Bach Competition for Young Artists

Colorado Bach Ensemble is very excited to announce our plans for the 2023–2024 Bach competition for aspiring vocal soloists interested in the music of J. S. Bach. Following a preliminary round of recorded solo submissions due by February 18, 2024, four to eight finalists will be chosen to participate in our LIVE final round concert on May 18, 2024 in Colorado. The concert will feature one of Bach’s lesser-known works, Mass in G Minor, BWV 235, as well as several of Bach’s beloved arias from other cantatas and large works. One First Prize Winner and one Runner-Up will be selected at the conclusion of the concert, winning $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. In addition to the cash prizes, each will have a chance to perform with CBE in future seasons at the discretion of the Artistic Director.

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Eligibility

The competition is open to young artists who:

Have completed undergraduate studies
Are pursuing a professional vocal career
Are 22 – 28 years old

Other Requirements:

Participants must provide a recommendation from a teacher or professional familiar with the their work and a copy of identification (i.e. driver’s license or passport) with their application to confirm eligibility.
Additionally, applicants who are not US citizens will need to present proof of employment authorization in the United States.
Only complete applications submitted by Sunday, February 18, 2024 TBD will be considered by the judges.

Preliminary Round Guidelines & Details

Recorded Video:

We will begin reviewing application materials and videos after the submission deadline of Sunday, February 18, 2024.
Videos must have been recorded after January 1, 2024.
For the video, applicants should sing one recitative and one aria from any work by J.S. Bach.
The recit and aria can be from the same work OR from different works
Your selections do not need to be memorized.
Please announce your selections and the work(s) before performing them
Your video must be recorded from one angle that does not change. No video edits are allowed.
- If the recit and aria are from the same work and back to back, you should announce them both at the beginning and then perform them back to back.
- If the selections are from different works, announce the title of the recit and work prior to performing it, and then do the same with the aria.
No sound editing is allowed whatsoever.
You should perform with a live collaborative pianist/instrumentalist.

Application

Download and complete the application form (found below).
Upload a completed and signed application form, along with all supplemental materials to a Google Drive Folder and share it with cobachensemble@gmail.com. Materials to include:
1. Application Form
2. Recommendation from a teacher or professional who is familiar with your work.
3. Copy of identification to confirm eligibility.
4. Resume and/or brief biography (no more than 250 words).
5. A video file of your audition.
6. Optional: Headshot as a .jpeg file
A non-refundable application fee of $60.00 is required with the application. The fee may be paid with Credit Card or transfer via PayPal. (See instructions below for more detail.)
Please email cobachensemble@gmail.com after you have shared your Google Drive folder and paid the application fee, so we can confirm receipt.
Applications will be accepted until the end of the day on Sunday, February 18, 2024.

Final Round Concert Guidelines & Details

May 18, 2023 • Christ Church Denver, 7:00 PM

A concert featuring the finalists on Bach’s BWV 235 and other favorite arias.

Applicants will be notified by Sunday, March 17, 2024 if they have been selected to participate in the live final concert with Colorado Bach Ensemble. After that, more details will follow (i.e. which aria(s) to prepare, etc).
The concert will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2024 with a full day of rehearsals on Friday, May 17.
At a minimum, finalists should expect to be present in Colorado all day Friday and Saturday, May 17-18. CBE will provide a $500 stipend for finalists from out-of-town to help offset travel and hotel expenses.
One Winner and one Runner-Up will be selected at the conclusion of the concert on May 18.
A check of $2,000 for the winner and $1000 for the runner-up will be presented at the conclusion of the concert on May 18th.

Other Important Information

The artistic director will review videos and additional materials following February 19th. Applicants will be notified by March 17, 2024 if they have been selected to participate in the live final concert on May 18, 2024.
Colorado Bach Ensemble reserves the right to dismiss any application if it is found to be ineligible or misleading in any way.
Entry in this competition constitutes the contestant’s authorization to use his or her name, photograph, preliminary video submission and/or biographical information for publicity purposes on our website, through email, on our YouTube channel, and other social media outlets.
- CBE encourages participants to freely share and promote their video and your participation in the competition through email and other social media outlets, as well.
- Applicants should keep copies of all materials sent with their applications. CBE will not be returning documents or videos.
- Decisions of who moves on to the final round and ultimately wins the competition are final and not subject to questions, revisions, or appeal.
In addition to the cash prizes, the winner and runner-up will have a chance to perform with CBE in future seasons at the discretion of the Artistic Director.

Pay Registration via PayPal

A non-refundable application fee of $60.00 is required with the application.

Click the button below. If you have a PayPal account, you can use that or you can simply pay with a credit or debit card. Email cobachensemble@gmail.com after you have shared your application materials via Google Drive Folder and paid your application fee to confirm receipt.

Pay Registration Fee