CalASTA | Solo Competition | Los Angeles Section Area

Welcome to the CalASTA-Los Angeles 2022 Annual Bowed Strings Solo Competition in conjunction with Acceptd! We are delighted to have you participate in the CalASTA Solo Competition this year. Applications will open on April 1st, 2022

American String Teachers Association: Los Angeles SectionGUIDELINES for the Online 2022 ANNUAL BOWED STRINGS SOLO COMPETITIONVideo Competition performed in conjunction with Acceptd

Due to continued concerns about COVID-19, the 2022 Preliminary Round will continue as an online competition similar to the 2021 competition. All contestants will be asked to submit a video recording via Accept’d at calastala.getacceptd.com. Students and parents must agree to allow CalASTA-LA to share their video submission on our FaceBook page as part of a presentation of winners. The Final Round of the CalASTA-LA Bowed Strings Competition will be performed live if health regulations allow. PURPOSE To stimulate and encourage young people at all levels of development to study stringed instruments by providing opportunities for performance, evaluation, and recognition.

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

1. Participants in this program are limited to solo performances on violin, viola, cello, and double bass. a. Participants may apply only upon the recommendation of their private teacher who must provide their membership number to determine eligibility.

b. Preliminary and Los Angeles Finals Age Categories (age as of June 1, 2022):

Novice: age 12 and under
Junior I: ages 13 through 15
Junior II: ages 16 through 18
Senior: ages 19 through 25

c. Scan of certified copy or original birth certificate, passport, or driver’s license must accompany application as proof of age.

2. Teachers of participants must be active members of ASTA. Any student of a member of CalASTA-Los Angeles may participate in one of the preliminary competitions.

3. Code of Conduct: Judges, Chairpersons, teachers, students over 18 and a parent or guardian for students under 18 are all required to sign our “Code of Conduct” to participate in the Los Angeles Competitions.

4. Repertoire: One selection must be chosen from the standard literature and should demonstrate musicianship, tone, and technique.

a. Selection must be memorized.

b. Performance time is limited to eight minutes for both Preliminary and Los Angeles Final Competitions. The student must perform the same piece in both the Preliminary and Finals, if selected.

c. Accompaniment is NOT required this year in the preliminary round, however, the teacher and student may select the option best for the student from the options below:

● Live accompaniment - please adhere to current CDC health recommendations.

● Pre-recorded accompaniment or accompaniment program, such as SmartMusic - please be sure the student’s instrument is heard over the accompaniment.

d. Teachers may not perform as the student’s accompanist, as it may compromise the competitor’s anonymity.

5. Preliminary Round on April 14, 2022. Application and video submission deadline is April 14, 2022. Results will be announced April 21, 2022.

6. Fees: Entrance Fee for Preliminary Competition: $50 ($30 to Acceptd, $20 to CalASTA LA). If you are selected for the Finals Round, the Final Round Fee will be generously underwritten by the Hennings-Fischer Foundation.

a. Acceptd does offer a fee waiver option CLICK HERE for more information. 

7. The acknowledgement for commitment to participate in the finals must be received by April 28, 2022.

ADDITIONAL PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES

1. All students MUST compete within their correct respective age categories as stated in the guidelines.

2. Judges’ decisions are final.

3. Any winner of the Los Angeles Finals Competition who is NOT chosen to advance to the State Competition is eligible to compete the following year.

4. A winner of the Los Angeles Finals who has been advanced to the State Competition may NOT compete again the following year in their same age category at the Preliminary Round unless they have participated in and did not win First Place in the California State Finals.

5. The California State Competition, occurs every two years. Therefore, a Los Angeles Finals winner in a year when there is NO State Competition (e.g., 2021) is declared eligible for the next State Competition (2022). As a result, he/she may not compete in the LA Preliminary Competitions in 2022.

6. Any winner at the California State Finals may NOT compete again in that age category in the Preliminary Round nor at the Los Angeles Finals until he/she is the correct age for the next age category of the State Competition. (Novice: 12 & under; Junior: age 13-18; Senior: age 19-25). Please note that the State Competition combines both of the CalASTA-LA Junior categories into one age group. Winners of the Junior I AND Junior II categories both compete in the SAME State age group.

