 10 Choirs selecting this option on the entry form may sing together a Mass directed by Andrea Angelini at the beautiful Church of St. Agostino on Saturday afternoon 15 November 2025 at 16:30. The choirs will also say a short prayer in their own languages. All the information and the repertoire will be sent to the participating choirs via email in due time before the event.

6 – Entry Procedure

When submitting an entry form you must include some MP3 recordings of the choir or some links to YouTube videos, a short biography of the choir in discursive way (max. 1200 characters, spaces included) and a high-quality digital picture of the choir.

The closing date for category entry is 10 October 2025.

The closing date for repertoire entry is 10 October 2025.

Everything needs to be electronically submitted through the e-forms available on our website.

The five paper copies of each music scores shall be submitted by post and by 15 October 2025 to the following address:

Rimini International Choral Competition

Viale Pascoli 23-g 47923

RIMINI – Italy

7 – General

• Ninety per cent of all members of a choir, except the conductor, must be amateurs (i.e. those who do not earn their main livelihood as singers).
• In case of changes of the keys printed in the scores the jury must be informed in writing prior to the
• The Musical Director reserves the right to limit the number of entries for each
• The Musical Director reserves the right to join two categories or to cancel a category if he feels that there are insufficient
• The Musical Director reserves the right to refuse entry to any choir to any category. The Musical director reserves the right to add to or alter these rules.
• The Jury’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding any aspect of its
• Order of appearance will be made by the Musical Director after entry to competition is closed and will be notified by e-mail or fax to each participating choir not later than 25 October 2025.
• In no circumstances shall any person (other than authorised officials) be allowed on the stage or backstage during any category.
• It is contrary to law to perform music if the score has been reproduced Should a choir do so the Festival accepts no responsibility for any action taken by publishers.
• The Festival Organisers and the Musical Director accept no legal responsibility whatsoever in respect of anything pertaining to a choir’s participation in the Festival.
• Submission of an entry form and participation in the festival implies acceptance of all the Competition Rules and

8 – Broadcasting and Recording Rights 

All rights relating to the audio and audiovisual recordings of the event (‘Recordings’) and their exploitation are granted by the choir/artists exclusively to Musicaficta. All rights granted here to Musicaficta may be exploited by Musicaficta in perpetuity without any limitation of time, territory and/or mode of exploitation, free from any rights of third parties. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this includes in particular the following exclusive rights to the Recordings which may also be transferred by Musicaficta to third parties at Musicaficta’s discretion. Musicaficta shall have the exclusive right to reproduce the Recordings, in whole or in part, by producing records on vinyl, CD, DVD, in digital format or other media, and to sell or otherwise distribute such reproductions through retail, wholesale or other distribution channels such as clubs, mail order or telesales. This also includes the right to exploit the Recordings in the context of online applications and in particular the internet of any kind and any system, irrespective of the mode of transmission and the business model, and to use, upload and distribute the Recordings in databases, networks (e.g. YouTube) or anything similar of any kind whatsoever and in particular to disseminate and transmit the Recordings to users of databases/networks via cable or other means of transmission for the purpose of perception and/or reproduction and/or distribution against payment or free of charge. This also includes the right to publicly perform or transmit the Recordings by public or private radio stations, including digital radio services, cable, satellite or other technical transmission services, whether paid or free of charge (including the right to collect on behalf of Musicaficta the transmission rights accrued in relation to the public performance or broadcasting of the Recordings). This also includes the exclusive right to use the Recordings in PC software and in other multimedia productions, including interactive ones (including websites) for goods, services and advertising purposes of any kind. Finally, this includes the non-exclusive right to use the name of the choir/artist and images of the choir/artist in the context of the exploitation and the advertising and promotional measures mentioned above. Musicaficta does not pay the artist any sum of money for the exclusive granting of the above rights. The artist explicitly accepts that the positive promotional effect deriving from the exploitation of the Recordings by Musicaficta represents an adequate return service for this transfer of rights. In the case of commercial publication of the Recordings on CD or multimedia support, the parties will negotiate separately and in good faith an adequate royalty to be paid to the Artist according to standard commercial practice.

9 – Accommodation

The participating choirs at the Rimini International Choral Competition shall book their hotel through the Agency authorized by Musicaficta. All the information about prices of the packages is available at the bottom of this page and on our website here https://www.riminichoral.it/package. This is an exclusive condition and integral part of the conditions for participation and there is no exception to this rule. All included services and rates of the event package are described in the agency offer sent to the requesting choir. The purchase of an accommodation package is three (3) nights minimum. The package includes hotel              accommodation in B&B, half board or full board, the entrance to all the events organized during the event (concerts, competitions) and the possibility to take advantage of all the discounts offered by our partners (museums, leisure parks, restaurants…) The payment to the authorized agencies for the event package is due on the dates indicated on the invoice. Banking information is also located on the invoice. We would like to draw your attention expressly to the fact that participation in the event is only possible if the costs due have been received net and by the last deadline. Delays in payments may affect the benefits of your participation. Any costs incurred due to such action are to be borne by the group. To ask the price of your package please visit our website.

10 – Other information:

The organisers regret that the churches do not have suitable spaces for changing dress or for depositing personal effects. Choirs are therefore requested to arrive at the church already dressed for    their performance. All participating choirs may attend all the competitions and concerts during the days of the Festival; to not disturb the performances of the choirs it is strictly forbidden to stay in the foyer of the theatre/church during the competition time. Choirs will be called by the organisers one at a time and will be permitted to wait in the foyer only during the performance of the Choir immediately preceding them in the programme. During the performance of the category X (Grand Prix) all the finalist choirs must wait their turn whilst remaining seated in the theatre Hall.

Piano: A digital 88 keys piano or a coda piano for accompaniment during the Competition and concerts will be available on the stage.

Music stands: Music stands (for conductors and other musicians) will be provided by the Organisers at the Competition venues.

Additional Concerts: For choirs participating in the Rimini International Choral Competition, our organisation can organise concerts throughout Italy, before or after the competition. Please mark this possibility in the package request form. Our offices are at your disposal to have you sing in magnificent cities such as Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, Lucca, Perugia, Naples, etc.

Festival Fees: A registration fee of 200 Euros for the first category chosen and 100 Euros for every additional category per choir/ensemble and category shall be paid for the participation at the Rimini International Choral Competition. The participation in a non-competitive concert is also included in the registration fee. The registration fee shall be made payable to Musicaficta in full, immediately after the choir has been accepted by the Committee, by bank transfer or by PayPal. Any banking costs that arise must be paid by the registrant. In case a choir cancels its participation, the registration fee will not be refunded. In the unlikely event of cancellation of the Competition by the organizers, fees will be refunded in full.

Travel Expenses: The journey to the event including the travel expenses is responsibility of the choir members and additional persons. Sightseeing excursions aside from the event and airport transfers are not inclusive and must be booked separately.

Language of Correspondence: Italian and English are the only languages that are reflected on official documents. This includes, but is not limited to, the Official Participant Information, travel documents such as schedule and vouchers as well as invoices. These are all legally binding. Information by phone, Skype or email are available in the following languages: Italian, English, and Russian.

Please make sure that your choir is accompanied by at least one Italian or English-speaking person who can assist you with translation during the event.

The Artistic Director of the Competition
Prof. Andrea Angelini

Download the Rules in English	Scarica il Regolamento in Italiano

Salva

Salva

Salva

Salva

Salva

Salva

Salva

Salva

Salva