OsAA Choral Competition

Hosting a Festival

so, is it your turn to host the festival?

Let’s take a timeline and checklist look at hosting one. Our timeline has items before, during, and after the festival. The checklist consists of questions that must be answered in order to host the festival. Let’s begin with the goals of the event.

Goals

• Why does this festival exist? Is this an established event, or is it a new event?

• What are the educational goals of the festival? By what means will the goals be accomplished? How will you know if the goals have been accomplished?

• Will there be a grand finalé performance of combined groups? Who will direct the finalé? Who selects the music?

• Is this a qualifying event for another festival? Does everyone understand the requirements for qualification? How are the performances scored?

• Do all of the groups attending this event understand the goals? How will you communicate the goals? When will the information be communicated?

Before the Festival

1) Personnel

• Who is in charge? Who does the planning? When and where does the planning happen?

• Who decides on the festival format and schedule? The festival format needs to consider schedule and the duration of each event. Some schedule event times include those for warm-up, performance, clinic, sight-reading, combined re-hearsal, combined performance, guest performance(s), meals, awards, recognitions, acknowledgements, and breaks. Can breaks be scheduled so that the adjudicators and clinicians can have some time together? This can be an important time to discuss issues that arise during the event. Does everyone know start times and special performance times?

• Who sets up before the first group performs? Who is the stage manager for setup between groups? Who makes sure that all needed equipment is in place at the start of the festival?

• How will you (or someone in charge) communicate with directors, hosts, clinicians, and others during the festival? Where is registration? Who works at the registration table? Who collects and accounts for

Matt strauser director

fees? Who handles last-minute schedule problems (like when a bus is late)? What do you do if the festival is running behind schedule? Will you use clinician break times as catch-up times? Who can assist individuals with special needs?

• Who mails registration information? Who has the contact information for addressing the mailing? Who collects performance information from participating schools? Who prepares the schedule and/or program? Who prepares the packets for the directors? Do directors, parents, and administrators know directions for how to get to the event?

2) Facilities

• Some facility factors include warm-up area, stage size, stage access, sightreading room, clinic room, storage areas, and parking.

• Related to the facility question is equipment. What about instruments? Does the event/do you need to provide a tuned piano, other instruments, risers, shell, podium, music stands, and chairs? How many chairs and stands do you need?

• What about technical gear? Who makes sure that recording gear is in place and functional? Who runs the technical gear?

continued on page 29...