7. The Preliminary competition will be conducted via video submissions. All contestants will receive a certificate of participation.

ADVANCEMENT

1. Advancement to Los Angeles Finals Competition: Adjudicators from the Preliminary round may recommend up to 5 finalists in each instrument division and each age category to compete in the Los Angeles Finals Competition.

2. Advancement to California State Competition: First place winners of the Los Angeles Finals Competition are eligible to compete in the California State Competition which occurs every 2 years; the judges may recommend additional highly qualified second place winners to advance to the California State Competition. No Third Place awardees may be recommended for the State Finals.

AWARDS

1. Preliminary Competition Round: Up to 5 finalists will be selected per instrument division in each age category to advance to the Finals. Placement awards will not be given in the Preliminary Round. Certificates will be awarded to each participant.

2. Los Angeles Finals Competition Round: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place, and Honorable Mention Awards will be awarded by the judges. First Place Winners in the Los Angeles Finals Competition in each instrument division and the appropriate age categories, upon recommendation of the judges, will advance to the California State Competition. The judges may recommend additional second place winners to advance.

3. Los Angeles Final Prizes: Awards for the Los Angeles Finals Competition will be as follows:
Senior—$400; Junior I—$300; Junior II—$300; Novice—$200.

4. A Special Award of a solo performance with the Cal State LA Symphony Orchestra/Olympia Youth Orchestra may be presented to a participant in the 2022 Los Angeles Finals Competition, as well as a cash prize to be determined. Performance repertoire is subject to the approval of Conductor Fung Ho.

5. Judges’ comments from the preliminary round will be posted on Accept’d. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ask their students to share them. The comments, certificates, and award checks from the finals will be sent to teachers. It is the teacher’s responsibility to forward all comments, certificates, and award checks to their students in a timely manner!

RULES FOR VIDEO SUBMISSION

1. At no time may you identify yourself using your name or your teacher's name. You are to label the video with the piece you will be playing, (ie. Saint-Saens Cello Concerto in A Minor I. Allegro). DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME in the title of the video.

2. When making the video, competitors are to be videotaped using a single camera at an angle that shows the instrument, face and hands clearly that immediate identification can take place if there is a question of matching the video to the competitor.

3. The camera should be stationary, on a tripod, or steady surface, not hand-held or moved around. No editing is allowed.

4. Teachers/pianists are encouraged to make appropriate cuts in the piano interludes so that the video is as close to 8 minutes as possible. If the video goes over 8 minutes, the judges will stop the video at that point but there will be no penalty.

5. All music must be memorized.

6. All inquiries should be submitted by email directly to the LA Finals Chairperson, Jillian Risigari-Gai Lopez jillian@jillharp.com

JUDGING

1. Two judges will be engaged for the Preliminary Round and three for the Los Angeles Finals Competition.

2. Chairpersons and participating teachers in any part of the competition may not adjudicate in any part of the competition for that year.

3. Prior to and during the competition, each student shall be identified to the judges by number only. Judges may not see any printed recital program until after all awards have been presented.

4. Judges are required to consider only the performance given by a competitor on that particular day; no other prior experiences, whether positive or negative, are relevant to the competition.

5. Judges are not to write contact information, addresses, or affiliations on the Evaluation Forms.

6. Judges will make every effort to present their evaluations in a positive and constructive manner.

7. While the Competition Chairs will need to work with judges to help with paper work and to answer questions about procedures, a Chair may not sit with the judges during deliberations.

8. Questions by the judges to the Competition Chair should be a procedural nature only. All efforts shall be made to avoid even the appearance of any inappropriate influence on the results.

9. Contact with judges by parents, teachers or students prior to or on the day of the competition is not allowed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Bowed Strings Competition Chair: Jillian Risigari-Gai Lopez jillian@jillharp.com 

Looking forward to another great competition!

Sincerely,

Jillian Risigari-Gai Lopez

Solo-Competition Preliminary Chair for Bowed Strings CalASTA Los Angeles Section

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