High School and JH/MS State Choral Festival

State Choral Festival is an educational opportunity designed to encourage your students to develop their performance. You and your students will have the opportunity to hear some of the most advanced and accomplished choirs in Michigan. The adjudication team will provide assessment by nationally recognized master choral clinicians who are selected for their outstanding and engaging work with choirs. 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Qualifying performance of Division I - Excellent at District Festival
  • For the 2023-24 festival season, choirs must be at least 12 students.

    For the 2024-25 festival season and beyond, choirs must be at least 17 students. 

  • It is expected that the choir will consist of the same members who performed at District Choir Festival.  

Registration and Payment

Festival Scheduler

Login Instructions

Registration Instructions


Fees are $195 per choir.  Fees for the UP are $100. Fees are non-refundable.


Deadline for registration and payment is March 26, 2024.


Payment can be made by:

  • School, booster, or director’s personal check payable to MSVMA

  • Credit card on the scheduling website or by calling 231.592.9344

  • Purchase order submitted by the postmark deadline

Your events will not be scheduled unless your signed invoice with payment or PO postmarked by the deadline is received. If the PO payment has not been received by the first day of the festival, your events will not perform. 

Fees are non-refundable. Returned checks are subject to a $15 fee. Late registration will be available for seven days after the deadline and will require an additional $50 per event fee that must be paid by credit card.


State Choral Festival medals will be available for purchase for $5 at the Festivals for choirs who receive final determinations of Excellent (I) or Good (II).


Invoices and checks for fees payable to MSVMA should be mailed to:

MSMVA

P.O. Box 1131

Big Rapids, MI 49307


For registration questions, contact State Events Scheduling Coordinator Julia Holt or Director of State Events Matt Snell.

Repertoire

  • For HS events, each choir must perform three selections. District Choral Festival literature requirements apply.
  • For JH/MS events, each choir must perform two selections and may opt to perform three.
  • JHMS choirs may choose to receive a rating at State Choral Festival, understanding that they will be adjudicated by a HS-centric panel. The default and recommendation of MSVMA is that JHMS choirs sing for comments only. Choirs will receive the JHMS certificate and can choose to purchase the JHMS medal or the corresponding medal to their score.
  • For HS events only, one selection must be unaccompanied, but may include non-pitched percussion or body percussion.
  • Choreography is not allowed. However, artful staging and appropriate choral movement that reflect performance practice of the genre is allowed.
  • Non-traditional choral music sung at choral festival needs to fall within the framework of the MSVMA choral rubric. Click here to view further considerations regarding non-traditional choral music sung at choral festival.

    Festival Performance of Original Arrangements

    • All copyright laws will apply.  This includes use of copyrighted texts.
    • In order to perform an arrangement of a copyrighted piece, you must have written permission that includes all pertinent information.
    • Adjudicators are required to provide written comment regarding the quality of literature using the rubric.
    • All other MSVMA Festival literature requirements apply.

    Performance

    • There is no sight reading at State Choral Festival.
    • State Festival participation includes three components: warm-up, performance and clinic.
    • Each component is allocated 15 minutes which includes the time needed to enter and exit the warm-up room, stage or clinic room. Choirs that exceed this time in any of the components may be stopped. 
    • Every attempt will be made to honor performance date and time requests. Schools sending multiple groups cannot be assured of having them scheduled on the same day. 
    • Choirs may be scheduled to sing from 8 AM to 10 PM
    • Accompanists must have original copies of selections.
    • Choirs must provide one original score of the selections with measures numbered for each of the four adjudicators. Failure to do so will result in a No Final Determination rating.
    • Any changes in the literature must be submitted through the online scheduler seven days prior to the first day of the Festival. Changes in repertoire after this date will result in a No Final Determination rating.

    Final Determination

    Final Determination will be assessed by totaling the final scores from the performance adjudicators. 

     Division I  Excellent 90 - 72
     Division II  Good 54 - 71
     Division III  Fair 53 - 36
     Division IV  Developing 35 - 18


    Director of State Events

    Matt Snell

    mattsnell@msvma.org


    Supervisor of State Choral Festivals

    Jillian Burgam (Newton)

    jilliannewton@msvma.org 


    State Choral - East & South Festival Scheduler

    Julia Holt

    juliaholt@msvma.org

    State Choral - Central & West Festival Scheduler

    Andrea Gay

    andreagay@msvma.org

    Central

    May 6 - 7, 2024

    Districts 1, 2, 3, 5 & 9 
    District 7 Montcalm County schools


    Megan Farison

    Festival Coordinator
    meganfarison@msvma.org

    Daniel Farison

    Host

    danielfarison@msvma.org


    Midland Public Schools

    Central Auditorium

    305 E Reardon St 

    Midland, MI 48642

    East
    April 29 - May 1, 2024

    Districts 4 & 16

    Cate Gasco

    Festival Coordinator

    cgasco@dcds.edu


    Mike Martin

    Host 

    mmartin@marysvilleschools.us


    Marysville High School

    555 E Huron Blvd. 

    Marysville, MI 48040

    South
    May 1 - 3, 2024

    Districts 8, 11, 12, & 15 and schools
    Berry and Ionia County schools (Districts 7 & 10)

    Monty Bishop

    Festival Coordinator

    montybishop@msvma.org

    Nancy Lewis

    Host

    nancy.lewis@lesliek12.net


    Leslie High School
    4141 S. Hull Road

    Leslie, MI  49251

    West 

    May 3, 6, 7, 2024

    Districts 6, 7 & 10

    Pam Pierson

    Festival Coordinator

    pampierson@msvma.org

    Eric Reyes

    Host

    reyese@hope.edu


    Hope College Music Department

    Jack Miller Center for Musical Arts

    221 Columbia Avenue

    Holland, MI 49423

    UP
    No Festival will be held.

    Districts 13 & 14


    Sheila Grazulis

    Festival Coordinator 

    sheilagrazulis@msvma.org

                                                                                                      

    Michigan School Vocal Music Association

    P.O. Box 1131

    Big Rapids, MI 49307-1131

    (231) 592 - 9344

    GuideStar

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