MUSIC BIENNALE ZAGREB 5-MINUTE OPERA COMPETITION

Music Biennale Zagreb Croatian Composers Society, Berislaviceva 9, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia (Hereinafter: HDS
MBZ) calls for applicants to submit their works for the 5-Minute Opera Competition:
I. Aims and Objectives of the Competition:
The competition has set the objective to select ten (10) 5-minute operas which will be premiered at 28th
Music Biennale Zagreb, in April 2015. Among these 10 finalists, a winner will be chosen by the vote of the jury
and the audience, and the composer of the winning piece will receive a commission from Music Biennale
Zagreb for a new opera, which will be premiered in April 2017 at 29th Music Biennale Zagreb.
II. Eligibility of Applications:
5-Minute Opera Competition is open to all composers, regardless of age or nationality.
All submitted pieces must be new works, unpublished and unperformed.
Only one application per composer is allowed. Compositions by more than one composer are not elegible
for application.
There are no restrictions concerning the topic of the opera.
Language: English, French, German, Italian or Croatian. The composer is responsible for securing the
copyrights to the text (libretto) of the work.
Length: up to five minutes (5:00)
Voices and orchestration: soprano (non-coloratura, preferred range: a d3), baritone (preferred range: G
f1 + falsetto up to d2), clarinet (including bass clarinet), bassoon, trumpet (in C/in Bb), violin, viola,
violoncello, piano and percussion (1 percussionist instruments available are: marimba, crotales, gran
cassa, piatto sospeso, tamburo militare, temple blocks, frusta). Use of tape and live electronics is not
permitted.
There is no entry fee.
III. Submission Procedure:
Application consists of two parts:
1) Music materials and accompanying information:
a) score with indicated cast of characters with voice types, size and instrumentation of the
orchestra (not larger than A3 or smaller than A4 format)
b) complete piano-vocal score (reduction)
c) synopsis of the opera summarizing the story in max. 800 characters (with spaces)
d) translation of the libretto in English (if the opera is written in another language)
e) optional: computer simulation of the piece (mp3 or wav)
Judging is blind, therefore composers must remove all identifying labels and printed names from all the
above mentioned materials to assure anonymity! The score should be submitted anonymously, bearing
a letter or digit code.
2) A sealed envelope marked with the same code, containing:
a) filled out and signed application form (which can be downloaded at www.mbz.hr)
b) short biography of the composer

The Application must be sent by post to the following addresses:
Croatian Composers' Society Music Biennale Zagreb
5-Minute Opera Competition
Berislaviceva 9
10 000 Zagreb
Croatia

Handwritten scores are accepted, but computer formatted scores are preferred.

Application deadline: October 1st 2014, 00.00 CET
Applicants are warned that by these deadlines all above mentioned documents related to the Application
must have arrived. Applicants are further warned that postal sending of the Work must be effectuated in
the form of registered mail with recorded delivery. In case the Work is not sent according to the
stipulations of this point, HDS MBZ declines liability of any kind with relation to the delivery of the Work.
Applications that are incomplete or not duly filled will be regarded non-valid.
Applications and scores will not be returned to composers.
VI. Selection Procedure:
The competition will be held in two rounds: preliminary selection of the compositions and the final concert
Competition Finals.
1) Preliminary selection of the works for the Competition Finals:
A distinguished international jury of composers and conductors will select ten (10) operas out of the
applications received for the Competition. These works shall be the Finalists in the competition.
The decision of the Jury and the list of the operas shortlisted for the Finals shall be published by
January 1st 2015, on the www.mbz.hr website. Within 8 days following the publication of the list of
Finalists, composers of the operas shortlisted for the Finals shall be notified by electronic mail at the
contact address indicated in the Application Form.
By the signing of the Application Form Applicants shall expressly acknowledge that the Jury reserves
the right of not selecting any operas to be Finalists, if the quality of submitted applications does not
meet the necessary quality level.
In case of insufficient number of applications, HDS MBZ reserves the right to cancel the competition.

2) Competition Finals:
Ten (10) operas chosen by the jury will be performed at 28th Music Biennale Zagreb (in concert form
only, not staged).
All finalists are obliged to prepare all performance materials (performance score + parts) and grant
their use for the performance free of charge. The materials must be sent by e-mail to the competition
coordinator (Marija Saraga, marija.saraga@hds.hr) until February 1st 2015.
An international jury will decide about the winner of the competition, taking into account the
audiences vote, and their decision will be announced the same evening the Competition Finals take
place. The Jury reserves the right not to select a winner.
All Finalists allow the performances of their operas in the Competition Finals to be audio/video
recorded, and the recordings used for promotional purposes, including making the recording available
on the internet in its entirety.
All finalists will be invited to the Final Concert. Accommodation costs will be covered by HDS MBZ.
3) Prizes
1
st
prize consists in a commission of a new opera (60-90 minutes in duration), which is to be
premiered on 29th Music Biennale Zagreb, in April 2017.
The fee for the above mentioned piece is set to 10.000 gross.
HDS MBZ reserves the right to choose the rest of the team of authors for the new piece (including
the conductor, director, scene and costume designer, light designer), in accordance with the
composer.
This commission and all other specifications of the new work will be confirmed by contract between
HDS MBZ and the winner until January 1st 2016.

2
nd
and 3
rd
prize consist in a performance of one existing work by the authors at 29
th
Music Biennale
Zagreb in April 2017 (2
nd
prize orchestral or ensemble work, 3
rd
prize chamber or solo work). The
works will be chosen by HDS MBZ, in accordance with the composers.
VII. Additional Information:
All additional questions regarding the competition may be addressed to:
Marija Saraga, competition coordinator, marija.saraga@hds.hr, +385 1 4872 369.

VIII. Final provisions:
By signing and submitting the Application Form, Applicants certify and expressly declare that their
participation in the Competition shall not infringe upon any third persons rights, or that they possess the
due authorization for participation in the Competition by any third person concerned. Applicants warrant
that the Work submitted is of individual and original type and no third person has any rights that would
prevent or limit HDS MBZ in the potential use of the Work. HDS MBZ is not obliged to verify the truth
of the statements by the Applicant, and Applicant shall bear all responsibility for these statements while
HDS MBZ shall not be held liable for any resulting charges.
By signing and submitting the Application, Applicants agree and acknowledge that the Application Form,
the Competition Call and the Competition Regulations constitute an indivisible whole. Consequently, by
signing and submitting the Application Form Applicants declare that they have understood and
acknowledged all the provisions contained in the Application Form, Competition Call and Competition
Regulations, and they accept them as binding for themselves, therefore they shall not raise any later
objections or claims with regards to the provisions and their outcomes and expressly and irrevocably
resigns from any such rights by the signing of the said Application Form.
By signing and submitting the Application form Applicants expressly and irrevocably agree that the HDS
MBZ publish their names, photos and the title of their Works along with a short summary of the work in
any publication appearing in relation to the Competition or MBZ (including but not limited to:
newspapers, magazines, periodicals, websites, television, marketing materials, leaflets, etc.).
By signing and submitting the Application Form Applicants acknowledge that any kind of litigation with
respect to the Competition shall be governed by effective Croatian Law in Croatian jurisdiction.