THE CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES HOSTS A CONTEST TO CHOOSE VALENCIA'S OPENING ACT FOR THE 2011 MTV WINTER

The Director General of the City of Arts and Sciences, Pedro Garcia Ribot, and MTV’s director of marketing, Carlos Triviño, today presented the Winter Music Contest. This is an idea that aims to choose the Valencia region’s warm-up act that will be in the line-up for the next MTV Winter.

Pedro Garcia Ribot stressed that this platform has been created "so that all those who want to have the unique experience of performing in these unique concerts before thousands of people will have the chance to take part."

The general director of the City of Arts and Sciences explained that this initiative is "a show of support that we want to give to new groups from the Valencia region’s music scene, which we know is wide-ranging and of high quality". He encouraged everyone to take part in this contest, since he believes it is “a special opportunity to experience a live show and share the stage with top-level international figures.”

For his part, Carlos Trivino said that MTV and the CAC have created "a very important date in the musical calendar, a great platform for promoting both the Valencia region and the arts."

Winter Music is for all bands or solo artists residing in the region with no album released, or those who have not signed a recording or publishing contract. However, artists who have released singles, EPs, or who have participated in compilation discs shall be allowed to register provided they are not linked to a record label.

The artists may submit three tracks that must be within the contexts of pop, rock and electronic music, and it is essential to have a repertoire of at least half an hour.

From 18th to 21st January, six finalists will be chosen who will take part in Winter Music on 28th and 29th January, a free concert in which the participants will have the chance to present their songs live, and the winner from this will be announced between 31st January and 1st February. The chosen group will participate in MTV Winter Valencia 2011 as the first opening act of the festival, with a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 25 minutes to perform in the concert.

The registration period starts today and ends on 10th January 2011. It will be carried out through the City of Arts and Sciences website users’ area, where you can also read the contest rules.