WorldFestivalAssociation

INVITATION

The From 6th to 12th July, 2025 the suggestive Cittadella Fortificata - Castello di Milazzo will stage the event created and organized by the “Cantica Nova” Choral Association - Artistic Director, Francesco Saverio Messina - whose vocal ensemble has been performing since 1989. The previous editions of the InCanto Mediterraneo Festival, which have taken place biannually since 2009, have welcomed over 60 choirs and 2000 choir members from nations such as Finland, Bulgaria, The Philippines, Lithuania, Slovenia, Taiwan, Russia, Spain, China, Estonia, Turkey, Belarus, Latvia, Poland, Greece, Slovakia, Brazil, Hungary as well as many different Italian regions..

WHERE: MILAZZO, SICILY 

WHEN: 6TH - 12TH JULY 2025

WHAT: A NON COMPETITIVE AND A COMPETITIVE SECTION

Art. 1. The festival is reserved exclusively for choirs and vocal ensembles of non-professional singers.

 Art. 2. There are two different sections: EXHIBITION SECTION and COMPETITION SECTON Choirs can take part in both sections. 

Art. 3. There will be no reimbursement of costs for participating choirs. The festival organizers have arranged various accommodation and catering options for participating choirs. 

Art. 4 EXHIBITION SECTION 6 – 8 July 2025 This is a NON COMPETITIVE section which takes place over two different evenings:

 - Sunday 6 

- Tuesday 8 

Participating choirs will perform a free program which must contain at least three pieces from different periods, styles and genres.
Choirs wishing to take part in this section should fill in the application form and attach:

 - a video-recording of a recent performance by the choir (within the last 12 months) indicating the date and place of the performance; 

- choir’s curriculum; 

- conductor’s curriculum;

 - performance programme of no more than 15-20 minutes; 

- photo of the choir; 

- photo of the conductor. 

Choirs should indicate on the application form on which evening they would prefer to perform; it’s possible to participate in both evenings.
The Festival organizers will proved only a digital piano for performances. 

Art. 5 COMPETITION SECTION Choirs wishing to participate should fill in the application form and attach: 

- A video-recording of a recent performance by the choir (within the last 12 months) indicating the date and place of the performance;

 - choir’s curriculum;

 - conductor’s curriculum;

 - performance programme; 

- photo of the choir;

 Þ photo of the conductor. 

SACRED MUSIC COMPETITION 10 July 2025 This section is COMPETITIVE and open to all types of choir and vocal ensembles. Participating choirs will present a single programme of sacred music to be performed EXCLUSIVELY “a cappella” and lasting between 15-20 minutes, on Thursday 10th. It is compulsory for the programme to contain at least three pieces from different periods, styles and genres, to be chosen from the following:

 - Gregorian 

- Byzantine 

- Orthodox 

- Renaissance 

- Baroque 

- Romantic

 - 20th Century 

- Contemporary 

- Spiritual.

 Performances are open to the public. The marks given by the Jury will determine the final classification for awarding 3rd, 2nd and 1st place in the Sacred Music Competition. 

COMPETITION FOR THE INCANTO MEDITERRANEO TROPHY 11 - 12 July 2025
This is a COMPETITION section and is open to the following categories:

- Category A – CHOIRS AND VOCAL ENSEMBLES mixed/male-voice/female-voice with a minimum of four members;

 - Category B – YOUTH CHOIRS with a minimum of 12 members under 26 years of age (only 2 members over this age limit are permitted); 

- Category C – CHILDREN’S CHOIRS with a minimum of 12 members under 14 years of age (only 2 members over this age limit are permitted).
The Festival organizers reserve the right to unite Categories A, B and C into a single category.
Participating choirs will present two different programmes (one on Friday 11th and the other on Saturday 12th) each lasting beween 15-20 minutes.
It is compulsory for both programmes to include at least three pieces from different periods, styles and genres to be chosen from the following: 

- Medieval 

- Renaissance 

- Baroque 

- Romantic 

- 20th Century 

- Contemporary 

- Pop

 - Jazz 

- Folk 

- Spiritual. 

