INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the AcappellaFest 2010 Chicago High School Competition! This is an opportunity for the best high school groups in the Midwest area to compete! Selected winners get to perform live on stage during the Matinee Showcase concert at AcappellaFest 2010 Chicago, to vie for the opportunity to open for the evening headliner!
FEES
There is no separate fee for entering the competition.
ENTRY PERIOD
All competition entries must be received between August 25, 2010 12:00 AM and October 1, 2010 11:59 PM. Competition entries received on or after October 2, 2010 12:00 AM are ineligible.
ENTRY MATERIAL
To enter the competition, please use the online submission form. If you are unable to use the form, send an e-mail to hscontest@acappellafest.com and include an MP3 or a link to a YouTube video of your high school group.
If you have questions about Entry Materials (format, size, etc.) please contact the producer using the same e-mail address as above.
REQUIRED INFORMATION
The following information is required as part of the competition submission:
1. Group name
2. High school name
3. Title of the song
4. Composer
5. Arranger
6. Soloist(s), if any
7. Vocal Percussionist(s), if any
8. Whether the piece is an original song or arrangement
9. Contact information including email and phone
WHO MAY ENTER
Any group consisting exclusively of high school students of any size, style or composition may enter this competition. Performers may appear on the recording of more than one group.
Groups must consist of permanent, full-time, full-fledged participants who are full-time students enrolled at your school. Open to all high schools in Midwest area (including Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio). Direct all questions about eligibility to the producer.
GROUP SIZE REQUIREMENTS
Although this is not a performance competition, the winning group will perform on stage and thus the size of the winning group must accommodate the performance space. Groups may be of any size from a minimum of just 1 person, up to a maximum limited only by the reasonable restrictions of the performance space as determined by the producer. As a guideline, most stages can easily accommodate a choir of 100 or more. If the recording you submit depicts a high school group consisting of 25 or more students, please contact the producer.
JUDGING PROCEDURE
FIRST ROUND
Once the submission deadline has passed, the competition judging panel will review the submission recordings. For all submissions, each judge will award points for different aspects of Vocal Performance (blend, intonation, solo interpretation, etc.) as well as a rank for Overall Impact. For video submissions, each judge will additionally award points for different aspects of Visual Performance (effectiveness, energy, etc.). Points and rankings will be weighted appropriately to account for groups with and without a video submission.
The five groups with the highest point totals shall be declared winners. If there is a tie among scores, then the producer shall exercise a tie-breaking power to decide the issue. Each of the winning groups will be invited to perform live at AcappellaFest 2010 Chicago to compete in the Final Round.
FINAL ROUND
It is recommended that all finalist groups prepare four songs to perform at AcappellaFest. Three songs can be used during your performance slot. The fourth song should be used for a possible encore should the group be declared the winner. The final round (live) will be reviewed by a celebrity judging panel using a similar scoring system and combined with votes from the audience. One winner will be declared Grand Champion and have the opportunity to open for the event headliner in the evening program.
TIMING
The selected winning groups’ live performance time shall not exceed 10 minutes.
GENERAL
Repertoire and choreography should be appropriate for family audiences. At least one song performed live by the finalist groups must match the song selection depicted in the audio or video recording used in the competition submission.
All performances must be completely a cappella. No instruments or tuned percussion of any kind are permitted, with the exception of pitch pipes or similar devices used solely to generate a starting pitch. Vocal percussion, beatbox, etc. are, of course, permitted. Please direct any questions about this to the producer.
SOUND
Up to 9 microphones may be provided for use by the winning group for their live performance. Mics may be wireless or wired. Group may perform on mic or off mic at their discretion. Additional sound equipment, including effects, may be used if approved by the producer and made available to all performers at their sound check.
Requests regarding mixing and effects made to the sound engineer will be honored where possible, including the request to enhance bass, vocal percussion, leads or to “use your best judgment”. In the absence of any contrary instructions, the engineer will be instructed to provide microphone responses of approximately equal volume and NOT to do any mixing which would affect the balance of parts during the show.
A sound check is not absolutely guaranteed. If a sound check is provided, the amount of time to sound check shall be at the producer’s discretion.
CONDUCT
All participants and judges agree to abide by the highest ethical standards and not to publicly criticize the participants, judges, producers, staff, decisions or rules of this competition, but instead to direct any statements to the producers in private correspondence.
MERCHANDISE
At the discretion of the producer, the finalist groups may sell merchandise following the show.
ORIGINAL SONGS AND ARRANGEMENTS
An arrangement may be noted as “original” if prepared for the group by a member of the group or if prepared solely for the exclusive use of the group. A song may be noted as original only if written in whole or in part by a member of the group.
PRODUCERS’ DISCRETION
Any open issues, vague or confusing terms, or disagreements of any kind relating to this competition shall be resolved by the producers in their sole discretion and their determination shall be final and binding on all persons.
RIGHTS
By performing and competing, and by accepting the benefits of publicity derived from appearing in the event, which all parties agree is of value, and by accepting any awards, if any, all participants agree to abide by these rules and that the producer has the following rights in addition to any others which it may have:
The producer may use the name and likeness of the winning group or any of its members or directors or other supporting persons to promote a cappella generally, to promote a cappella or charity events, or to promote any of our programs or materials.
The producer may record in analog or digital video, photograph, audio or by any other means, the winning group and/or its members and support persons for archival, promotional or distribution, whether digital or analog, whereby all proceeds shall be paid to producer, producer’s affiliate or partner or another 501(c)(3) not for profit organization.
All participants agree to hold the producers harmless and indemnify them from any and all claims which may arise in connection with any of producers’ events.
© 2009-10 Jonathan Minkoff. Used by permission.
Judging criteria and form provided courtesy of Varsity Vocals. Used by permission.
Portions modified for AcappellaFest by Jeff Swearingen.
