The 2007 – 2008 Prelude Awards
Submission Guidelines

Overview Schedule Entry Forms Submission Guildlines: Collaboration Creative Writing Dance Instumental Music Theater Video and Film Visual Arts Vocal Music

Vocal Music

General Requirements
Each contestant is allowed six minutes to perform. Each contestant must perform two musical selections, contrasting in mood, character, style and tempo. A contestant’s repertoire may be selected from classical literature (art songs, operatic arias, oratorio arias), musical theater, gospel literature and/or spirituals, contemporary Christian literature or popular literatures. Rock and/or country music selections are not recommended. Performances must be memorized. The same piece must be performed throughout the competition process.

NOTE: At the end of six minutes, there will be a 15-second grace period, after which contestant will be stopped. Performances exceeding the 15-second grace period will result in disqualification.
Contestants may perform selections in a foreign language, but should elect to do so only if they are schooled in stage diction and can demonstrate a thorough understanding of the text.
A piano will be available, but contestants must provide their own accompanists. Taped accompaniment is not permitted. Contestants are responsible for providing the judges with five transcripts of the music being performed on the day of the first round of judging. Three transcripts must be provided for the judges on the day of the final round of judging. Photocopies of the music are permitted, but must be clear and readable.

Criteria
Performances will be judged on overall artistic excellence as demonstrated in the following areas:

Intonation Tone Quality:
quality and potential of the individual vocal instrument, breath support, evenness of sound.

Rhythmic Accuracy:
note values, rest values.

Technique:
breathing, note accuracy, diction, enunciation.

Interpretation and General Musicianship:
Expression, dynamics, tempo, phrasing, style, stage presence, appearance, poise, posture, selection of music.

Judging
The preliminary round of judging will be Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at Butler University, Jordan College of Fine Arts. In the event that you are selected as one of the finalists, the final round of judging will be held Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008, at The Children’s Museum. More specific information, including your performance time, will be sent to you upon receipt of your application.
The panel of vocal music judges will be comprised of working artists, critics, university professors and arts administrators from Indiana and surrounding states. In several instances, former Prelude Awards participants have served as judges in their fields.

Judges will assess each contestant based solely on his/her performance, using the criteria described on this sheet.

The preliminary judging will be blind in all disciplines: contestants will be identified by number rather than by name. Judges will not know what school they are from and will not have biographical information. They will be instructed to not ask contestants to talk about themselves or their performances.

It is rare for one contestant to perform at a level so far above all the other competitors that he/she is a clear winner and every judge’s first choice. It is more common for the judges to identify several contestants with comparable skills. When this happens, the judges’ personal philosophies and preferences, as well as group dynamics, are bound to come into play in the process of selecting a winner.

For instance, if three equally talented vocalists enter three separate competitions, each with a separate set of judges, it is unlikely that the same vocalist will be judged the winner every time. It is extremely important for contestants to understand and accept that this element of subjectivity in the judging process is natural and inevitable.

Winning the Prelude Awards does not guarantee a successful career in the arts; nor does losing the competition mean that a successful career in the arts is out of the question. Successful working artists agree that self-discipline, hard work, determination, and one’s ability to deal positively with criticism are the best indicators for success in the arts. Many brilliant high school performers have gone on to lead very traditional lives. Many people whose talents went completely unrecognized in high school have gone on to have brilliant careers in the arts.

This year’s Prelude Awards will provide just one of many occasions in which a young artist’s creative efforts will be judged. A realistic picture of how a competition works and a healthy attitude about winning and losing will help keep stress to a minimum and allow contestants to keep the competition in good perspective so that it can be a useful learning experience.

Media Partner:

For additional information on the Prelude Awards at The Children’s Museum contact Ruby Ellison, Community Programs Coordinator at (317) 334-4119.