High School Solo & Ensemble Festival 

HS State Solo & Ensemble Festival participation offers students the opportunity to express themselves through creating beauty, building self confidence and to be affirmed as a singer. Performers learn from the mentoring of an adjudicator and through preparation in a solo or ensemble event, students gain insights into the music as they continue their musical journey.

• Qualifying performance of Division I - Excellent at HS District Festival
• Soloists with a raw score of 23 or higher 

Registration & Payment

Festival Scheduler

Login Instructions

Registration Instructions

$35	Solo
$50	Small ensemble	2 - 5 singers
$80 $90	Large ensemble  Large ensembles requesting MYAF consideration	6 - 20 singers

Deadline for registration and payment is March 1, 2022. Fees are non-refundable.

Payment can be made by school check or director’s personal check payable to MSVMA and must be postmarked by the deadline. Purchase orders are acceptable at the postmark deadline, but the State Office must receive payment by March 25, 2022.

Invoices and checks for fees payable to MSVMA should be mailed to:

MSMVA

P.O. Box 1131

Big Rapids, MI  49307

For registration questions, contact State Events Scheduling Coordinator Julia Holt, or Director of State Events Kathy Cunningham.

Transfer Request Guidelines

For the 2021-2022 school year you may chose the site that is most convenient for your school without a transfer request. You will be able to make the selection when registering for the state festival.

• Soloists and ensembles must sing two selections of a contrasting nature. Only one selection may have been performed at District Festival.
• Soloists may sing one opera aria.
  
• When choosing literature, soloists can use this Suggested Repertoire list as a guide. There is no longer a required list for soloists.
• Popular, show/musical tunes, vocal jazz, barbershop or novelty selections are not acceptable.  
  
• Changes in literature must be made by one week before the Festival. 
• If Public Domain or purchased online copies of music are used, proof of music origin is required.

• Soloists must perform from memory to receive a final determination.
• Ensembles may use music.
• Large ensembles desiring MYAF consideration must perform one a cappella selection.
• Instrumental accompaniment other than piano is allowed but must not detract from the performance.
• Small ensembles consist of 2 – 5 singers.
• Large ensembles consist of 6 – 20 singers.
• The personnel of the ensemble shall not change between the performance and sight reading rooms.
• The personnel of the ensemble shall not change from one selection to the other.
• Performance time may not exceed 8 minutes.
• Choreography is not allowed. However, artful staging and appropriate choral movement that reflect performance practice of the genre is allowed.
  
• An original score of each piece with measures numbered must be provided for the use of the judge in order for a final determination to be issued. 
• Directors and accompanists may not conduct and/or play for more than 5 events on Friday, and no more than 5 events on Saturday morning or afternoon. 
  
• Students may participate in up to 5 events, with no more than 3 occurring on Friday, Saturday morning or afternoon.

• Following performance, each soloist will proceed to the sight reading room.
• Only the soloist's director will be allowed in the sight reading room and may instruct the soloist.
• Prior to singing the passage, the soloist will be given time to study the exercise
  
• Each exercise will be 8 measures long.
  
• The adjudicator will establish the key as the soloist requests - starting pitch and/or tonic. 
  
• The levels of proficiency are Primary, Intermediate and Advanced.
  
• Soloists may chose the level of sight reading to be performed.  MYAF candidates must sight read at the Intermediate or Advanced Levels.
• The sight reading score will reflect the soloist’s knowledge of music fundamentals and sight reading ability.
• 9th grade soloists must adhere to senior high sight reading guidelines.

• Prior to singing the passage, the ensemble will be given time to study the exercise.
• The key may be established by having the students sing scales or chord patterns.
• The director may change the key to best support the vocal abilities of the choir.
  
• Intervals contained in the exercise may be sung as long as they are not done in the sequence of the written material. For example, random intervals or patterns such as 1-3-5-3-1,1-6,1-4, etc. may be sung by the students in preparation. Directors may call attention to places where these occur in the exercise. They may not be rehearsed in the sequence in which they appear.
• The group may speak aloud the solfege, letter or number names preparatory to singing.
  
• Singers are allowed to discuss and/or vocalize with their neighbors during the prep time. The director may not assist by illustrating intervals or rhythms.
  
• The practice of "neighboring" shall not be a unified effort by a section or group of more than three students.
• Small and large ensembles desiring MYAF consideration must sight read at intermediate or higher.
• The ensemble’s performance will reflect its ability to understand and sight read the following:

Rhythm: note and rest values, feeling of pulse/tempo - appropriate and steady
Pitch:  pitches, tonality and intonation
Other:  Technique (either fixed or movable do, using either solfege, numbers, letter names, or neutral syllable(s)), concentration of group members, expression, phrasing, tone, quality