General Rules & Regulations

Upper Island Musical Festival

Affiliated with Performing Arts B.C. and Federation of Canadian Musical Festivals

New and revised syllabus rules are highlighted in yellow.

PLEASE NOTE:
ABSOLUTELY NO PHOTOGRAPHY OR RECORDING OF ANY TYPE WILL BE ALLOWED DURING A PERFORMANCE. IF AN AUDIENCE MEMBER IS OBSERVED TAKING PICTURES OR FILMING/RECORDING A PERFORMER(S), HE/SHE WILL BE ASKED TO REFRAIN ONCE. IF THE AUDIENCE MEMBER CONTINUES TO TAKE PICTURES OR FILM/RECORD, THE PERFORMER(S) WILL BE DISQUALIFIED (THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE AUTHORIZED MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA).

THE FESTIVAL COMMITTEE DOES NOT WISH TO DISQUALIFY ANY PERFORMER, AND SINCERELY ADVISES ALL COMPETITORS, PARENTS, TEACHERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS TO ABIDE BY THE REGULATIONS AND SPIRIT OF THE FESTIVAL SO THAT INFRACTIONS DO NOT OCCUR.

Eligibility (Definitions)

    1. Competitors in the UPPER ISLAND MUSICAL FESTIVAL are restricted to residents of Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands.
    2. To be eligible for selection to Provincial Finals, competitors must:
      • Reside within the geographic area of our Festival (Ladysmith to Bowser) OR
      • Study in the discipline, (i.e. dance, piano) within the geographic area of our Festival OR
      • Have taken up temporary residence for the purpose of study within our geographic area.
      If there is no recommended competitor from within this geographic area, adjudicators may recommend participants from outside of this area.
  2. All competitions are open to amateurs only. An amateur shall mean:
    • Participants who are teaching classes while attending full time academic school are considered amateurs and therefore eligible to participate.
    • One whose principal income is not more than 50% derived from dancing, speech or musical services AND
    • Is not a member of a professional union or association.
    This does not apply to student teachers who accept money from time to time for the purpose of applying it to the furtherance of their particular category of education. This condition does not apply to conductors of choirs. This rule does not apply to dancers—please see dance section for rule specific to dance.
  3. In any current year a student may perform only once within any given solo class. Exceptions are allowed in vocal duet, vocal solo, and accompaniment classes and lieder. See specific section rules. Competitors in choral societies or choirs are required to have been members of their respective organizations for at least one month prior to the opening date of the Festival.
  4. See each section for specific rules and entry forms.
  5. Competitors and the public are requested to refrain from conversation and remain seated during the performances and adjudications.
  6. Complaints or protests must be received by Corresponding Secretary no later than 7 days after the completion of the section involved (e.g. dance, vocal) a protest fee of $25.00 must be included. Said fee will be returned in full should the protest be sustained. The Protest Committee will be composed of a maximum of five Festival Committee members whose decision will be final.

Own Choice Selections

  1. Memorization is considered by most adjudicators to be a vital part of the total performance. When all other qualities are more or less equal, memory work WILL have an effect on the final marking; therefore, all competitors are strongly advised to perform from memory. Memorization is required in Speech Arts, except for those sections specifically requiring reading.
    1. Competitors must not select and perform the same piece in more than one class either within a specific section or in any other section of the Festival.
    2. Once a competition, dance, or speech selection has been performed, it may not be used again by the same competitor in succeeding years in the Festival.
  3. If required on the entry form, the length of the performance time MUST be stated for programming purposes. Competitors performing Own Choice selections must adhere to the stated time limit or they could be subject to disqualification or adjudication only. Please refer to specific section rules.

Entries

    1. Please type or print clearly on the entry form providing all requested information—including complete birth date. Entry forms must be printed, signed and mailed or delivered. We will not accept the forms via e-mail. See the entry form in each section for mailing address and closing date information.
    2. Check competitor's name for spelling as this information will be transferred to programmes and certificates. Correct spelling of composers etc. is also important.
    3. To be accepted as an entry, the entry forms must be completed FULLY and the required fee enclosed. Non-compliance may result in the entry being returned to the sender. The committee reserves the right to refuse any entry without assigning a reason for doing so. Once an entry has been received there will be no refund.
    4. On entry form, please list all other sections entered in the festival. This information is important in order to avoid programming conflicts.
    5. Late entries may be accepted at the discretion of the Section Chairperson—see specific section for information. A double entry fee must accompany all late entry requests.

Programme Procedure

  1. Once entry closing dates have passed, the committee will decide the order in which the classes will appear in the Programme and shall arrange the order in which the entrants will appear. The committee reserves the right to:
    • Subdivide any class if the number or character of entries warrant this decision.
    • Combine classes if there are insufficient entries.

