Festival Rules 2010

Please note that entries for Festival 2010 have now closed.

Groups that do not adhere to the rules listed here are welcome to participate in the KBB Music Festival but they will not be considered for awards (though they will receive written comments from the adjudicators). Please indicate your intention regarding this in the appropriate space on the entry form. Directors of such groups may wish to consider entering the KBBMF Fringe Festival instead, which does not have a strict set of rules. The following rules apply only to the KBB Music Festival, not the KBBMF Fringe Festival.

Eligibility

1. Players are eligible to perform in the Festival if they are full-time students of the participating school/s and are under 19 years of age, or whose 19th birthday occurs during the year of the Festival.

2. The festival is open to all secondary school ensembles within the greater Auckland region. Schools from outside this area are welcome to enter as space is available, though they will not be eligible for a place in the Gala Concerts, or the Most Outstanding Award in any category.

3. Two schools may join to form an ensemble provided they stipulate this on the entry form. Only one entry form needs to be submitted.

Categories

4. There are four categories, as follows:

• Full Symphony Orchestra: 25 players minimum. Groups may substitute no more than one instrument per work with a keyboard.
• Chamber Orchestra: 12-24 players.Groups may substitute no more than one instrument per work with a keyboard.
• Concert Band: 15 players minimum. Groups may substitute no more than one instrument per work with a keyboard. No strings unless (a) bass guitar and / or double bass; (b) solo instrument (eg. solo viola in Schindler's List).
• Jazz/Big Band: 12 players minimum. A jazz / big band must include saxophone/s, trumpet/s, trombone/s and a rhythm section.

Scores

5. Copies of scores must be presented on the day of the event by a representative of the participating group, prior to their performance. These are to be handed in at the Festival Administration table in the Supper Room upon arrival; these will then be collected by a staff member who will pass them on to the adjudicator. Please avoid interacting with the adjudicator. Scores should be collected from the Festival Administration table in the Supper Room after the performance. Note that individual schools are responsible for adhering to the relevant copyright laws - the festival accepts no responsibility for any copyright infringements.

Timing

6. All groups must be on and off stage within the 30-minute time limit. Each group is responsible for providing their own stage helper/s who will assist staff from The Edge® to set up the stage as required for that group. This must be done within the 30-minute time limit. You must bring a stage plan with you and submit it (with your scores) at the Festival Administration table in the Supper Room upon arrival. To help groups keep within their time limit, it is recommended that musical directors organise tuning backstage, with only a quick cursory tuning onstage. It is recommended that you bring a few electronic tuners to assist in this regard. Groups that go over time will be deducted 2 points for every minute that the time limit is exceeded.

Instrument Provision

7. The following instruments will be provided for each group:

• Full Symphony Orchestras & Concert Bands (held in the Great Hall): 4x pedal timpani, grand piano, drum kit, xylophone, glockenspiel, orchestral bass drum, tam tam / gong, a small percussion table, a microphone and PA system, bass amplifier, keyboard amplifier, 60x music stands, 90x chairs.
• Jazz/Big Bands (held in the Concert Chamber): piano, 3x microphones and a PA system, bass amplifier, keyboard amplifier, guitar amplifier, drum kit, 20x music stands, 23x chairs.
• Chamber Orchestras (held in the Concert Chamber): piano, keyboard amplifier, 15x music stands, 23x chairs.

Performance Attendance

8. It is important to note that groups competing in a particular session during the heats must be present as audience members in their performance venue for the entire session. The only exceptions to this are groups that are in the warm-up room immediately prior to their performance. Other than this, groups that fail to participate as audience members during the heats will be disqualified. The sessions are approximately 10:00am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-4:00pm, and 5:00pm-8:00pm. Groups will be notified of their exact performance time within their respective session by Friday 6th August at the latest.

Note that schools will not be able to schedule different category groups in the same session. For example, a school with a jazz band and a concert band will need to have each group perform in a different session. This enables students and directors to remain in the same performance venue for their entire session. Directors should ensure that all their students remain in the performance venue for the entire session in order to avoid disqualification.

New Zealand Music Award

9. Ensembles may choose to perform a NZ work during this festival, which will be adjudicated for the 'Best Performance of New Zealand Music' award. For this festival, a piece submitted as a New Zealand work must be an original composition (not an arrangement of a non-NZ piece) by a New Zealand composer. The title and composer of the piece must be stated in the correct place on the entry form. The adjudicator/s may choose to make an award in each category, or may decide not to if they feel an acceptable standard has not been attained.

Soloists

10. Pieces that feature soloists are acceptable, but should be part of a balanced programme. Conductors are encouraged to predominantly select repertoire that showcases the whole ensemble. A reminder that piano concertos require significant staging changes which must be factored into the performance time allocation.

Announcements

11. MC introductions for ensembles will be made by festival staff, unless a director specifically requests to present their own announcements.

Closing Date

12. The closing date for entries is Thursday 24th June 2010. Due to scheduling difficulties and the very tight time frame of this festival, entries received after this date will not be accepted. Handwritten and/or posted entries will not be accepted.

Adjudication

One adjudicator is provided for each of the four festival categories. The adjudicators will be announced in term three.

All groups competing in the heats will receive written comments from the adjudicators, who will assess on:

• Technique (20%)
• Accuracy (20%)
• Musicianship (30%)
• Ensemble (20%)
• Presentation (10%)

Groups which adhere to the rules will be graded by points received in the above areas. These groups will be eligible for Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each section, as follows:

• Gold award: 85-100%
• Silver award: 75-84%
• Bronze award: 60-74%

The adjudicators may award more than one award in each category, or decide not to make an award in every category. Only groups that adhere to the rules will receive awards and graded points.

Awards will be presented at the conclusion of each Gala Concert, so please have a representative of your group ready to accept any awards. A Most Outstanding Award presentation is also given to the top group in each category according to the adjudicator's marks. These will also be presented at the Gala Concerts. There is also an award for the best overall performance of a New Zealand work, which may be decided by all adjudicators across each of the categories (see rule number 9).

All groups will receive either a Certificate of Participation or an award for their involvement in the festival.

The names of the adjudicators will be announced after the entries have been collated.

The adjudicator/s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Gala Concerts

At least 3-4 of the best groups from each category will be selected by the adjudicators for the Gala Concerts, and each group will have a maximum 10-minute performance time.

Groups chosen will be notified as soon as possible after the heats have finished.