1.1 The Festival shall be known as the “Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival” and shall be under the management of the Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival Executive Committee.

1.2 All matters not addressed by these rules shall be referred to the Festival Executive Committee in writing. The decisions of the Committee on such matters shall be final and binding to all concerned.

2.1   Unless otherwise stated, all classes shall be open to amateurs only. An amateur shall be defined as follows: “Any person whose principal means of livelihood is not obtained from the profession or practice of music, theatre or speech arts even if they, from time to time, accept remuneration for their services.”

2.2   Participants must reside in the City of Orillia or the Townships of Severn, Oro-Medonte, Rama or Ramara as well as the District of Muskoka.

2.3   Students with special needs are welcome to participate in these Festival classes. Please indicate on the entry form if the participant has a special need. For more information contact the Festival Registrar.

2.4   For classes where age limits are specified, participants must be of the prescribed age on the first day of January in the current year of the Festival. All participants must state their age on the entry form.

2.5   There is no limit to the number of classes a participant may enter; however, in divisions where workshops are offered, if a student wishes to participate in the workshop, they must also enter at least one another class in that division.

2.6   The participants “Own Choice” selections for graded classes are to be performed at the current level of study.

2.7   In all classes in which the performance piece is to be the participant’s “Own Choice”, the selection chosen must not be a work for which the participant has received a Gold standing at any previous Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival.

3.1   All “Own Choice” Conservatory pieces must be taken from the current syllabus of either the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) or Conservatory Canada (CC) unless otherwise indicated.

3.2   Responsibility for appropriate selection of music in any “Own Choice” class rests with the participant and teacher. Please contact the appropriate Division Coordinator or the Artistic Director for clarification if necessary.

3.3   Repeats of short sections may be observed as long as time limits are met. ‘Da Capo’ and ‘Dal Segno’ passages are not considered repeats and shall be observed.

3.4   Use of music for any class is optional, however the adjudicator is advised to deduct five marks for pieces not memorized, unless memorization is indicated as non-compulsory in the preamble, or class heading.

3.5   The music for each participant’s “Own Choice” selection will be collected by a Festival representative at the start of the class for use by the adjudicator. Please ensure that bar numbers are indicated on the score.  If the music is not submitted, the participant risks disqualification at the adjudicator’s discretion.

3.6   According to federal Copyright Law, it is illegal to copy documents which are copyrighted without first obtaining permission from the copyright owner. No photocopies will be accepted by the Festival representative unless there is accompanying documentation indicating permission to photocopy was granted by the copyright holder.

3.7   Music that has been downloaded from the Internet must include a confirmation to indicate that it has been legally downloaded.

4.1   The deadline for entries is indicated in the preamble for each division. Entries received or postmarked after this date will not be accepted.

4.2   Official entry forms must be completely and accurately filled in, signed, accompanied by the appropriate entry fee in a sealed envelope addressed to the Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival Registrar and submitted by mail or hand delivered to the drop box. The conductor or other qualified official of a choral group, orchestra, band or ensemble may sign the form on behalf of the organization.

4.3   Payment must be made by cheque, money order or e-transfer as cash is not accepted.

4.4   Entry fees cannot be refunded except when the entry is rejected by the Festival Executive Committee. The Committee reserves the right to reject any entry for any reason at its discretion.

4.5   When possible, please list the title and composer for each “Own Choice” selection on the entry form.

4.6   If adjudication only is requested, please indicate this preference by checking the appropriate box (A/O) on the entry form.

5.1   The Festival Executive Committee may combine or sub-divide any classes listed in the Official Syllabus, if the number of entries requires such actions.

5.2   The Festival Executive Committee cannot guarantee that the class times that have been assigned to participants can be changed to accommodate conflicts.

5.3   Participants should contact the Registrar one week prior to the opening date of the Festival if they have NOT been notified of their scheduled performance time.

5.4   Parents, teachers and audience members are not permitted to enter into any discussion or correspondence with the adjudicator regarding any material to be presented or performed at the local Festival. All Festival related dealings with the adjudicators must be handled through the presiding adjudicator liaison.

