About the Festival Events
The Bach Festival is a competitive program organized into three progressive rounds. The MTAC San Gabriel Valley hosts an initial round, the Branch Festival.
_BRANCH FESTIVAL_______________________________________________________________________________________
Students are presented in short recitals of approximately 1 hour in length. A panel of not fewer than three (3) judges, selected from an approved list of adjudicators, will write evaluations of each performer. Teachers will receive the evaluation sheets. Excluding the exceptions listed under "repertoire," the judges will select up to 50% of the remaining eligible students to play in the Regional Festival, subject to minimum scoring requirements. The length of each student's performance shall be limited to 5 minutes. Multiple pieces must be from the same work or as categorized on the CWA list (see Eligibility & Repertoire). All participants will receive awards, and those selected by the judges will continue on the the Regional Festival. Students of strings, woodwinds and voice bypass the Branch Festival and will instead be judged in separate All-Branch Regional Festivals.
_REGIONAL FESTIVAL_____________________________________________________________________________________
Students perform again in recitals with students who have been selected from other branches. A panel of three (3) judges will evaluate each student and will select 45% to participate in the Complete Works Audition. The length of each student's performance shall again be limited to 5 minutes and the student must perform exactly the same music as played at the Branch. All participants will receive awards, and those selected by the judges will continue on to the CWA.
_COMPLETE WORKS AUDITION______________________________________________________________________________
This highly competitive adjudication is for students who have been selected in the top 45% at the Regional Festival. These students perform a complete work from the Official List of Bach's works selected for Audition. The Official List is a 3-year rotating list and is distributed annually.
The purpose of the Official List is to encourage the study and performance of the many works of J. S. Bach, so that over a period of three years, a wide selection of Bach's compositions for solo instruments will have been heard at the Festivals, while also welcoming works for small ensembles and voice.
To be eligible for Complete Works Audition, a student must have been chosen by the judges at the Branch and Regional Festivals. Those selected for first place in each category will be presented in a special Awards Concert and students selected for first, second and third must be present to receive their medal. Students must perform the same music as played in Branch and Regional for Complete Works Audition, but complete as shown on the Official List.
Please note: No special scheduling requests will be accepted for the day of the Complete Works Auditions. Scheduling of these programs and judges is a highly complex procedure that simply does not lend itself to exceptions for individual students. Students who cannot appear at the scheduled time will have to withdraw from Complete Works Audition.
_COMPLETE WORKS AUDITION AWARDS CONCERT____________________________________________________________
This special program will take place in October and will feature winners of the Complete Works Audition. First place winners will perform, and there will be a Medal Presentation for all winners.