Students may elect to participate in solo or honors ensemble festivals throughout the school year. Both our county (MCSMA: Monroe County School Music Association) and state (NYSSMA: New York State School Music Association) offer these opportunities. Below you will find information on application dates and fees as well as festival requirements, dates and locations.
NYSSMA Area All State Festivals:
These festivals are for students who performed well on a solo at the NYSSMA Spring solo festival (either the April/June Conference solo festival or the May Pittsford In-House solo festival). The teacher deadline for student applications and recommendations is June 30, 2020. Those accepted will participate at the following festivals:
November 3-4, 2023 (Jr. High Area All State* at Batavia)
November 17-18, 2023 (Sr. High Area All State* at Rush-Henrietta)
November 30 - December 3, 2023 (Conference All State* at Eastman)
*The Jr. High festival is for grades 7-9. The Sr. High festival is for grades 10-12. Both Area All State festivals include students from eight Western New York counties. A participation fee of $18 per student must be paid (usually by MHS or FAME). The Conference All State festival is for students in grades 11-12 who participated in the April/May/June Conference solo festival. The Conference All State festival includes students from the entire state of New York.
Congratulations to this year's Junior High Area All-State musicians:
Tristan Zhang, Oboe (Orchestra)
Libby Du, Clarinet (Orchestra)
Santosh Raja, Alto Sax (Orchestra)
Krishna Rao, Tuba (Orchestra)
Jamie Kenney, Flute (Band)
Elizabeth Elner, Clarinet (Band)
Ally Foley, Trumpet (Band)
Congratulations to this year's Senior High Area All-State musicians:
Viveka Frisk, Eb Clarinet (Band)
Jemma Wallis, Bb Clarinet (Band)
Jiwoo Han, Oboe (Band)
Rowan Wilkens, French Horn (Band)
Ben Saunders, Bass (Band)
Congratulations to this year's Conference All-State musicians:
Jiwoo Han, Oboe (Alternate)
Padraig Fittipaldi, Jazz Guitar (Alternate)
MCSMA All County Festivals:
MCSMA offers both classical and jazz solo festivals in January. Performing well at these festivals may result in acceptance to the March All County ensemble festivals. The teacher deadline for student registration with payment ($12 for solo levels 1-4 or $18 for solo levels 5-6) is November 15, 2023. Solo festivals will be:
January 12-13, 2024 (Sr. High Classical Solo Festival at Fairport)
January 26-27, 2024 (Jazz Solo Festival at Barker Road Middle School)
If accepted to the All County festivals, a participation fee of $8.00 per student must be paid (usually by MHS or FAME). All County festivals will be:
March 1-2, 2024 (Jazz All County at Spencerport High School)
March 8-9, 2024 (Sr. High All County at Brighton & Eastman)
Congratulations to this year's MCSMA All-County musicians:
NYSSMA Spring Solo Festivals:
NYSSMA offers two options for Spring solo festivals. The Conference All-State solo festival is for students in grades 10-11 (performing level 6 literature with accompaniment for a fee of $30) who wish to be considered for the following year's December Conference All State festival. The teacher deadline for student registration with payment is February 16, 2024 (Jazz) and March 13, 2024 (Classical). Students in grades 9-12 who wish to be considered for the following year's November Area All State festival may also register for same festival, but not as an All-State audition. The teacher deadline for student registration with payment ($16 for solo levels 1-4 or $24 for solo levels 5-6) is March 13, 2024. Solo festivals will be:
April 12-13, 2024 (All State Jazz Solo Festival at Victor)
May 9, 2024 (Piano Solo Festival at School of the Arts in Rochester)
May 31 - June 1, 2024 (Conference All State and Area All-State Classical Solo Festival at Gates-Chili)
Piano Accompaniment:
Piano accompanists for solo festivals are optional (with the exception of the Conference All State audition held in June), however performing the prepared solo with piano accompaniment will prove to be a more enriching experience for both the performer and the listener (adjudicator). In addition, using piano accompaniment provides an authentic opportunity to experience how musicians communicate and interact to reach a common goal. Since piano accompanists are not required (with the above exception), they are considered a private investment and the fee for this investment varies based on the pianist. In an effort to keep rehearsal costs down, you may ask the accompanist to make a recording of the piece to use as a practice tool or as the actual accompaniment for the audition. In addition, some repertoire accompaniments can also be found on the software program Smart Music, which the school has a subscription to. Please contact me with questions regarding piano accompanists or for suggested contacts.