5.5   Participants are not allowed to rehearse in any Festival location at any time during the Festival. All efforts will be made to provide appropriate warm up rooms for the following divisions: vocal, strings, guitar, woodwinds, brass & percussion, community and school choir, community and school instrumental.  During warm – up participants in these divisions may have assistance with tuning their instruments.

5.6   Participants must arrange for their own accompanists. Please contact the Registrar if names of potential accompanists are required.

5.7   Page turners are not allowed to assist participants unless this is specified under the class heading in the syllabus. Accompanists may be assisted by a page turner at their discretion.

5.8   Participants will receive a signal from the adjudicator to begin, after which they will be expected to announce the title and composer of their “own choice” piece before its performance.

5.9   The adjudicator reserves the right to disqualify any participant who is not ready to perform when called. Classes will not be delayed to accommodate latecomers.

5.10   In vocal and choral divisions, a chord may be given on the piano at the commencement of each piece of unaccompanied music.

5.11   No pre-recorded accompaniments may be used unless this is specified under the class heading.

5.12   In the event of an incomplete performance, a mark may or may not be awarded at the adjudicator’s discretion. It is the adjudicator’s privilege to help participants complete their performance.

5.13   The use of any type of camera or recording device is prohibited during ALL Festival performances and adjudications. Photo opportunities may be given between classes if time permits.

5.14   All cell phones are requested to be turned OFF during performances and adjudications. The Festival Executive Committee respectfully asks that participants and audience members refrain from using cell phones during these times.

5.15   No promotional material for a business, school or teacher, be it of a music-related or any other nature, is to be displayed at any Festival venue or waiting area outside a Festival venue unless it has been approved by the Festival Executive Committee.

6.1   All single participants or participating groups will receive a comment sheet and a mark from the adjudicator for each class unless otherwise indicated under the class heading or in the information preamble for that division.

6.2   In all divisions a certificate will be presented to each single participant or participating group. These certificates are presented immediately following the oral adjudication of the class or group of classes. There can be several of the same standings awarded in each class according to the marks assigned by the adjudicator. Unless otherwise indicated under the class heading in the syllabus, the standings will be awarded on the certificates according to the following scale of marks:

GOLD – a mark of 85 or higher
SILVER – a mark of 80 to 84
BRONZE – a mark of 75 to 79
PARTICIPANT- mark of 74 or lower

6.3   Any participant may request adjudication only. Please indicate this preference by checking the appropriate box (A/O) on the entry form. A certificate of participation and comments from the adjudicator will be given but no mark or standing will be noted.

6.4   A trophy will be awarded to the single participant or participating group with the highest mark in each of the main categories or sections outlined in the syllabus for each division at the adjudicator’s discretion. These trophies are presented at the “Festival Encores” concert in May.

7.1   The adjudicators are asked to recommend participants in each discipline to perform at the “Festival Encores” concert which is held no later than one month after the final day of the Festival.

7.2   Participants selected to perform in the “Festival Encores” concert will be contacted at least one week prior to the concert date.

8.1   The adjudicator may recommend one senior participant at the Associate level and one participant at each of the grades six, seven, eight, nine and ten Conservatory levels to represent the Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival at the Ontario Provincials. For more information regarding the criteria for possible recommendation, please visit the Ontario Music Festivals Association website: www.omfa.ca

8.2   To find out more information about the National Music Festival visit their website: www.fcmf.org

9.1   The adjudicators’ decisions are final.

9.2   Complaints and protests will not be directly addressed by the adjudicators during the Festival. Any such issue must be put into writing and submitted to the Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival Executive Committee. Either by mail: c/o 320 Coldwater Road, Orillia, ON L3V 6X5. Or email: email hidden; JavaScript is required

9.3 Feedback or suggestions on how to improve the Festival are welcomed. Please put ideas into writing and submit to the Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival Executive Committee. Either by mail: c/o 320 Coldwater Road, Orillia, ON L3V 6X5. Or email: email hidden; JavaScript is required