2019 ENY/NATS Musical Theater Competition, September 21, 2019

ENY/NATS is pleased to announce its inaugural Musical Theater Competition to be held on Saturday, September 21st from approximately noon until 6pm at the College of Saint Rose.  The competition is open to area high school and college students up to 23 years old.  Judges will choose three winners from each division and these students will be invited to perform on the Honors Recital in February 2020. 

The application process will begin on June 24.  The application fee of $20 will be collected through PayPal at the conclusion of the application process. We are accepting applications on a first-come first-served basis. We will accept a total of 28 applicants, with a minimum of 10 contestants in each division. We will be accepting the first 25 applicants and creating a waiting list.  We encourage students to complete the online application process early in order to ensure their participation.

This year’s judges are:


Joseph Shaver
JOSEPH SHAVER
Bio
LEAH DARBY
Bio
ELIZABETH MARGOLIUS
Bio

Materials and applications may be submitted online by following the link below. 

2019 Musical Theater Competition Information and Requirements

Vocal Categories:

  • High School
  • College Students (age limit 23)

Sheet Music Requirements:

In order to comply with copyright laws, the ORIGINAL PUBLISHED MUSIC must be brought to both the rehearsal and the performance. Music downloaded from the internet which is in public domain satisfies the copyright law. Students may be disqualified from participating if there has been an infringement of copyright law. If you are using copies, please be prepared to show that they have been licensed to you.

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

  • Monday, June 24th:
    Application LIVE online and registration is open to the first 28 applicants.
  • Thursday, September 5th: OFFICIAL APPLICATION DEADLINE*
    This deadline will most likely close earlier since our number of participants is limited. We will post on our website as soon as we have received our total number of applicants.
  • Saturday, September 7th: Singers will be e-mailed with their exact competition time. Please plan to be backstage at least 10 minutes prior to your competition time. Practice rooms will be available.
  • Saturday, September 21st: MUSICAL THEATER COMPETITION
    Each competition participant will receive approximately 8 minutes to perform two selections from musical theater. All participants will receive scanned copies of written adjudication forms.

COMPETITION REGISTRATION

Participants will need to sign in on each day and there will be practice rooms available in which to warm-up. Everyone should make it a point to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance of the assigned rehearsal and performance time in order to feel properly prepared.

Music Theater Repertoire Information and Audition Terminology (per NATS Student Auditions Resource Center found at NATS.org)

  • Memorization
    All repertoire must be sung from memory.
  • Original Languages
    Selections must be sung in the original language or in translation if warranted by common performance practice.
  • Transposition
    Music Theater selections in College categories and older must be sung in the original or standard published key. High School singers and younger may use published transposed keys to accommodate voice change issues only. Any published transposition must retain the composer’s intention and style of music, and preserve the character being portrayed in the story and lyrics.
  • Judicious Cuts
    Piano introductions, piano interludes, piano music after the vocal solo is completed, and internal cuts of music theater selections are allowed as in common performance practice. Cuts of verse or verses of selections are not allowed. In the case of strophic pieces, all verses should remain that are traditionally included.
  • Music Theater Selections
    All repertoire must be from the score of a book show written, or intended for a fully realized musical production. The production may be a musical (including film musicals), revue, or song cycle (MUTH). A fully realized production includes blocking/acting, dance, costumes, sets, pit orchestra or piano, lighting, sound, or a combination of the aforementioned elements. Revues should thread back to the original production. Various online resources are available to confirm whether a particular selection was written/intended for a fully realized musical production, and teachers are encouraged to consult these resources when selecting repertoire for the auditions. Singers should ensure that contrasting selections represent the spectrum of their vocal and dramatic abilities. This should be exhibited by selecting pieces of varying style periods (pop/rock, contemporary, Golden Age, operetta), composers, and employing a variety of vocalism (belt, mix, legit). Singers may choose only one operetta aria as one of their selections.

2019 Musical Theater Competition Application

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