126th Annual
Competition 2012
(Founded in 1882)
Entry
Fees Adjudication Accompanist Admission
The Stratford and East London
Music Festival is open to amateurs only, except the Open Classes which are also
open to professionals. An amateur is considered as one who does not derive the
main part of his/her income from the subject entered. Students under 18 years
of age are considered to be amateurs for the purposes of the competitions.
Where age limits apply, they
refer to the competitor’s age on 1st September, 2011. For group entries, the class is determined
by the age of the oldest competitor in the group, unless the class is ‘Open’.
Competitors may perform once only
in each class, except in duet, trio or ensemble classes where a competitor may
perform more than once, provided that a different part is performed.
Solo competitors may not enter a
class if, for three consecutive years, they have been the winner of that class.
Solo competitors may not enter a
class if they have received tuition from the adjudicator in the last two years.
Conductors may not sing with
their choirs.
How To Enter
All entries must be made on the
official entry form which may be found in the centre of the syllabus. It can
also be downloaded from the Stratford Festival’s web site at www.stratfordmusicfestival.org.uk
as a Word document. Photocopies are
acceptable. Entry forms must reach the Entries Secretary by Wednesday, 11th
January, 2012.
All entries MUST be sent ONLY
to:
Mrs Hilary Rothera
3 Nursery Close
Woodford Green
Essex IG8 0ES.
Tel: 079 8974 7610
All entry forms must be sent with
the entry fees and a self-addressed, stamped envelope, large enough to take an
A5 sheet unfolded. (C5 envelope). Remember that a ‘Large Letter’ costs more in
postage.
Cheques should be made payable to
Stratford and East London Music Festival.
Entry fees cannot be returned
except for classes cancelled by the decision of the committee.
Entries for more than one class
may be included on the same form.
By signing the entry form,
competitors agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the Festival.
The Trustees are prepared to offer limited assistance with
travel costs in the case of hardship
for Junior and Infant School
Choirs only,. Please contact the Festival Secretary.
Solo Duet Small
Group Large Group Official
(3 to 9)
(10 or more) Accomp.
15 years and under £5 £6 £8 £15 £6
(except Recital)
16 years and over £7 £8 £10 £15 £6
(except Recital)
Senior citizens (any £5 £6 £8 £15 £6
class except Recital)
Open (except £8 £9 £10 £15 £10
Recital)
Recital any age £10 £15
Concerto £15
The Millennium Competitions,
Classes 991, 992 and 993, (entry and accompaniment) have special entry fees.
For group entries, the fee is
determined by the age of the oldest competitor, except for ‘Open’ classes.
Multiple Entries
Competitors entering any four
solo classes may enter a fifth solo class without fee. This concession does not
apply to the Accompaniment Fee. Members of the same family may add their
entries together to benefit from this concession.
Data Protection
Under the terms of the Data
Protection Act, the Stratford and East London Music Festival undertakes not to
pass on any information about competitors or members, and to use such
information only for the purpose of the Festival.
Before The Event
Information will be sent to
competitors at least ten days before the date of the competition. Where there
is only one entrant in a class, that entrant will be informed and given the
opportunity to withdraw and have his/her fee returned.
The committee reserves the right
to limit, cancel or subdivide any class, or to combine two similar classes, or
to transfer classes from one day to another.
In exceptional circumstances,
there may be a change of adjudicator.
The Performance
Only stewards, performers and
their accompanists will be allowed in the performing area. Copies of ‘own
choice’ pieces must be handed to the adjudicator’s steward before the
commencement of each class. The candidate’s name and class number should be
written on every copy.
The Festival is bound by
copyright law and cannot allow tape, video, mobile ‘phone or any form of
recording equipment to be used. It is in breach of copyright and is an offence.
The individual as well as the Festival may be fined.
In the large group competitions
held at St. Mary's Church, photographs may be taken of the group at the end of
each performance, provided that this complies with parent’s wishes and/or the
individual school’s policy on this matter.. In all other sections, only
officials of the Festival may take photographs. Please refer to the Child
Protection Policy on the following pages for further information.
