PURPOSE:
South Africa has a very rich history of choral performance and composition and the Eastern Cape is home to some of the best choirs in our country. The purpose of this unique Choir Competition is to further strengthen relationships between various cultures and to build social cohesion, understanding, mutual respect and to appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of various cultures.
HISTORY
This is the second (2nd) Provincial Choir
Competition offered by the Sundays River Valley Provincial Arts and Culture
Festival. The choir competition forms
an integral part of the annual Arts and Culture Festival. A smaller competitive choir competition was
held during the 2017 Arts and Culture Festival.
Various choirs entered the competition showcasing a broad variety of
repertoire, extremely high standards and the pure joy of choir singing. The winners were: 3rd
Place: A.V. Bukani Senior Choir
winning a cash prize of R2 500.00, 2nd
Place: Sundays River Primary School Senior Girls Choir with a cash
prize of R5 000.00 and 1st
Place: Voorpos Primary School Senior Choir with a cash prize of
R10 000.00.
| 2019 CATEGORIES |
There will be three (3) distinct categories in the 2019 Provincial competition:
- PRIMARY SCHOOLS
- HIGH SCHOOLS
- ADULT CHOIRS (including church choirs, smaller choral groups etc.)
FORMAT:
Depending on the total entries received the competition will be staged as a professional PUBLIC CONCERT during the scheduled time table allowed for this competition. It will not be staged in the evening, but always in the morning and early afternoon. Schools that travel far distances will be scheduled as early as possible in order to allow them plenty of time to return back to their destinations. Depending on the total entries received, Primary Schools, High Schools and Adult choirs will perform on separate days in order to avoid congestion and general flow of events.
DEADLINE
Completed application forms and all supporting materials must be received by 24th June 2019.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Entry Form
- Entry Fee
- Recent colour photograph of your choir (JPEG, BITMAP etc)
- A short summary of the achievements of your choir.
ENTRY FEE: R300.00 per choir
BROADCASTING, RECORDING & PHOTOGRAPHIC RIGHTS
- Performances throughout the festival may be photographed, recorded for subsequent reproduction and/or broadcast on radio or television.
- All broadcasting and photographic rights to the performances will belong to the festival and may be used for promotional use as it sees fit.
- Choirs will not receive payment for recordings or photographs used and the festival will be entitled to reproduce any such recordings or photographs for sale or promotional use.
- All choirs with members under the age of 18 years must ensure that the necessary consent is obtained from the young people and their parents/ guardians prior to taking part in the festival.
| GENERAL RULES AND REQUIREMENTS |
- Choirs to perform a program consisting of 3 contrasting works in each category.
- One of the works must be in Afrikaans, the 2nd work in English and the 3rd work must be in Xhosa or any other language.
- The style of the works is open except point number 4 underneath.
- Church choirs are excluded from point number 2 above. Church choirs should perform 3 religious songs. One should be in Afrikaans, the 2nd & 3rd in either Afrikaans or English or any other language of choice.
- Choirs can perform with or without accompaniment.
- Choirs are free to use any instrument for accompaniment except pipe organ.
- Choirs to provide their own instruments except for where a piano is used. A tuned piano is supplied by the Festival.
- BACKING TRACKS ARE ALLOWED. Backing tracks to reach the festival office one week (1 week) before the performance date. Tracks to be clearly marked and saved in mp3 or any other high quality digital format. Please note: KARAOKE tracks will without any doubt influence your final mark. These tracks are not of a high quality.
- Choirs can perform in a uniform of their choice.
- The duration of the program should not exceed 15 minutes per choir.
- Props and movements are allowed.
- The program should be performed from memory EXCEPT if otherwise indicated by the conductor especially where large works are presented.
- Copies of the works performed must be submitted to the adjudicator before the choir performs. These copies may not be returned.
- The decisions of the adjudication panel will be final in all competitions and no correspondence will be entered into regarding any aspect of its work.
- The Artistic Panel reserves the right to limit the number of entries for any competition.
- The Artistic Panel reserves the right to cancel a competition if there are insufficient entries.
- The Artistic Panel reserves the right to refuse entry into any competition.
- If a selected choir withdraws from the competition, it will not be entitled to a fee refund.
- Illegal reproduction of music will not be condoned by the festival. In the event of any illegal reproduction, the Festival Committee accepts no responsibility for any action taken by publishers.
- The Festival Committee accepts no legal responsibility whatsoever in respect of any matter pertaining to a choir’s participation in the festival and any associated activities.
- All details are subject to change. Any updates will be communicated to all relevant choirs and will supersede the information in this syllabus.
- Participation in the festival implies acceptance of all rules and regulations.
- The festival provides six orchestral music stands, choir benches (enough to accommodate plus minus 80 – 90 choristers) as well as a tuned upright piano.
- A professional photographer and videographer will be on-site. Choirs may be recorded. Choirs can also expect the presence of the media.
| PRIZES |
- PRIMARY SCHOOLS
1st Prize - R10 000.00
2nd Prize - R 5 000.00
3rd Prize - R2 500.00
- HIGH SCHOOLS
1st Prize - R15 000.00
2nd Prize - R10 000.00
3rd Prize - R 5 000.00
- ADULT CHOIRS
Overall winner - R5 000.00
Total prize money - R52 500.00
ADDITIONAL:
- Each choir 1st, 2nd and 3rd place receive a specially designed DIPLOMA signed by South African artist: TO BE CONFIRMED
- Each choir 1st, 2nd and 3rd place receive a high quality engraved GOLD MEDAL
- The winning choirs each receive an engraved trophy.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: Although we will announce the winning choirs directly after the competition, NO PRIZES will be released until the morning of the PRESTIGE CONCERT of the Sundays River Valley Provincial Arts and Culture Festival as hosted in 2019 by Kirkwood High School.
IMPORTANT: This competition is presented at PROVINCIAL LEVEL and participating schools and choirs can expect full media coverage during performances as well as at the Prestige Concert. Please see the section about the NEW PRESTIGE CONCERT!!!
We therefore urge schools to put these dates on their year planning and to ensure that participating choirs will travel at least TWICE (2x) to Kirkwood High School. 1. For the competition itself and 2. The Prestige Concert to perform in the presence of carefully selected dignitaries including the Premier of the Eastern Cape, The Department of Education, Department of Arts and Culture, Sponsors, various Festival Directors in the Eastern Cape and other
dignitaries.
| ADJUDICATORS |
- The adjudicators for this choir competition will consist of three (3) highly educated and specialist individuals. It will NOT be any of the adjudicators used in the past.
- South African artist: TO BE CONFIRMED together with two other specialist adjudicators will form the adjudicating panel.
- The decisions of the adjudication panel will be final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding any aspect of its work.