Kobe: The 23rd Kobe Shinkaichi Jazz Vocal Queen Contest

Press Release (March 5, 2024)
Culture and Sports Bureau, Cultural Exchange Division
The Kobe Shinkaichi Jazz Vocal Queen Contest is a contest to discover vocalists who can play at the forefront of the jazz world in Shinkaichi, once the center of popular culture and entertainment in Kobe. This year’s contest, the 23rd, is a high-level contest that attracts many applicants from all over Japan, and many vocalists have gone on to perform around the world.
We welcome applications from professionals and amateurs alike, regardless of gender or age. We are looking forward to receiving applications from everyone who loves jazz.

Qualifications

(1) Vocalists, both professional and amateur, who aspire to be a queen
(2) Those who can participate in the contest finals on Saturday, May 11, 2024
(3) Those who can travel to Seattle around September 2024
(4) Those who can follow the official contest SNS account

How to apply

Please submit your entry by filling out the application form on our website. (If you have difficulty submitting your entry via the application form, you may send your entry by mail.)
For details, please refer to the application guidelines posted on the website.

Website address: https: //shinkaichi.or.jp/ksjvqc/

3. Application period

Monday, March 11, 2024 – Monday, March 25, 2024

4. Date and Time of Final Selection

Saturday, May 11, 2024, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (tentative)

5. Venue of the Main Competition

Shinkaichi Art Plaza 2F Hall
(5-3-14 Shinkaichi, Hyogo-ku, Kobe)

6. Selection Method

(1) Preliminary Round: Judging by sound source: Mid-April
(2) Final Round: Final judging (open to the public): Saturday, May 11
*Two songs (free choice) sung by a piano trio

z Judges:
Shizue Kuroiwa (Jazz vocalist)
Janet Keiko Kawasuji (First Queen, Kobe Shinkaichi Jazz Vocal Queen Contest Steering Committee Member )
Leah Natale (Director, Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association) and others

7. Prizes

(1)Grand Prix: Live performance in Seattle, U.S.A., Kobe’s sister city, guest performance in the next year’s contest, and appearance at the next year’s Shinkaichi Music Festival
(2)Runner-up Grand Prix: Live performance at a jazz live house in Kobe, and others
(3)Other prizes to be awarded

8. Sponsor

Shinkaichi Music Street Executive Committee (Secretariat: Culture and Sports Bureau, Cultural Exchange Division)

9. Others

Admission tickets for the May 11 main contest (open to the public) will be on sale from mid-April.
*Details will be posted on the website, etc., as soon as they are determined.