The adjudicators’ decisions are
final.
Awards may be withheld if, in the
opinion of the adjudicator, sufficient merit is not shown.
No entrant teacher or interested
party may discuss any aspect of the festival with an adjudicator before, during
or after classes, except at the invitation of the adjudicator.
Adjudications and certificates
are normally available at the end of each class.
Marking System
First prize winners, who gain 84%
or above, are awarded either trophies or medals. In classes where there are
ten or more entries, a second place medal is awarded.
The British and International
Federation of Festivals has agreed the following descriptors for use by
adjudicators and certificates will be awarded as follows:
Outstanding 90% and over An exceptional performance, both
technically and
artistically.
Distinction 87% to 89% An excellent performance
technically and artistically.
Commended 84% to 86% A convincing performance
technically and artistically.
Merit 81% to 83% A
capable performance showing some artistic
appreciation
and/or technical ability.
Moderate 78% to 80% A
performance showing development of technique
and/or
communication.
Fair 75% to 77% A performance limited in its communication.
Time Limits
Time limits must be
observed. If a competitor chooses to introduce their item, this must be
included in the overall time limit where set. The performance may be stopped if
the time limit is exceeded.
Set Pieces
If any difficulty arises in
obtaining the set pieces, please contact the Secretary.
Own Choice Pieces
Full details of the title and
composer/author of ‘own choice’ items must be shown on the entry form.
Any competitor who does not
perform their stated choice will receive adjudication but will NOT receive
marks or a certificate.
Any competitor who fails to
provide a copy of their ‘own choice’ piece will receive adjudication but will
NOT receive marks or a certificate.
Competitors may not perform the
same ‘own choice’ in more than one class.
Copyright
For Speech and Drama competitors,
it is not necessary to seek copyright permission to perform poetry, prose or
solo dramatic items. Competitors entering duologues and group dramatic activity
classes must contact publishers for permission to perform and pay the required
fee. Competitors must produce evidence of copyright clearance. Items must be
announced with title and author at the time of performance. Words or gender of
a character must not be changed.
For Music competitors, if the
‘own choice’ composition is from a large publication and the piece is not
published separately, one copy may be made for the use of the adjudicator. The
copy will be retained and destroyed after the competition. The accompanist
should always be given a printed copy of the music. Music which has been
downloaded from the internet must be accompanied by the permission statement
which accompanies the music.
The official accompanist is Mr.
Leslie Phillips (020 8550 4459) and he will be available for all music classes
except where specified.
This availability is subject to
competitors stating on the entry form that they require this service and
sending in a publisher’s copy of the music with the entry. There will be an
additional fee and this must be sent with the entry.
By contacting Mr. Phillips it is
generally possible to have a rehearsal in the period before the actual
competitions or to have a short run-through in the hour preceding the class.
The accompaniments supplied must
be in the correct performing key.
The use of a ‘backing’ CD or
cassette tape is acceptable provided that it does not infringe any copyright
restrictions.
Trophies
Trophies and/or medals for each
class will normally be presented after the competition. Trophies which are
awarded for the highest marks in a particular section will be presented during
the Young Musician Competition on the evening of Sunday, 21st
February.
All cups and trophies remain the
property of the Stratford and East London Music Festival. They are held for
eleven months and must be returned to the Secretary before Sunday 17th
January, 2011. Winners must sign for receipt of the cup or trophy.
Winners are required to enter
into a bond of safe custody of the cup or trophy and to bear the cost if they
wish to have their names engraved on it.
Competitors and their
accompanists are admitted without charge. Children of school age and
competitors’ music/drama teachers are admitted without charge.
Friends of the Stratford and East
London Music Festival are admitted without charge on sight of their 2012 card.
Admission to all other visitors is £1.00 daily (senior citizens 50p).
Queries
If you require further clarification of any of the
rules and regulations, please contact the Festival Secretary. If you have a
query concerning a particular section of the Festival, please contact the
convenor whose name and telephone number appears at the beginning of that
section.