DUE TO THE INCREASE IN ENTRIES, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS SHOULD NOT RELY ON SPECIAL PROGRAMMING TO ACCOMMODATE THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN OTHER ACTIVITIES.

  1. PARTICIPANTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO CONFIRM THEIR PLACEMENT IN THE PROGRAMME. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMPETITORS TO BE AT THE VENUE ON TIME.
  2. The appropriate chairperson should be notified immediately if:
    • it is necessary to substitute a member of a duet, trio, group or ensemble.
    • a candidate intends to withdraw from a class.
  3. Competitors will be designated by number and should not commence before the adjudicator indicates he/she is ready to proceed. The adjudicator may at his/her discretion stop a performance at any time and is not required to give an adjudication or mark if it would be detrimental to the competitor.

Liability Waiver

  1. The Upper Island Musical Festival Society (the "Society") is not responsible for any claims, demands or damages concerning injury to any competitor that may occur during the annual Upper Island Musical Festival. The Society will not be responsible for any loss or damage to musical instruments, equipment, props or any other personal property. The Society's acceptance of a competitor's application for entry into the Upper Island Musical Festival will release any responsibility of the Society or volunteers for the Society from claims, demands, damages, actions or causes of action arising out of or in consequence of any loss, injury or damage to any competitor or any competitor's personal property incurred while attending or participating in the Upper Island Musical Festival. This clause shall also apply to all members of the public attending any/all events.

Special Concerts and Awards

  1. To qualify for a:
    • First Place Certificate - a minimum mark of 85% must be achieved.
    • Second & Third Place Certificates - may be awarded at the discretion of the adjudicator.

    The name and standing of the winners may be announced by the adjudicator at the completion of the class.

  2. Outstanding students in the Festival may be called upon to perform at the Honours Performance and Dance Gala. Selected students should be prepared to appear if requested to do so by the committee. Selection performed must be the one chosen by the adjudicator, and meet the following time limitations:
    • Honours Performance - approximately 5 minutes.
    • Dance Gala - time limits are the same as listed in the dance section of this syllabus.

    Any competitor not complying with these conditions may be asked to not perform at future performances.

  3. The Dance Gala will be held following the Dance Section. Selection of dance numbers are chosen by the adjudicators using marks (must be 1st or 2nd place mark), audience appeal and variety of program. The Dance Gala committee attempts to showcase as many dance schools as possible from the selections provided by the adjudicators. Selections chosen for Dance Gala are required to attend a technical rehearsal. A "no show" at the technical rehearsal may result in the dance number being removed from the Gala schedule.
  4. A number of bursaries will be given to encourage and assist worthy entrants in their pursuit of artistic studies. To merit these awards, competitors must be 28 years of age or under (20 years of age in Dance) and have performed in two solo classes in the same section. The exception is the Rose Bursary which may only require one solo. Bursary awards are at the sole discretion of the adjudicator. See rules pertaining to individual sections.
  5. It is understood that to be eligible for any of the bursaries, the recipient must be studying now or planning further study in the field for which the award is given. All such awards are at the sole discretion of the adjudicator. For a student to win an award in excess of $100.00, he/she must reside within the boundary area of the Upper Island Musical Festival (Ladysmith to Bowser) or has taken up temporary residence within or outside the boundary area, for the purpose of studying. If an out-of-district student is selected by an adjudicator to represent our festival at the Provincials, bursary funds may be given in excess of $100.00 with bursary committee approval.
  6. Representatives to Provincial Finals will be notified when decisions are finalized. Any competitor accepting the nomination at the provincial or national level and not appearing without just cause and due notice, may be denied the right to compete at future Provincial Finals. Once notified, acceptance must be received by Provincial Liaison Representative within seven (7) days.

Adjudication

  1. The adjudicator's decision is FINAL in matters pertaining to adjudication and in the selection of class winners, bursary winners, Provincial and National Representatives. The adjudicator is not compelled to select a Provincial Representative.
  2. COMMUNICATION WITH ADJUDICATORS, EXCEPT THROUGH THE COMMITTEE, IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN.
  3. DURING THE DATES OF THE UPPER ISLAND MUSICAL FESTIVAL, REHEARSALS IN THE AREAS RENTED BY THE FESTIVAL COMMITTEE ARE NOT PERMITTED. WARM UP AREAS MAY BE AVAILABLE AT THE DISCRETION OF THE SECTION CHAIRPERSON.

Note to Competitors and Concert Performers

Please note the requirements for dress:

Girls/Women: appropriate concert attire (dress, skirt, dress slacks with blouse)
Boys/Men: appropriate concert attire (suit or jacket, dress slacks and shirt)

No Jeans Please

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