Participation

The Chorus Review will be held by the City of Tampere on 12–15 June 2025.

The purpose of the Chorus Review is to encourage choirs to set goals for their singing and thus to improve the quality of their performance. In addition, the Review offers choirs the possibility of assessing their skills in comparison with other choirs, Finnish and international.

All choirs performing without electronic amplification are allowed to participate in the Chorus Review, regardless of their type or size.

To enter the Chorus Review, pay the participation fee and fill in the online entry form, which will be available on the Tampere Vocal Music Website tamperevocal.fi from 7 January to 28 February 2025. Entries must be received no later than 28 February 2025. Entries received after the deadline will be disqualified.

• The following enclosures must be attached to the online entry form:
  CV or presentation of the choir
• photo of the choir (resolution at least 300 dpi, a horizontal photo: image width at least 2000 px) and name of the photographer. The organiser shall have the right to use the photo attached to the entry form in printed matter and marketing materials for the Festival and on the Festival website.
• receipt of payment of the participation fee (see section 5)

Also, the following must be submitted by mail no later than 31 March 2025 (post mark date):

• scores of the pieces on the choir’s programme (5 copies of each)
  Only legal sheet music may be used for the Review – either published scores or copies of unpublished scores authorised by the composer and/or arranger.
  If a piece forms part of a larger piece or published collection, authorised copies may be submitted.
  The organiser reserves the right to inspect a choir’s sheet music during the event.
  Scores sent will only be returned to the choir if requested during the Festival. Unclaimed scores will not be returned by mail after the Festival.
• brief summary in English of any songs whose lyrics are not in English (5 copies of each)

Postal address: Tampereen Musiikkijuhlat, Finlaysoninkuja 21 A, FI-33210 Tampere, Finland. The above must be mailed as ordinary letters (more than one if necessary). Letters or parcels that must be collected or signed for will not be accepted.

All choirs that have submitted their entry forms according to the above rules will automatically be accepted for the Chorus Review. However, the organiser reserves the right to restrict the number of choirs invited to attend if scheduling issues so require. In such a case, choirs shall be accepted in the order in which they have submitted their entries.

The participation fee for the Chorus Review is EUR 400 per choir. It must be paid by bank transfer no later than 28 February 2025 (though not before 2 January 2025); the bank details are:

Nordea Bank Finland plc, Helsinki, Finland
SWIFT / BIC: NDEAFIHH
IBAN: FI92 2046 1800 0628 04
Recipient: Tampereen kaupunki
Additional information to be included: ‘Tampere Vocal Music Festival’ and the name of the choir

An entry is valid only if the participation fee has been received by the deadline given above. In the case of a cancellation, the participation fee will not be refunded.

Participating choirs are free to choose their repertoire. The programme should principally comprise a cappella performances. The length of the programme shall be no more than 15 minutes from entrance to exit. If a performance runs over this time limit, it will be interrupted.

The programme must be given on the entry form in the order in which the choir will perform it. The content of the programme must not be changed after it has been submitted. Any accompanying instruments and the names of the accompanists must also be given on the entry form. The concert hall will have a grand piano available, but any other accompanying instruments must be brought by the choirs themselves.

At the concluding concert, the jury will distribute a total of EUR 10,000 in awards. The jury may also, at its discretion, award a Grand Prix to a particularly distinguished choir. All choirs will be sent a diploma with one to three bronze, silver or gold stamps as awarded by the jury, together with a written feedback from the jury, by mail after the festival. If the choir so wishes, it can choose to opt out of the stamp assessment. In this case, the choir will receive a participation certificate and written feedback.

The concluding concert of the Chorus Review will be held on Sunday 15 June 2025 at 14:00. Its purpose is to present a representative cross-section of the Chorus Review. The jury will select the performers and their programme from among the performances in the Chorus Review.

The Chorus Review will have an international five-member jury chaired by Kaija Viitasalo (FI). Other members of the jury: Jennifer Moir (CA/FI), Jan Schumacher (DE), Jani Sivén (FI), Jānis Ozols (LV).

• By submitting an entry form, choirs agree to appear in the Chorus Review on a day and at a time designated by the Tampere Vocal Music Festival. Choirs may rank their preference for a day of performance (Thursday 12 June, Friday 13 June, Saturday 14 June) on the entry form. If necessary, the Tampere Vocal Music Festival will allocate performance times to choirs in the order in which they have submitted their entries.
• By submitting an entry form, choirs undertake to comply with and respect copyright.
• Participating choirs are responsible for all their costs (including but not limited to travel, accommodation and meals). It is recommended that choirs make their travel and accommodation arrangements as far in advance as possible.
• The organiser reserves the right to all radio and television broadcasts, audio and video recordings and photographing of all performances and the right to publish images, recordings and live streamed video online, in social media and in the Festival’s marketing materials, all without reimbursement to the participants.
• The official languages of the Chorus Review are Finnish and English.