HARY BELA

Hary Bela was born in Simleul Transilvaniei, Romania and educated in Cluj-Napoca, Paris and Weimar where he studied piano, composition and conducting. His teachers included Olivier Messiaen, Kurt Masur, as well as many others. His close relationship with the legendary Romanian conductor, Sergiu Celibadache, also had a profound impact on his artistic development.

Maestro Hary has been affiliated with the Hungarian Opera in Cluj-Napoca since 1956 and was its music director between 1970 and 1990. During his nearly 37 years of professional activity, he has conducted most operas and ballets in the standard repertoire.

As a guest conductor, Maestro Hary has appeared in Poland, Russia, Hungary, Italy and Germany.

As a conductor of symphonic music, Maestro Hary has led nearly all the major orchestras in Romania. His symphonic repertoire includes a great number of musical compositions beginning with the pre-classic composers and ending with the most representative compositions of the 20th century. He has a vast knowledge of Hungarian music, contributing to the presentation in Romania of Bartok’s remarkable compositions. On the occasion of Bartok’s birth centenary in 1981, the Hungarian Government decorated him for his role in advancing the knowledge and appreciation of the Hungarian master’s works. As a composer, Hary Bela has written for piano, chamber orchestra and the stage.

IGOR DOHOVIC

Igor Dohovic was born in 1973 in Presov, Slovakia and graduated from the Lviv Music Academy in 1997 as a violinist with professor Kasjkiv Bohdan and in 1999 as an opera and symphonic conductor with professor Luciv Jurij. In 2002, he finished postgraduate study at the same Academy. In 1996, he participated at the Temirkanov's mastercourse in Siena, Italy.

Since 1997, Dohovic has been a conductor (and since 2002 the chief conductor) of the Slovak State Opera in Kosice. He is also the general music director of the string orchestra, Musica Iuvenalis. Maestro Dohovic has conducted more than 30 titles of opera and ballet - all together more than 400 performances and 120 symphonic concerts. In 2002, he participated in the Cadaques Conducting Competition in Barcelona. In 2003, he won first prize in the International Conducting Competition in Spoleto.

Maestro Dohovic has conducted throughout Europe and Japan and regularly cooperates with the Slovak State Philharmonic Kosice; in Poland he works with the Lublin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bydgoszcz, the Krakow Chamber Opera, the Opera Festival Viva il canto, the Opera Festival in Sanok, and the Poznan Opera House; in Hungary with the Festival Bartok in Miskolc; in Italy with the Spoleto Teatro Sperimentale; in Ukraine with the Lviv Opera; and with festivals in Spain, Scotland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy and Japan.

Dohovic is the founder of an opera festival called "Opera As You Don't Know It", and an educational program called "Rock and Classical Music are the Same". He was also a stage director having created a special production of Krasa's opera "Brundibar."

KLAUS CORNELL

Klaus Cornell wird 1932 in Bern geboren und studiert dort am Konservatorium und an der Universität. Er setzt seine Studien am Mozarteum Salzburg fort, vor allem bei Sándor Veress. 1956 erhält Klaus Cornell den österreichischen Landeskulturpreis.

Er dirigiert das Orchester des Basler Theaters, engagiert sich dann bei der Deutschen Grammophongesellschaft und anschliessend beim Südwestfunk Baden-Baden. Er arbeitet auch bei der Schweizerischen Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft (SRG/DRS), vor allem als künstlerischer Leiter des Kompositionspreises der Europäischen Rundfunk Union (EBU). Man findet ihn an der Spitze des Schweizer Jugendsinfonieorchesters, er gehört zu den Mitbegründern der Gruppe Olten und realisiert zahlreiche Plattenaufnahmen. 1983 wird er Direktor des Konservatoriums Schaffhausen und er arbeitet mehrmals in der Jury des Musikwettbewerbs Genf. 1988 beschliesst er, sich in Nordamerika niederzulassen, wo er vorwiegend als Komponist und Dirigent tätig ist. Wieder zurück in Europa, lebt er vor allem in München und in Konstanz.

