Rules and Regulations
1. The festival is open to all young people of amateur status who are under 21 on the first day of the Festival, conductors excepted.
2. The age of the entrant on the first day of the festival will be deemed to be his or her age for entry.
3. Entrants in any choir or orchestra must have been bone fide members of that group for two months prior to the date of the performance. Conductors may NOT sing with their choirs.
4. Entrants may perform only once in any solo class, by may particpate more than once in any other class provided a different part is performed.
5. The names of each participant in duo, trio or quartets must be provided in order to qualify for entry.
6. All entries must be made on official entry forms. Each section must be entered on a separate form and sent to the appropriate Section Secretary. For closing date see entry form.
7. The committee reserves the right to refuse any entry also to limit, cancel, merge, subdivide or transfer any class if required. Additional or alternative adjudicators may be appointed to suit. Fees will not be returned, except for entries not performed due to a decision of the festival committee.
8. Where there is only one entrant in a class, the class MAY be cancelled and the entrant advised, to permit either a transfer to an alternate class or the return of the fee.
9. Only stewards and accompanists will be allowed in the perfomance area with the entrants.
10 Entrants should not play repeats in set pieces unless specified in the syllabus. In "own choice" pieces, repeats are optional, but all works performed must comply with the time limits for that class. Time limits must be strictly adhered to. The adjudicator will be informed of any overrun so that the mark will not cover this period.
11. PHOTOGRAPHY, AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDINGS ARE ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN DURING ANY PERFORMANCE OR ADJUDICATION.
12. The use of electronic equipment for sound amplification is not allowed.
13. The adjudicator's decision will be regarded as final. No entrant, teacher or interested party may discuss any aspect of the festival with an adjudicator before, during or after classes, except by invitation of the adjudicator.
14. Written adjudications and "own choice" music and speech and drama test pieces will be available at the end of each class and must be collected from the adjudicator's steward's desk,or from the Festical Office.
15. THE MARKING SYSTEM IS (as per the guide lines of the Federation of Festivals):-
Performances are now classed as follows:-
75 to 77 MARKS is FAIR 78 to 80 MARKS is MODERATE
81 to 83 MARKS is a MERIT 84 to 86 MARKS is COMMENDED
87 to 89 MARKS is a DISTINCTION 90 and above MARKS is OUTSTANDING
Place Cards (1st & 2nd) will be awarded in each class, except non-competitive classes, to the recipients of the two highest marks.
16. A Trophy may be awarded (inmost classes) to the first place competitor provided a minimum of 85 marks has been achieved. All trophies remain the property of the Heaton Mersey Youth Festival. Winners, or responsible adults MUST sign for their receipt and ensure safe keeping of the trophies until they are returned to the Trophy Steward no later than 1st FEBRUARY of the year following their award. Failure to return a trophy by the required date may result in the entrant not being allowed to participate in future festivals.
17. In the event of a tie for a trophy rule 16 applies but both winners, or responsible adult MUST sign for the receipt of the trophy and ensure its safe keeping. The trophy should be held for equal periods during the year.
18. Entrant must perform the set piece from the edition and/or in the key specified to avoid disqualification.
19. Entries for "own choice" will only be accepted with full details of the Title, Author/Composer being shown on the entry form. Set pieces specified for other classes may not be chosen and entrants may not perform the same "own choice" in more than one class. Entrants will not be allowed to change an "own choice" piece once it has been accepted.
20. For Speech and Drama "own choice" classes a copy of the test piece, with the name of the competitor and class number, MUST beprovided for the adjudicator and given to the adjudicator's steward before the class commences. If this is not avialable, the entrant may be disqualified.
21. The Festival has entered into the agreement with the Author's Licensing and Collecting Society, therefore entrants do not have to obtain copyright permission for any prose, poetry or dramatic monologue to a limit of TEN minutes. Duologues, or any group dramatic activities are not covered by this agreement and copyright permission should be sought beforehand. Dramatic items must be announced, with the title and author, at the time of the performance to qualify for copyright indemnity and the words or gender of the character, may not be changed.
22. The Music Publishers' Association has announced that when an "oown choice" work is selected from a pubication containing several different works and is not published separately, a copy may be made for the use of the adjudicator at a festival, provided that the competitor has already purchased a copy and that the photocopy is retained and destroyed by the administrator of the fewtival immediately after the event. This permission does not apply to Set Pieces. Competitors are advised that this permission applies only to copyright holders who are members of the Music Publishers Association and it does not apply to making copies for the accompanist who should always be giiven a printed copy.
23. For music classes a publisher's copy of the "own choice" must be made available for the adjudicator at the time of the festival.
24. Except as specified above, the use of photocopied works, which are copyright, is forbidden withour the written permission of the copyright holder. This must be available for inspection at the festival.
25. Entrants must use the services of the official accompanist who will play for all instumental and vocal classes, with the exception of those classes specified in the Syllabus and choral classes. A copy of the piece to ve performed must be received by the Section Secretary, for use by the official accompanist, not later than FOUR WEEKS prior to the start of the festival. Failure to provide this may lead to disqualification.
26. The decisionof the committee in all matters arising out of or not specifically covered in these Rules and Regulation is final.
27. Any protests about infingement of any of these Rules or action following an infringement should be made to the Festival General Secretary, in writing, within one week of the date of the Festival and shoud be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.
28. The Festival committee cannot accept any responsibility for any property left unattended at the venues of the festival.
29. Further to rules 15 and 16, the Festival committee has decided that, in addition to any trophies awarded, any solo performer who has achieved 85 marks or above will be given, on application, an H.M.Y.F. Medal. Any inidvidual will receive only one medal in any one year irrespective of the number of classes where that person has attained 85 or more marks.
30. The Winners, provided a minimum of 87 marks has been achieved, of selected classes in each section will be invited to compete for the Rose Bowl (or similar trophy) in that section.
NOTE: Rule 11 regarding no photography etc. must be observed, if not one may infringe on
THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ACT 1999