The Solo and Ensemble Festival is for all instrumental musicians (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, and harp) age 20 and under in Cumberland County and adjacent counties. Students may participate as a soloist and/or in an ensemble. All students that enter will receive a voucher to attend Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra concerts. Participants that receive a Superior rating will also receive an award, and the possibility of performing on a Fayetteville Symphony concert honoring the talented youth in our area. A solo is one (1) musician with an accompanist (if possible). An ensemble is 2 or more musicians, up to 12 musicians, with or without an accompanist.
Division Levels
Musicians will be divided into a Junior and Senior divisions according to age:
| Junior Division – Age 14 and under or 8th grade and under |
| Senior Division – Age 15-20 or 9th grade and older |
Music Levels
Participants may enter Junior or Senior division on six (6) grade levels designated according to music difficulty. Each of the following levels will be open to any music student in Cumberland county and adjacent counties.
| 1 – Easy | 4 – Moderate Difficult |
| 2 – Moderate Easy | 5 – Difficult |
| 3 – Average | 6 – Very Difficult |
Guideline to Determine Level:
Strings Guideline:
| 1 – Easy | Suzuki Book 1, Essential Elements Book 1, or equivalent |
| 2 – Moderate Easy | Suzuki Book 2, Essential Elements Book 2, or equivalent |
| 3 – Average | Suzuki Book 3 or equivalent |
| 4 – Moderate Difficult | Suzuki Book 4-5 or equivalent |
| 5 – Difficult | Suzuki Book 6-7 or equivalent |
| 6 – Very Difficult | Concerto Level (Suzuki book 8 and above or equivalent) |
Woodwinds/Brass/Percussion Guideline:
| 1 – Easy | 1st year band |
| 2 – Moderate Easy | 2nd year band |
| 3 – Average | 3rd year band |
| 4 – Moderate Difficult | 9th-10th grade band |
| 5 – Difficult | 11th-12 grade band |
| 6 – Very Difficult | Concerto Level or College Level |
Rating System:
The FSO Festival will use a five rating plan for judging all solos and ensembles:
I – Superior
II – Excellent
III – Average
IV – Fair
V – Poor
| Rating I | Superior – The best possible performance. Score = 96-100 |
| Rating II | Excellent – A performance of distinctive quality but not worth yof the highest rating due to minor defects in performance. Score = 90-95 |
| Rating III | Average – A performance showing some accomplishment and promise but lacking in essential musical qualities. Score = 80-89 |
| Rating IV | Fair – This is a performance that is weak and uncertain. Score = 74-79 |
| Rating V | Poor – A performance that reveals lack of preparedness and musical understanding. |
Rating Sheets
The rating sheet of each performance will be emailed to the performer after the performances have been evaluated by the judges.
Awards
All students that participate will be given a voucher to attend a Fayetteville Symphony Concert. Students that receive a I or Superior rating will receive an award. Several students that receive Superior ratings will be chosen by the judges to perform their piece at a Fayetteville Symphony sponsored concert, honoring their achievement.
Accompanist
While an accompanist is not required, we still strongly encourage all musicians to have an accompanist unless the performance piece is specifically written to be performed unaccompanied.
Music for Adjudicators
A complete measure-numbered score for each ensemble or a measure-numbered solo for each soloist must be provided for the adjudicator. Participants will be required to upload a scanned copy of the music in their application form. Failure to provide this music will result in a penalty of one rating lower.
Performance Information
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Solo and Ensemble Festival participation will occur virtually. All participants must record a maximum of ten (10) minutes of their chosen piece. In works that are more than ten (10) minutes, music may be appropriately cut.
Submission of your performance will require you to include a direct URL link to an unlisted YouTube video, Google Drive file, or Dropbox file in your application form. Please make sure that the settings of your video allow viewers with the link to view the video.
Festival Application Deadline and Fees
Solo Application fee = $20
Ensemble Application fee = $35
The Solo and Ensemble Festival application is now closed.