Ce compositeur est né à Berne en 1932. Il étudia au Conservatoire de cette ville ainsi qu’à l’Université. Il poursuivit sa formation au Mozarteum de Salzbourg, notamment auprès de Sándor Veress. En 1956, Klaus Cornell reçoit le Prix culturel de l’Etat autrichien. Il est, tour à tour, collaborateur du Théâtre de Bâle comme chef d’orchestre, puis s’engage auprès de la Deutschen Grammophongesellschaft, puis auprès du studio de la Südwestfunk de Baden Baden. Il fut également collaborateur de la Radio Télévision Suisse (SRG/DRS) où notamment il fut le directeur artistique du Prix de composition de l’Union Européenne de Radiodiffusion (UER). On le retrouve à la tête de l’Orchestre symphonique suisse des jeunes. Il est, entre autres, fondateur du Groupe d’Olten. Il a réalisé de nombreuses productions discographiques. Il fut également directeur du Conservatoire de la Ville de Schaffhouse. A plusieurs reprises, il participa aux travaux du jury du Concours International d’Exécution Musicale de Genève. En 1988, il décide de résider en Amérique du Nord où il travaille principalement comme compositeur et chef d’orchestre. De retour en Europe, il vit principalement à Munich et à Constance.

SOME OF THE CRITERIA USED BY THE JURY

Conductors will be evaluated primarily on their effectiveness during rehearsals in working with orchestra, chorus, cast, house pianists etc. A conductor's piano skills will not be a factor. Of course, knowledge of the scores and libretti will be important. More important, however, will be how effectively and artfully the conductor galvanizes, polishes, and inspires the whole during the rehearsal process through gesture, rehearsal manner and knowledge (including suggestions concerning diction, vocal production, general ensemble, orchestral technique, the interrelationship between drama and music) etc. For those conductors who advance to the third round, a mastery of Hungarian will not be an essential or a deciding factor. Musical matters will be first and foremost.

Hungarian Opera, Budapest, Exterior






Hungarian Opera, Budapest, Interior

For more information, please contact:

Blue Danube Musik Impresario GmbH
Strozzigasse 32-34
A-1080 Wien (Vienna)
Austria (Europe)
Tel./Fax: +43 1 405 40 30
E-mail: office@bluedanubeviolins.com or
AArmore@yahoo.com

The application form can be found here.

FEES: An application fee of 50 EUR (non-refundable) and deposit of 200 EUR (refundable until 1 May 2007) is due at the time of invitation. The balance (450 EUR) of the total participation fee (650 EUR) should be paid in cash (EUR only) upon registration on the conductor's first day at the Competition.

If money is sent via Western Union, the director's name (Anthony Armore), the company's name (Blue Danube Musik Impresario GmbH) and the information below is needed:

Anthony Armore
Blue Danube Musik Impresario GmbH
Strozzigasse 32-34
A-1080 Wien
Tel: +43 1 405 40 30
Mobile: +43 660 944 16 59

Moreover, for Western Union, the sender's name, address and telephone number are also needed. The MTCN number should be sent to Blue Danube Musik Impresario via e-mail, fax or telephone at the same time, alerting us that payment has been sent.

View photos and results of the 2005 (inaugural edition) here: www.operaconducting.ro.

Conductors in the first round will not know their status regarding the second until the morning of 4 June. Conductors in the second round will not know their status regarding the third until the morning of 9 June.

The winners should be prepared to stay in Cluj-Napoca for two additional days for rehearsals and a Gala Concert on the evening of 12 June (fully-staged performance of La traviata).

HOTEL INFORMATION
(all prices are in EUR and include breakfast)
Hotel must be paid in cash only, please, either in EUR or Romanian lei. Credit cards will not be accepted. Bank machines are available to access cash in the local currency.

Hotel Napoca - 25 single / 37 double / 48 triple
The Hotel Napoca is about 5 minutes by foot to the opera house.

These are special prices offered to us for the Competition by this hotel. Please let us know your preference. Conductors have the option of sharing a room to save on accommodation costs.