It is also compulsory for choirs to perform (in one of the two programmes) at least one piece either composed or arranged by a contemporary Italian composer, to be chosen from the selection of pieces indicated by the Festival organizers (these can be downloaded from the Festival web-site). 

Choirs participating in Category A and Category B must perform EXCLUSIVELY “a cappella” (only unpitched percussion instruments can be used). 

Choirs participating in Category C must perform at least one piece from each programme “a cappella”; for the other pieces, they can use any type of instrumental accompaniment, excluding pre-recorded backing tracks. 

The Festival organizers will provide only a digital piano for performances. Performances are open to the public. 

The final marks for each choir will be obtained by calculating the average of the marks given by the Jury for both performances. 

CHOIRS CAN PARTICIPATE IN BOTH COMPETITIONS.
CHOIRS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO REPEAT PIECES PERFORMED IN THE EXHIBITION SECTION FOR THE COMPETITIONS.
CHOIRS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO REPEAT PIECES PERFORMED IN THE EXHIBITION SECTION AND IN THE SACRED MUSIC COMPETITION FOR THE INCANTO MEDITERRANEO TROPHY COMPETITION. 

Art. 6 Performances in the Competition Section will take place in front of a panel of highly qualified international Judges chosen by the Festival’s Artistic Committee. The Jury will evaluate the choirs’ performances using the following criteria: 

- TECHNICALQUALITY (intonation, execution and vocal affinity) 

- VOCAL QUALITY - STYLISTIC QUALITY (performance) 

- PROGRAMME QUALITY 

The marks given for each choir will be out of a hundred. 

Art. 7 CLASSIFICATION AND PRIZES The following prizes will be awarded: ® All choirs participating in the Exhibition Section and the Competition Section will receive a participation certificate; 

® Certificates will be awarded to choirs classified in 3rd, 2nd and 1st place in the Sacred Music Competition; 

® Prize of € 500,00 to the choir classified in 1st place in the Sacred Music Competition; 

® InCanto Mediterraneo Trophy Competition:

 - BRONZE MEDAL CERTIFICATE → to choirs obtaining between 70,00/100 and 79,99/100 marks 

- SILVER medal certificate → to choirs obtaining between 80,00/100 and 89,99/100 marks 

- GOLD medal certificate → to choirs obtaining between 90,00/100 and 100/100 marks 

- Certificate of Merit for the BEST PERFORMANCE of a PIECE BY A CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN COMPOSER 

- Prize of € 500,00 to the 1st placed choir in Category A - Prize of € 500,00 to the 1st placed choir in Category B

 - Prize of € 500,00 to the 1st placed choir in Category C 

- Prize of € 1.000,00 and “INCANTO MEDITERRANEO” Trophy to the overall Festival 1st prize winner, awarded to the choir with the highest marks from the three categories (A, B, C). The jury reserves the right to award any other prizes it considers appropriate. 

The awards ceremony for both competitions, will take place on Saturday 12th. 

Art. 8 Choirs wishing to participate in the festival should send their APPLICATION FORMS and all the necessary attachments no later than 11 April 2025, 

Art. 9 The Organizing Committee will communicate their final decision to accept or deny each choir’s application by email, by 25 April 2025. 

The Artistic Committee reserve the right to ask choirs to substitute pieces indicated on their application form, giving as much notice as possible in this case. No later than 10 May 2025 the choirs accepted for participation in the festival Competition Section should:

 ® Confirm their participation by e-mail and pay the following registration fees:

 - € 100,00 to participate in the Sacred Music Competition only 

- € 180,00 to participate in the Incanto Mediterraneo Trophy Competition only 

- € 250,00 to participate in both Competitions. 

Choirs participating in Categories B and C for the Incanto Mediterraneo Trophy Competition, must also send an email with a list of the choir members along with their date of birth. There is no application fee for choirs taking part in the EXHIBITION SECTION, and they do not need to send any scores. 

