Festival Types and Requirements

All Festivals: An SCVA Choral Festival is open to the choirs of current SCVA members.  A festival must have 5 to 8 ensembles enrolled to avoid cancellation (except for Clinic Festivals, see below).  There is no requirement for the number of members in an ensemble (except for Madrigal/Chamber Festival, see below).  One school is limited to enrolling two choirs in one festival, and each ensemble is limited to one festival per year.  The festival performance of the ensemble may not exceed 12 minutes.

Open Festival: Open to choirs of any voicing, any level.

Novice Festival: Open to choirs of any voicing (host may specify men's, women's or mixed); novice/beginning ability level.

Advanced Festival: Open to choirs of any voicing (host may specify men's, women's or mixed); selections performed must be in contrasting styles from different historical periods, utilizing at least two different languages; at least one selection must be performed a cappella.

Madrigal/Chamber Choir Festival: Open to choirs of SATB voicing; host may specify ability level (open, novice, advanced), ensemble should have approximately 16-32 singers.

Clinic: Performance time will include 10 minutes performing and 10 minutes on-stage work with the adjudicator; there will be one or two adjudicators.  A Clinic Festival must have 4 to 6 ensembles enrolled to avoid cancellation.  A regular festival may be changed to a clinic by the appropriate Vice President if regular festival enrollment does not meet the minimum one month prior to the festival date.