The contest is open to “North America” only - USA, Canada and Mexico.

No. The music contest is for singers only. An instrumental artist can accompany a singer but only the singer will be considered as a contestant. OSAAT’s signature event “Vaadya Vaahini” is for instrumental music only. We conducted Vaadya Vaahini in April 2021 and expect to conduct it in the September 2022 time frame. Please sign up for our newsletter if you haven’t already, to stay up to date with our announcements.

No. We have already specified in the rules that for the music contest, accompaniments may be live or recorded. If using live accompaniments, then the accompanying artist must also be in the same age group as the singer.

There are multiple scenarios to consider here.  (1) We want everyone involved - - organizers, judges, contestants - to have flexibility in planning vacations and celebrations. We cannot tie down people for an unreasonable length of time waiting for multiple rounds of video submissions that may or may not happen on time (2) Given that the pandemic is still not 100% under control, we cannot predict what else is around the corner. What if a contestant makes it to the final round but cannot meet the submission requirement because of illness or other unforeseen circumstances? (3) Some contestants may rent a studio or stage or special light and sound equipment. Some may have accompanying artists available only on a certain date or time. Once you have a set up for recording a performance, you are set with the lights, sound, technical help for recording, etc., it makes sense to make all your videos at the same time. (4) We expect a large number of contestants to participate and we don’t want to have any miscommunication about who made it past the preliminary round, why and why not.

The choice is yours but submitting the same video for all three rounds is not recommended.  This is your opportunity to showcase your talent in terms of your creativity and artistry. How the judges may react to the same video in all three rounds is not up to us.

Please do not submit any recording from your arangetram or ranga pravesha. Do not submit any recording from any of your previous shows or contests. Videos that have never been published or used in any show or contest are acceptable, as long as the rules that apply to contestant’s age and duration of performance are met. EXample: A 14 year old contestant in a senior category cannot submit a video that was recorded when he/she was 12 years old.  

Yes. Alaap, kalpana swaras, mano dharma, and other “style” elements that are authentic and original to Indian classical music (Carnatic or Hindustani) can be included in your rendition.  Be as creative as you can be. A word of wisdom from some of our previous judges is -  a simple rendition delivered perfectly is better than a complex piece delivered with imperfections. 

Yes. Accompaniments can make or break a performance. For that reason, the judges will only take into consideration the singer’s performance.