Competitions › International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch
International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch
Next edition
No future edition is announced on the official pages we could check.
Overview
Opera and oratorio competition held in 's-Hertogenbosch with preliminary selections at several international audition cities, main rounds with piano, and a Grand Finale with orchestra. Each main-round singer must perform the compulsory work Feathers (Veren) by Anne-Maartje Lemereis. A separate LiedDuo category ran in 2023 (56th edition).
- Organiser
- International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch (IVC) foundation
- Instruments
- Voice, Opera, Oratorio, Lied
- Category
- Opera & general voice, Lied & art song, Oratorio & sacred
- Age limits
- Opera/Oratorio 2026: maximum age 34; singers born on or after 11 Oct 1991 and at least 18 at the competition
Rules & repertoire
Registration & fee
deadline: Live auditions: 22 Jan (Łódź) to 9 June (New York); 's-Hertogenbosch live audition deadline 21 May 2026; online YouTube group 1 4 Mar 2026, group 2 23 Jun 2026 (2026 edition; all closed)
fee: Preliminary Selections: EUR 50 (plus EUR 30 for official pianist if not bringing own); Main Competition: EUR 175 on selection
how: Online application portal at ivc.nu; applications open 1 December
Rounds & time limits
- Preliminary Selections: 8-11 minutes total
- Main Rounds: two programmes with piano, 15-18 minutes each
- Grand Finale: with orchestra, 10 Oct 2026
Repertoire
Preliminary: one opera aria and one oratorio aria from two different style periods, in different languages. Main rounds: two programmes with piano, each 2-4 arias; across both, at least three languages, at least two opera and two oratorio arias, works from at least two style periods per programme; compulsory work Feathers (Veren) in every main round.
Jury & prizes
Jury
- 2026 jury: Sir David Pountney (President), Natascha Ursuliak, Sir John Tomlinson, Susanne Schmidt, Paul McNamara, Manuela Ochakovski, Dieter Kaegi, Tobias Hasan, Dàmia Carbonell Nicolau, Susan Bullock
Prizes
- 2026 (EUR): Grand Prix 's-Hertogenbosch 15,000; Toonkunst Prize 7,500; Staetshuys Fund Prize 4,000 (operawire gives 7,500 for this prize, conflicting; official page used); Wagner Prize 3,000 plus 2,000 scholarship; Young Talent Prize (under 25) 3,500; Marianne Blok Prize 3,500; Bierens Foundation Operetta Prize 3,500; Van Amelsvoort Prize 2,500; ANED Fund Audience Prize 1,500; Friends of the IVC Prize 1,500; Press Prize 1,000; Junior Jury Prize 1,000. Total prize fund 50,000 EUR.
Past editions
Summarised from official sources, last checked 10 Nov 2026. Main source