Classical Regulations

24/26/28 ITALIAN ART SONGS AND ARIAS

The repertoire found in the 24/26/28 Italian Art Songs and Arias collections may be counted as an aria or an art song in the high school (CL 3, CL 4) and lower classical categories (CL 5, CL 6). For the singers in the upper and advanced categories, these pieces may ONLY count as an art song, regardless of origin. Any repertoire found outside of these collections will be considered only as the composer intended as an art song OR aria.

ACCOMPANIMENT

A live collaborative pianist is required for in person CL auditions. A piano-only accompaniment track is allowed only for video auditions in CL.

ADDITIONAL AWARDS

Named and Sponsored NSA Awards are available to NSA’s National Semifinalists and Finalists, who in their region’s NSA event, enter the prescribed repertoire to be eligible for the significant sponsored award, prize, or scholarship. Click here to learn more about these awards.

 Age Appropriate

Selections should be appropriate in technical difficulty, musical style, language, subject matter, and performance demands, allowing the singer to perform with musical accuracy, comprehension, and efficient vocal production. Teachers should carefully consider emotional content, staging, choreography, gestures, and physical interactions. Repertoire involving mature romantic relationships, sexuality, abuse, violence, addiction, suicide, or other adult themes is generally not appropriate for Children and Youth categories. Selections should reflect emotions, experiences, and performance expectations that the singer can communicate authentically and age-appropriately.

An aria is a solo from an opera, oratorio, mass, cantata, zarzuela, operetta, or works titled “concert aria.” Oxford Online definitions will be used for the purposes of NATS singer auditions. For example, Purcell’s selections from the semi-operas and masques are considered songs.

ART SONG IN ENGLISH REQUIREMENT

For singers in the International Region from countries where English is NOT the primary language, any requirement for an English-language art song may be fulfilled by an art song in any official language of their country.

CONTRASTING SELECTIONS

Contrasting selections will vary in tempo, text, dramatic content, composer, character portrayed, vocal colors, and style of music. Two or more songs by the same composer is a violation of this regulation and renders the singing Ineligible to Advance. Substantial variety among selections should result in a higher preliminary audition score.

DOUBLE DIPPING

Singers entering multiple NSA categories (Classical, Commercial Music, Musical Theatre, and/or Spirituals) may NOT use the same selection in any other category including the American Negro Spirituals category or Hall Johnson Category.

JUDICIOUS CUTS

Full, complete selections are required; however, judicious cuts in piano introductions, piano interludes, piano postludes as well as internal cuts within arias are allowed as is common professional performance practice. Cuts of verse or verses of selections are not allowed. In the case of strophic pieces, all verses should remain that are traditionally included.

MEMORIZATION

All repertoire must be performed from memory with the exception of Oratorio, Mass, Requiem, and Cantata Arias. Singers may hold legal copies of music scores for these types of arias as is traditional performance practice.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE

All selections should be sung in original language or in a published translation that is recognized as an accepted standard in professional performance practice.

TRANSPOSITION

Transpositions that are available for purchase by a publishing company are permitted. Singers are expected to retain the composer’s intended style of music and to convey the essence of the character portrayed in the larger work. Performances not fulfilling these requirements may result in lower scores from adjudicators. Octave displacement is a transposition.