JUNIOR BACH AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

AGE LIMITS Auditioners must be under 19 years old on February 1, 2009, except for vocalists, harpsichordists, organists, and accompanists, who must be under 21 as of that date. Young, unchanged voices are welcomed.

MUSIC must be identifiable by Schmieder index number, as listed in the current Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV) catalog of works composed or arranged by J. S. Bach. Transcriptions (but not arrangements) for modern instruments may be entered. Please contact us at juniorbach@earthlink.net if there are questions regarding eligibility of entries.

MEMORIZATION is required for solo performance on all instruments, including solo concerti, with the exception of organ and harpsichord. Accompanists, principals in concerti for multiple soloists, and ensembles, including duo sonatas, may use scores.

PLAYING TIME in minutes must be stated accurately. .Suites and concerti may be submitted by selected movements or complete. Judges reserve the option to select only certain movements for Festival performance. Complete works rarely exceed 20 minutes. An entry may consist of more than a single short piece (but not more than 3 compatible pieces) on the same instrument, providing total audition time does not exceed 10 minutes. Repeats should not be played unless ornamented differently. Da capo repeats are permitted, but factor that into duration calculations.

ACCOMPANIMENT Although original instrumentation is preferred, solo works requiring a chamber ensemble may be auditioned with a keyboard reduction instead. In Festival performance, keyboard accompaniment may be replaced or supplemented by an ensemble assembled by Junior Bach, if available. The keyboard part of a duo or trio sonata is not an accompaniment. Sonata keyboard performers are therefore subject to the appropriate age limits... 18 for pianists, 20 for organists and harpsichordists.

CHORAL GROUPS & CHAMBER ENSEMBLES up to 16 members are preferably auditioned live. Larger groups will be auditioned by recording only. For choruses, audition accompaniment by the group’s usual adult accompanist is acceptable, though substitution by a student accompanist or youth ensemble for Festival performance is encouraged.

JUDGING Panels of qualified judges chosen by the Association hear all auditions. Judges may halt an audition before completion of the piece, and may select only portions of larger works for performance.