Bach/Baroque Festival and Competition

Application Requirements

1. Please register at new.mtfest.com.
2. Pay fee online through new.mtfest.com. Click on Billing, then click on the $ next to the event. Pay with Visa or Mastercard. After payment is made, you may print a copy of the invoice for your records. No late applications will be accepted. All fees are non-refundable
3. Non-NVMTA members must pay the $50 fee (per student per event) plus registration fee.

Levels and Time Limits

Repertoire Requirements

Festival

Piano:

1. 1. Format: In-person. Students play the first round in recital format. Judges write critiques.
   2. Repertoire: Play 2 pieces, one by J. S. Bach and a second piece by J. S. Bach or another Baroque composer. Any piece with a BWV number, including transcriptions, and all pieces in the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook, is acceptable as the first piece.
   3. In Festival, memory is optional for all players.

Strings:

1. 1. 1. Format: In-person. Students play the first round in recital format. Judges write critiques.
      2. Repertoire: Play 2 pieces, one by J.S. Bach and a second piece by J.S. Bach or another Baroque composer. Published arrangements from Suzuki books or other anthologies accepted. Any piece with a BWV number, including transcriptions, is acceptable.
      3. In Festival, memory is optional for all players.

Competition

Piano:

• Format: In-person, 2 rounds and an Honors Recital. Students play the first round in recital format. Judges write critiques. Students play the second round in a private audition.
• Repertoire: Play 2 memorized pieces. Choose the first piece (by J S Bach) from the following list:
  1. A Little Prelude (BWV 899-900, 902, 924-928, 930-931, 933-941, 943, 999, 902a); 4 minutes total playing time
  2. A 2-part Invention.
  3. A 3-part Invention (Sinfonia).
  4. A movement from a French or English Suite or from a Partita
  5. One Prelude and Fugue set (both with the same BWV number) from either volume of WTC
  6. In categories 1 through 4, the 2nd piece may be by any Baroque composer or J.S. Bach. The 2nd piece may be any piece with a BWV number, including transcriptions, except pieces from the Anna Magdalena Bach collection.
  7. In category 5, no additional piece is needed.

Strings:

• Format: In-person, 2 rounds and an Honors Recital. Students play the first round in recital format. Judges write critiques. Students play the second round in a private audition.
• Repertoire: Play 2 memorized pieces, one by J.S. Bach and a second piece by J.S. Bach or another Baroque composer. Published arrangements from Suzuki books or other anthologies accepted. Any piece with a BWV number, including transcriptions is acceptable.

Eligibility

Festival

• Columbia Baptist Church hosts this year’s festival.
• Open to pre-college students grades K through 12, and adults.

Competition

• Columbia Baptist Church hosts this year’s competition.
• Open to pre-college students grades K through 12.
• A student who is chosen for the Honors Recital one year cannot participate in the Competition the next year. The student may participate in the Festival and then return to the competition the following year.
• Students who are not present and ready to perform at their assigned time may play for comments only, and only if time permits.

Awards

Festival and Competition

Certificate of Participation: sent to participating teachers as a digital file for teachers to print and distribute.

Trophies awarded at the 3rd year of participation. Awards at the 6th and 9th of years of participation TBD.

Honors Recital

A select number of students from the 2nd round will be chosen to perform in the Honors Recital on February 16, 2025 at Columbia Baptist Church.

Student Guidelines

Students should check-in at the front desk 15 minutes before their performance time. Check-in desk is in the lobby directly in front of the entrance nearest the parking lot.

Teacher Guidelines

• Work Assignments:                           

1. 3 hours for teachers who enroll 1 to 10 students.
2. 6 hours for teachers who enroll 11 or more students.
3. Teachers must be available to help in other capacities at the discretion of the Chair.

• Check-In: Teachers check-in at the front desk 15 minutes before their judging assignment. They must sign their initials and the time of check-in.
• Teachers must agree to abide by the Teacher Responsibilities.
• Work Obligation: If a participating teacher cannot, for any reason including emergencies, fulfill their work assignment, they must:
  1. Hire a substitute. The substitute must either be a member of NVMTA, a similar association or have equivalent training, education, experience and/or expertise.
  2. The chair must approve the substitute.
  3. Inform the chair by Thursday, January 16, 2025.
  4. Contact the chair regarding payment for the substituting teacher.
  5. Checks must arrive at chair’s address before February 1, 2025 or teacher’s students will not be scheduled.
• For more detail go to Teacher Responsibilities, subparagraphs 2, 3, and 4.
• Copyright: All participants are responsible for complying with U.S. copyright law. Entrant will abide by all copyright laws and has permission to use all music given to judges and accompanists during all events as outlined here.

The chair will notify all teachers regarding those students chosen to play in the the HonorsRecital.

Please let the chair know if you are willing to work extra hours as a judge at the rate of $60/hour.

Judging Workshop notes