2027 · 11th NTD International Chinese Vocal Competition
Authentic bel canto, sung in Chinese, on the international stage of New York.
Authentic bel canto, sung in Chinese, on the international stage of New York.
Complete your registration by March 31, 2027 with promo codeVOCAL2027and enjoy 50% off.
The NTD International Chinese Vocal Competition is one of the major international cultural and artistic events hosted by NTD Television. It is dedicated to the cultural essence of reverence for Heaven, moral integrity and the pursuit of pure truthfulness and beauty, encouraging contestants to perform authentic Chinese repertoire at an elevated and deeply moving artistic level.
Professional vocal instructors, vocal artists and conservatory students, as well as enthusiasts of professional calibre. Ages 18 to 50.
All competition pieces are sung from the designated Chinese repertoire, so clear Chinese diction and understanding of the text are essential.
All three rounds are held live in Manhattan. Contestants arrange and pay for their own travel and accommodation.
Submit your details, a recent performance video and your repertoire, and pay the entry fee at reg.ntd.com.
The Organizing Committee reviews your materials. Those who qualify receive a formal invitation by email.
Perform one designated Chinese piece.
Take the stage at a premier Manhattan concert hall — let your voice move the audience and mark a brilliant milestone in your artistic journey.
Prize winners perform at a prestigious music hall in New York.
Male and female divisions each award one Gold, one Silver and two Bronze prizes, with Honorable Mention awards for exemplary contestants. All prize winners are invited to perform at a gala concert and awards ceremony at a premier New York concert hall.
This edition of the NTD International Chinese Vocal Competition features distinguished judges from Shen Yun Performing Arts — among the most celebrated Chinese vocalists performing on the world stage today.
From the inaugural 2007 edition to today, hundreds of vocalists have graced the NTD stage with pure, beautiful sound. A selection of the most memorable moments from past finals.
Hear from past Gold, Silver and Bronze Prize winners about their experience at the NTD International Chinese Vocal Competition — a journey that changed their artistic lives.
Thank you to NTD Television for giving Chinese bel canto singers a platform to showcase themselves. I believe promoting traditional Chinese culture is a profoundly meaningful endeavour. This competition was enormously rewarding — artistically, in building connections, and even professionally. It was absolutely worth the journey.
First of all, I am grateful for a stage like this where we can sing Chinese art songs. That is what makes this competition truly unique. As a Chinese person, I find it deeply encouraging.
I wanted to challenge myself by entering an international competition … Chinese culture and Korean culture share many similarities, which is why I chose this one. In other competitions, contestants tend to prepare on their own with little interaction; but here, everyone seemed to share a common purpose — encouraging and supporting one another. The atmosphere was wonderful. This competition broadened my horizons. When I competed in Korea, I focused only on demonstrating what I had learned and was satisfied as long as there were no technical errors. Here, I found that the other contestants went far beyond that — they were deeply focused on conveying the emotion and meaning of the music.
This competition is a wonderful opportunity for young people, allowing Western contestants to learn Chinese songs and foster East–West cultural exchange — and that is something very special. I had never imagined I would study Chinese songs, but when I began, I discovered they are extraordinarily beautiful. I was immediately captivated by Chinese culture and have become very interested in the language. This competition opened my eyes; I now plan to collaborate with various Asian artists and create something together.
This trip to the United States made me feel I had come to exactly the right place at exactly the right time — what one might call a perfect alignment of timing, place and people. I am deeply grateful to NTD Television for hosting this competition. I also learned that NTD broadcasts to mainland China without censorship, and I find that tremendously admirable — it is a remarkable thing. Everyone here gave me the sense that they are doing this with their whole heart, not for fame or money, but for an ideal. A group of people like this, carrying the essence of Chinese culture forward in a land that is not China — that is a spirit worth honouring.
I feel I can now enjoy the stage far more than before, and I am no longer as nervous. Being able to stand on this international platform is, time and again, a journey of growth.
Singing Western opera feels completely different from singing Chinese songs. What this competition means to me is this: no matter what nationality you are, when you hear a Chinese song, something stirs in your heart.
Singing Chinese in bel canto is truly full of flavour — every vowel and consonant woven together, the tone round and rich, every character crystal clear, the rhyme right on target, the pitch, the intonation, the phrasing all precisely in place. When you achieve all of that, it is genuinely beautiful — and you feel the profound depth of Chinese culture.
In performing Chinese songs, you are able to share with the audience the poetry, the language, the characters — to let them understand the beauty of our music and the beauty of our words. This is a promotion and a carrying-forward of Chinese culture and the art of the Chinese language. For that reason, I believe this competition is extraordinarily, truly precious.
All competition pieces must be chosen from the official designated repertoire list published by the Organising Committee, comprising Chinese art songs and original Shen Yun compositions. This competition is honoured to have received formal authorisation from the internationally acclaimed Artistic Director of Shen Yun Performing Arts, Mr. D.F., to include his twenty years of carefully crafted and deeply treasured musical works as competition repertoire.
Eligibility, video review, repertoire, judging, awards, visas, travel, payment and image rights — answered by category.
Registration and video submission close on July 6, 2027. Entry fee USD $120.