14th International Baroque Singing Competition “Francesco Provenzale”
Deadline > 31st July 2026
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS AND REGULATIONS
The 14th International “Francesco Provenzale” Competition will take place in Naples from 26 to 28 November 2026, at the premises of the Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de’ Turchini, 38 Santa Caterina da Siena Street.
The competition is open to singers aged 35 or under, specifically those born on or after 26 November 1991, with no distinction of vocal category.
Applicants must complete the application form and attach the following documents:
- A copy of a valid identity document (front and back);
- Tax code / fiscal code (for Italian applicants only);
- Curriculum vitae with photo;
- link to two live performance (audio/video);
- Musical programme for the rounds (preliminary round and final round);
- PDF files of the scores for the pieces to be performed in the preliminary round and the final round;
- Proof of payment of the application fee of € 50,00 to the following bank account:
Banca Intesa
IBAN: IT18K0306909606100000004520
Account holder: Centro di Musica Antica Pietà dei Turchini
SWIFT: BCITITMM
The above materials must also be sent in digital format to the following email address: coordinamento@turchini.it or to the certified email address turchini@pec.it.
Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline set out in this call will not be accepted.
The application fee entitles the candidate to participate in the Competition and is non-refundable.
Applications must be submitted by 31 July (the date of receipt of the email/PEC shall apply), with the following subject line: 14th International Baroque Singing Competition Francesco Provenzale.
Candidates are required to present themselves on the appointed dates and at the scheduled times, carrying a valid identity document, and to remain available for the entire duration of the Competition. Latecomers will be excluded from the Competition, except in cases of duly documented force majeure. Rehearsals with the accompanists will take place during the days of the Competition; the results of the admission process, as well as dates and times, will be communicated by the Competition Secretariat after 1 October.
By submitting an application, candidates implicitly accept all the rules and regulations of the Competition.
ROUNDS
An initial selection will be made, at the unquestionable discretion of the Competition Jury, on the basis of the recordings submitted with the application.
Preliminary round (closed to the public):
Candidates admitted to the Competition must bring with them four copies of the scores for the pieces chosen for both the preliminary and final rounds.
Once admitted to the Competition, candidates must take part in a preliminary round consisting of the performance of one piece chosen from each category (three in total), selected from the prescribed repertoire listed below:
- one solo piece of the candidate’s choice taken from oratorio, sacred, or chamber repertoire by composers of the 16th, 17th, or 18th centuries;
- one scene (recitative and aria) or aria, of the candidate’s choice, taken from the operatic repertoire by composers of the 16th, 17th, or 18th centuries;
- one solo piece of the candidate’s choice (from oratorio, sacred, chamber, or operatic repertoire) drawn from the works of the principal representatives of the Neapolitan School, including: Francesco Provenzale, Cristoforo Caresana, Alessandro Scarlatti, Domenico Scarlatti, Leonardo Leo, Leonardo Vinci, Domenico Sarro, Egidio Romualdo Duni, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Antonio Sacchini, Tommaso Traetta, Johann Adolf Hasse, Nicola Porpora, Nicola Piccinni, Niccolò Jommelli, Domenico Cimarosa, Giovanni Paisiello, Niccolò Zingarelli.
The performance must be given from memory; the use of the score is permitted for oratorio, sacred and chamber compositions.
Candidates must attach to their application the PDF scores of the pieces for both the preliminary round and the final round, together with the proposed programme, and must also provide the jury with four printed copies of the same materials. In the programme, next to each piece, candidates must indicate the accompanying instrument: piano (440/442 Hz) or harpsichord (415 Hz). Candidates must also specify, if they do not intend to make use of the accompanist provided by the Centre, the personal details of their own accompanying musician.
It will not be possible to change the programme of the rounds after submission of the application.
The Jury reserves the right to interrupt and/or request the repetition of a performance. Candidates deemed suitable will proceed to the final round.
Final round (open to the public):
The number of participants admitted to the final round shall be at the discretion of the Jury.
The programme for the final round is free and must consist of two or three pieces, for a maximum duration of 20 minutes. Candidates may decide at their own discretion whether or not to repeat in the final round the pieces performed during the preliminary round.
FINAL CONCERT
The final round will be followed, during the evening of 28 November, by a concert open to the public, featuring the winners of the 14th Francesco Provenzale Competition.
THE JURY
The Jury will be chaired by Anna Bonitatibus and composed of:
Eva-Maria Sens (Director, Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik)
Fulvio Macciardi (General Manager and Artistic Director, Fondazione Teatro di San Carlo)
Alessandro Trebeschi (Fondazione Paolo Grassi, Festival della Valle d’Itria)
Stefano Demicheli (Director of the ensemble Talenti Vulcanici)
Paologiovanni Maione (musicologist and historian of music, Fondazione Pietà de’ Turchini).
The Jury’s decision is final, unquestionable, and not subject to appeal. The Jury may award one or more prizes ex aequo, or may decide not to award the announced prizes should no participant be deemed deserving.
PRIZES
First Prize: € 2.500,00 and participation in a production presented by the Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de’ Turchini.
Second Prize: € 1.500,00 and free participation in a masterclass organized by the Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de’ Turchini.
Third Prize: € 1.000,00 and free participation in a masterclass organized by the Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de’ Turchini.
Prize payments will be made by bank transfer.
The top three prizewinners will receive a diploma, and all candidates may receive a certificate of participation upon request.
PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Candidates selected by the Jury, regardless of whether they are awarded one of the main prizes, may be considered for future artistic collaborations with the Fondazione Pietà de’ Turchini and its partner institutions. In particular, candidates deemed suitable may be invited to take part in opera productions, concerts, and other musical activities included in the Foundation’s programme.
Participation in the Competition therefore represents a concrete opportunity to enter the professional early music circuit through involvement in artistic initiatives, including international projects, promoted or supported by the Foundation. Any such collaborations or engagements will be defined according to the artistic and production needs of the individual projects.