Art. 10 The Festival Organization Committee reserves all rights to any audiovisual recording and transmission of performances, for noncommercial purposes, and the participating choirs will not receive any payment for these.

 Art. 11 The Festival Organization Committee reserves the right to make changes to the above rules, and assumes the responsibility to communicate any changes to all participants. 

Art. 12 Participation in the Festival necessitates full understanding and acceptance of the above rules.



Jury:
- María Guinand from Venezuela - Choral and orchestral conductor, college professor, teacher and leader of national and interna-tional choral projects and has specialized in Latin American Choral Music of the 20th and 21st centuries. She was awarded the ‘Kulturpreis’ (1998) by the Inter Nationes Foundation (1998), the ‘Robert Edler Preis für Chormusik’ (2000), the Helmuth Rilling Prize (2009), the Life Achievement Award by the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) (2019), Life Achievement Choral Award (World Youth and Children Choral Artists’ Association, Honk Kong, China) (2020) and the Honorary Doctorate of the Metropolitan University, Caracas, Venezuela (2023). Amongst her responsibilities, she has been Professor of Music and Choral Conducting at the University Simón Bolívar (Caracas, Venezuela 1976-2019), Associate Conductor of Choral Sym-phonic Performances of El Sistema (Caracas, Venezuela 1976-2012), Artistic Director of the pro-gram ‘Música para Crecer’ of the Andean Bank of Development (LatinAmerica 2003-2017), Vice-President and Advisor of the International Federation for Choral Music (1996-2014/ 2017-2023/2023-2026), Member of the International Music Council (UNESCO 2002-2004) and Member of the World Choir Council of Interkultur. (2017-); Founder and artistic Director of the Cantoría Alberto Grau (1976-2012) and  Orfeón Universitario Simón Bolívar (1976-2008). She is frequently invited as guest conductor, adjudicator, jury member, lecturer and professor of choral music in USA, Canadá, LatinAmerica, Europe, Asia and Oceanía, and has premiered many new works. She is currently the Artistic Director of the Fundación Schola Cantorum de Venezuela, directs the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela (1992- ) and Coral Fundación Empresas Polar (1992-).

- Alberto Grau from Venezuela - Distinguished composer, conductor, and teacher Alberto Grau (b. 1937) has earned a place of  honor among the best contemporary  Venezuelan musicians. He is known as a choral conductor and  as one of the leading figures in choral composition in Latin America and the world. His works have been published by Earthsongs (USA), N.J.Kjos (USA),A Coeur Joie (France), Oxford University Press (England), GGM editors (Venezuela) and receives permanently commissions from choirs all over the world. His books  ‘The making of a conductor’ and ‘The making of the composer’ are references for young conductors and musicians.He is the honorary and founder director of Schola Cantorum de Venezuela , the Orfeón Universitario Simón Bolívar and the Ave Fenix Choir and of  the Project of Social Action for Music of CAF. He was a member of the Board of ‘El Sistema’ and Vice-President of IFCM. He was also professor of Choral Conducting in  the University Simón Bolívar in Caracas and Director of the Choral Symphonic productions of  ‘El Sistema’. Currently he is composer in residency of the Fundacion Schola Cantorum de Venezuela and of Pro-Coro Canadá (2020-2022). He has been awarded the National Prize of Composition ‘José Angel Montero’ in Venezuela on 3 occasions, the prize of the International Day of Choral Singing  (Barcelona, Spain 1979), the first prize of  Composición y Expresión Coral (Gran Canarias, Spain 1998) and the Life Achievement Award of IFCM (2015).In 1967 he founded the Schola Cantorum de Caracas and won First Prizes in the 1974 Guido D’Arezzo International Competition in Italy. He has attended important international congresses and festivals with his choirs  and also as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and professor of choral music. More than thirty recordings provide evidence of his fine musicianship and extensive knowledge of  the choral repertoire.

