The Cultural Centre in Slobozia hosts the 31^st edition of ''Ionel Perlea'' Festival-Contest. Firstly a Lied National Contest, the event became a Canto International Competition two editions ago. What should we expect this time, Mrs. Clementina Tudor?

Indeed 5 years go it became a canto contest and 2 years ago it also became international. Basically, this lied contest transformed after its 25^th consecutive anniversary. The lied contest became a canto contest, but we also added a conducting contest. So, this 31^st edition is a great event for Slobozia, with many contest-editions of canto and conducting as a part of ''Ionel Perlea'' Festival.

How is this year's edition going to take place?

This year's edition is traditionally held, we could say, in May, with the singing contest. I say traditional, because here we keep the tradition of the beginning of the lied interpretation contest, which started in May, in memory of the last visit that Ionel Perlea made to Romania and to his parents' house in Ograda, Ialomița County, which now Ionel Perlea Memorial House. 20 competitors have qualified, so to speak, this is the first test of those who want the Ionel Perlea Trophy in their palmares and we will have two semi-finals on the 28th, starting at 11.00 and then starting at 17.00, when all 20 contestants will perform piano accompaniment in the "Europe" Hall of the Ialomița County Council, where the final of the singing competition will take place, on Sunday evening, at 7.30 pm, accompanied by an orchestra this time.

What repertoire should the competitors tackle in the semi-finals? But in the final?

They will have to perform a lied by Ionel Perlea, so we stay here in the traditional vein of the contest and then an area of ​​our choice, this one in the semi-finals of the five proposed by them. From those selected in the final, they will perform an area of ​​their choice and an area at the request of the jury. We will also have the best interpretation from the semi-finals of Ionel Perlea's lied, also in the grand final.

Who are the members of the jury and what prizes are awarded in the competition?

The members of the jury are undisputed names, so to speak, in Romanian and international lyric poetry. I start here with the President of the Jury, namely, Mrs. Nelly Miricioiu. Also, another prestigious name, which is with us and is also a very good friend of ours - Master Sabin Păutza, Honorary President of the Jury. We have the soprano Florence Marinescu, prof. Univ. dr. at the Faculty of Arts within the "Ovidiu" University of Constanța, Mr. Mihai Cosma, musicologist, journalist, Professor PhD at the National University of Music Bucharest, Daniel Magdal, tenor, Deputy Director of the Bucharest National Opera, Florin Estefan, baritone, former laureate of the "Perlea" Festival and General Manager of the Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca. You should know that Ionel Perlea was also the director here at the beginning of his career and we also have Cristian Rudic, baritone, General Manager of the Timișoara National Opera, on the jury. A prestigious jury, we appreciate, with very close members, so to speak, the personality of Ionel Perlea, and the awards are as tempting as the title obtained at this festival in the list of competitors and I now refer to the special awards coming from the part of the Bucharest National Opera, the Cluj National Opera, the Timișoara National Opera: Mention in the amount of 1,000 lei, the Third Prize, 3,500 lei, the Second Prize, 5,000 lei, and the First Prize and the "Ionel Perlea" Trophy - 7,500 lei.