Thousand Oaks Philharmonic Young Artist Competition
Rules and Procedures
Date and Location:
The competition will take place on TBA
Competition Areas:
Piano
Instrumental
• Strings
• Woodwind
• Brass
• Percussion
• Voice
Eligibility:
• The competition is open to students of all school ages, encompassing elementary, middle, and high school students.
o Note: For the voice area, only middle and high school students are eligible.
• At least one of the following – the student, their teacher, or a parent – should reside within the Ventura County, Calabasas, and Malibu zip codes.
• Contestants must be actively training in their respective competition areas.
• All students must have confirmed with their private teacher that they are ready to enter the competition.
• Auditions are free for the piano and string Appassionata students (they have to be enrolled in the Appassionata Program). All other disciplines pay $50.00 to audition (no Appassionata Program enrollment required).
For Voice Area Contestants Only:
• Each contestant’s composition must be pre-approved (please see the details below).
• The piano part should match the key of the orchestral arrangement.
Competition Format:
Accompaniment: Digital backing tracks are not permitted for any competition areas.
Accompanist Assistance: The organizers can suggest professional accompanists. It’s recommended to contact them 4-8 weeks ahead and schedule 1-2 rehearsal sessions shortly before the competition.
Piece Selection: When choosing the competition piece, it is important for contestants and their teachers to ensure that the selected piece has an orchestral accompaniment that the organizers can feasibly obtain.
Awards:
The winner(s) will perform their piece with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic.
Jury:
The competition will be judged by distinguished, external music professionals. The judge’s decisions are final.
Judging Criteria:
Technical Proficiency
Musicality and Interpretation
Presentation and Stage Presence
Difficulty of Selection
Originality and Creativity
Diction and Language Proficiency (for voice contestants)
Overall Impact
Competition Composition Approval (for Voice Area):
Voice contestants must submit their piece for pre-screening and approval to ensure the organizers can obtain the orchestral arrangement of the piece (orchestral full score and parts). To get your composition approved, please email TO Phil Appassionata Program Director Ornela Ervin at ornelaervin@verizon.net and include the required details.
Composition Duration:
The composition duration should not exceed 10 minutes.
Application Deadline:
Check the TO Phil website for specific deadlines.
Disqualification:
Participants are expected to strictly adhere to the guidelines and deadlines set by the competition organizers. Grounds for disqualification may include late submissions beyond the specified deadline and any form of cheating or dishonesty. The organizers’ decision regarding disqualification is final and binding.
Additional Provisions:
In cases where additional costs are incurred for music rentals, the student may be responsible for some or all of those costs.
If a student is selected to perform, the student must be available for any of the concert cycles to which the student is assigned.
Further Inquiries:
For additional questions, please contact TO Phil Appassionata Program Director Ornela Ervin at ornelaervin@verizon.net.
Acknowledgements:
Prior to auditioning to play or sing with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, students and their families must understand and accept that each selected soloist is required to pay an $800 contribution fee, partly covering rehearsals, concerts, recordings, and tickets.
The dates for these cycles are available on the Website Home Page
- Concert week Schedule
Sunday afternoon: Sitzen rehearsal with conductor
Wednesday evening: Rehearsal with Orchestra
Thursday evening: Dress Rehearsal with Orchestra
Friday, 7:30pm: Concert performance
Sunday 2:30pm: Encore Concert performance