-Anna Tabita Abeleda Piquero (Philippines) - Anna Tabita Abeleda Piquero is an international choral conductor. She is fondly described by her colleagues as the woman with the Midas Touch, transforming the choirs she handles into beautiful, angelic, award-winning choirs.  From ordinary university choirs, she transformed the University of the East Chorale, University of the Visayas Chorale, and the University of Asia and the Pacific Chorale into award winning choirs in a short span of time.Her choirs reaped top awards in Asia and Europe making them a few of the best University choirs in the Philippines. Under her, these choirs won top prizes at the Busan Choral Festival and Competition, UE Chorale who was the Grand Prix winner 2 years in a row 2006 and 2007, Koro Ilustrado who won silver and gold, and JRG Visayas Chorale who won silver and bronze in 2007. Her style of teaching and passion for excellence allowed her to be featured as guest conductor of the Busan Metropolitan Chorus in 2010 as well as the Asian Youth Choir 2010. She was featured as a conductor of the Indonesian Youth Choir 2018 in Bali, Indonesia, and the Three Universities Union Choir Camp in Tsing Hua, Taiwan. Aside from conducting, she also makes her own choral arrangements of folk and pop music which are also well loved worldwide.She was the featured arranger for the 6th Angeles City Choral Festival, 2019, and recently was declared champion of the Bondi Cara Venezia, an international choral composition and arrangement competition in Venice, Italy.   Her choral roots were first, as a member and assistant conductor of the U.P Singing ambassadors, afterwards, as a member of the Philippine Madrigal Singers.She served three terms as artistic board member of the Philippine Choral Directors Association.  She now pursues her Masters in Choral Conducting at the St. Paul University, Philippines.

- Voicu Popescu from Romania - Choir conductor, a graduate of the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania, he began his professional career as a member of the “Madrigal” National Chamber Choir and, later on, collaborated with it as choir master. In 1994 he founded the SOUND Choir, as well as the SOUND Cultural Foundation which enabled him to organise concert tours, festivals, and choral symposia and master classes. Between 1988 and 2018 he was conductor of the Romanian Radio Children’s Choir. He made special recordings for the Romanian Radio’s Sound Archives and took part in vocal-symphonic concerts and many a cappella projects. His over 60 participations in artistic tours, festivals and international competitions (in Europe, USA, Canada and Japan) have earned him numerous medals and prizes, along with professional recognition from specialised critics. He has written articles, held choral art classes and been invited to be part of juries in national and international choral competitions. He has conducted choral workshops organised in various cultural centres by the following associations: Cantascuola - Turin, Cantica Nova - Milazzo, ARS Cori - Sicily, I Piccoli Cantori - Barcellona P.G., AERCO - Emilia Romagna, The Union of Moldavian Musician - Kishinev, COREARTE - Barcelona, Medellin and Rio de la Plata, SODRE - Montevideo, Associazione Estro Armonico – Salerno, A.M.J. - Usedom. He is mentioned in the following volumes: “The Madrigal Constellation” by Iosif Sava, “Madrigal or the Magic of Sounds” by Grigore Constantinescu, “The Spring of Music” by Grigore Constantinescu, “The Contemporary Who’s Who”, “Encyclopaedia of Romanian Personalities”, “20 Years of SOUND” by Dana-Irina Stanculea, and “Overview of Choral Conducting Art and Technique in Romanian Music” by Mariana Popescu. 

- Josep Pratz from Spain - Born in 1953, Josep Prats studied at the conservatories of Barcelona and Badalona, and trained in choir conducting with Antoni Ros Marbà, Laszlo Héltay and Jordi Casas.He has been conductor of the Cor Ciutat de Tarragona and Coral Cantiga, professor at the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona and the Conservatori del Liceu as well as guest conductor for different choirs, both amateur and professional. He is also the artistic director of the "Cantània" program, which is organized annually by the Pedagogical Service of the Barcelona Auditorium.Josep Prats has worked in numerous national and international choral festivals and competitions, and in several editions of the Europa Cantat festival; he often teaches choral conducting courses everywhere. Artistic advisor on several occasions of the Catalan Federation of Choirs (FCEC) and the Permanent Music Committee of the European Federation, he has also been musical director of the Lleida International Courses and the Tarragona Singing Week.