Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Guitar, Harp
Announcing the 2021 Winners…
CLASS B (11-12 yrs): Elana Zhang Second Places: Josephine Wen, Bowen Li, Miffy Zhang
CLASS C (13-14 yrs): Anna Yin Second Places: Justin Ng, Lewis Jou
CLASS D (15-16 yrs): Aidan Lai Second Places: Lucas Chiu, Anneliese Drews, Isabella Duque Moreno
CLASS E (17+): Anastasia Cipko Second Place: Allan Nelson
Honorable Mention: Andrea deMercato, Anthony Yue, Zoe May Wong, Olivia Li, Grace Zhou
Welcome to the ASA’s first Virtual Festival! Our goal in providing this opportunity is to educate and offer a chance to prepare/perform music that you’ve been working on. It’s not unlike a regular festival in that sense—and you may find the process of putting out a finished “product” a new and perhaps challenging process. Please find below some important information regarding dates, fees, and classes offered.
Good luck and all the best!
The Executive Board of the ASA
Deadline for Registration: April 30, 2021 (please complete the registration form and pay the fee by this date to confirm your participation)
Deadline for video submission: May 15, 2021
Adjudication: May 28-30, 2021 (scheduled Zoom appointments between adjudicator and participants of each class).
ADJUDICATORS:
Don Lum – Violin: Class A (10 and under); Class F (RCM Exam Prep) …more about Mr. Lum
Angela Cavadas – Violin: Classes B, C, D, E …more about Ms. Cavadas
Kathleen deCaen – Cello …more about Ms. deCaen
How to Register for the ASA 2021 Virtual Music Festival
To participate in the ASA 2021 Virtual Music Festival follow these steps (you will need to register each participant separately):
Step One: click the “Register Here” link below and fill in the registration form. REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
Step Two: Click the appropriate button under Festival Fees to make your payment (Members and students of members follow the link for Member Pricing). REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
Step Three: Upload your video(s) by May 15, 2021 following the Submission Guidelines
Step Four: You will be contacted with the schedule for a live adjudication session.
Payment Details: After registering, payment can be made through PayPal (click below) or by writing a cheque payable to Alberta String Association, mailed to: Alberta String Association #203, 10221 111 Street, Edmonton, AB T5K 2W5
CLASSES
Instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, harp
Requirements:
Class A: Own choice up to 10 minutes maximum — suggested: two contrasting selections from any genre(s) plus one etude. This is a non-competitive class.
Classes B, C, D and E: select a complete piece, OR a movement or movements from a large-scale work, OR a group of pieces from any musical period(s) up to the stated maximum.
Class F: Études and repertoire for the relevant RCM exam program.
Each selection must be recorded in a single uninterrupted take with no splicing or editing. Each separate work may be submitted as a separate recording.
For all participants, performance by memory is strongly encouraged, with the exception of sonatas with piano accompaniment.
Please note: Piano accompaniment is OPTIONAL due to Covid-19 restrictions. However, if possible, we encourage all participants to present their program with accompaniment.
Classes:
Class A: 10 and under, non-competitive (max. 10 minutes)
Class B: 11-12 years old, competitive (max. 15 minutes)
Class C: 13-14 years old, competitive (max.15 minutes)
Class D: 15-16 years old, competitive (max. 15 minutes)
Class E: 17 and up, competitive (max. 20 minutes)
Class F: RCM Exam Preparation Classes: Participants to present etudes and repertoire of their exam program. Please choose from the following:
F (a). Preparatory to Gr. 4
F (b). Gr. 5 to Gr. 8
F (c). Gr. 9 to ARCT
Fees:
Class A: $35
Classes B, C, D: $40
Class E: $45
Class F: (a) $40; (b) $50; (c) $60
Special Pricing for ASA Members and students of Members: $10 off!
Teacher incentive:
Free ASA membership for teachers who provide 10 or more students.
Video Recording Guidelines
- Dress for a performance. Wear what you would wear if you were attending the Festival in person and playing in front of an audience.
- Record in an appropriate space. A living room is fine, but not a bedroom, for example. A larger space is fine, if you have access to a church or a community space while still respecting current Co-vid 19 restrictions. Remember that a space with a lot of soft furnishings (curtains, carpet, cushions) will create a very acoustically dry recording, while a space with only hard surfaces (church basement, gymnasium) will be acoustically very lively with a lot of echo/reverb. A room which is either too dry or too lively may not help you sound your best, so consider trying out a couple of different rooms before deciding where to do your recording.
- Use the best equipment you can. Participants are encouraged to submit a good quality sound recording. However, the adjudicator will take into consideration the technical resources and access to quality recording gear made available to the performer.
- An external microphone or recorder is highly encouraged.
- Built-in computer and/or cell phone microphones often record very poorly.
- Record with one fixed, horizontally – or ‘landscape’ – oriented camera.
- Frame your performance. Ensure that you are centred in the camera frame so that your instrument (and bow, if you have one) remain within the frame while you are playing. Make sure that you are facing the camera. If you are using music, make sure that the music stand is positioned so that the camera still has a clear view of you playing.
- Check the lighting. If there is a window in the room, stand facing the window. Don’t stand with your back to a window as this will make it very difficult to see you. Ensure that your hands are well-lit. If filming at night, ensure that you have light sources from two or three angles to avoid deep shadow.
- No editing. The video can be trimmed at the beginning and end but the performance of each work must be recorded in a single take with no edits.
Video Submission Instructions
Please submit your video by uploading it to YouTube and sending us the link:
ASA Guidelines for recording video submissions:
- Sign up for a YouTube account or sign into your existing account.
- Follow the instructions on YouTube to start uploading your video.
- After uploading your video make sure you complete the following three steps:
- Enter your name, class and piece as the title on your YouTube video upload screen
- Change the “privacy settings” to Unlisted – do NOT set to Private or Public.
- Test your video to make sure it works before sending the link.
- Copy and paste the URL (also known as the link or web-address) for your audition video into an email addressed to asavirtualfestival.2021@gmail.com
Alberta String Association 