• Qualifying performance of Division I - Excellent at HS District Festival
• Soloists with a raw score of 23 or higher 
• Ninth-grade soloists are not eligible for All-State consideration
• It is expected that the ensemble will consist of the same members who performed at District Solo & Ensemble Festival

Registration Requirements & Guidelines

• The director who represents the school membership must complete applications for students.
• Directors and accompanists may not conduct and/or play for more than 5 events on Friday, and no more than 5 events on Saturday morning or afternoon. 
• Students may participate in up to 5 events, with no more than 3 occurring on Friday, Saturday morning or afternoon.

Registration & Payment

Festival Scheduler

Login Instructions

Registration Instruction

$40     Solo  $55     Small Ensemble     2 - 5 singers $80     Large Ensemble     6 - 20 singers $90     Large ensembles requesting All-State Festival consideration

State Solo & Ensemble Festival registrants are scheduled from 5 PM - 9PM on Friday evening and

8 AM - 5 PM on Saturday. 

Deadline for registration and payment is February 26, 2027. Fees are non-refundable. Returned checks are subject to a $25 fee. 

Directors may choose their preferred site when registering for State S and E.

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 we receive your payment or PO postmarked by the deadline. If the PO payment has not been received by the first day of the festival, your events will not perform.

Late registration will be available with a $50/event fee for Choral Festival or a $20/event fee for S&E Festival for seven days after the deadline but must be paid by credit card only.

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

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 or Director of State Events Matt Snell.

• Soloists and ensembles must sing two selections of a contrasting nature. Only one selection may have been performed at District Festival.
• Soloists may sing one opera aria.
  
• When choosing literature, soloists can use this Suggested Repertoire list as a guide. There is no longer a required list for soloists.
• Changes in literature must be made by one week before the Festival. 
• If Public Domain or purchased online copies of music are used, proof of music origin is required.
• Measures must be numbered on your adjudicator copies for all selections of music. 
• 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.
  
• Participants at events must use copyright compliant scores of music. Each adjudicator must be presented with a copyright compliant score. Directors will be required upon registration to certify that the legally required number of original copies have been purchased or secured for performance at this event.
  

Performance

• Soloists must perform from memory to receive a final determination.
• Ensembles may use music.
• Large ensembles desiring All-State Festival consideration must perform one a cappella (unaccompanied) selection, which may include non-pitched percussion or body percussion.
• Instrumental accompaniment other than piano is allowed but must not detract from the performance.
• Small ensembles consist of 2 – 5 singers.
• Large ensembles consist of 6 – 20 singers.
• The personnel of the ensemble shall not change between the performance and sight reading rooms.
• The personnel of the ensemble shall not change from one selection to the other.
• Performance time may not exceed 8 minutes.
• An original score of each piece with measures numbered must be provided for the use of the judge in order for a final determination to be issued. 
• When performing music requiring accompaniment, live accompaniment must be used (unless it is avant-garde or 21st century music requiring electronic or taped accompaniment as part of the composer's compositional and performance intent).
• If a student or ensemble misses their assigned performance time please refer to the MSVMA MISSED EVENT POLICY.
• A NO RATING (NR) may be issued if measures are not numbered, failure to provide an original copy for the adjudicator, the soloist sang 2 arias, or their solos are  not memorized.

• Following performance, each soloist will proceed to the sight reading room.
• The singer's director is discouraged from entering the sight reading room.
• Prior to singing the passage, the soloist will be given time to study the exercise
  
• Each exercise will be 8 measures long.
  
• The adjudicator will establish the key as the soloist requests - starting pitch and/or tonic. 
  
• The levels of proficiency are Primary, Intermediate and Advanced.
  
• Soloists may choose the level of sight reading to be performed.  All-State candidates must sight read at the Intermediate or Advanced Levels.
• The sight reading score will reflect the soloist’s knowledge of music fundamentals and sight reading ability.
• 9th grade soloists must adhere to senior high sight reading guidelines.
• Sight Reading Soloists are allotted 7.5 minutes
  
• State S&E Sight Reading Procedures and Policies

• Following performance, each ensemble will proceed to the sight reading room.
• Prior to singing the passage, the ensemble will be given time to study the exercise.
• The key may be established by having the students sing scales or chord patterns.
• The director may change the key to best support the vocal abilities of the choir.
  
• Intervals contained in the exercise may be sung as long as they are not done in the sequence of the written material. For example, random intervals or patterns such as 1-3-5-3-1,1-6,1-4, etc. may be sung by the students in preparation. Directors may call attention to places where these occur in the exercise. They may not be rehearsed in the sequence in which they appear.
• The group may speak aloud the solfege, letter or number names preparatory to singing.
  
• Singers are allowed to discuss and/or vocalize with their neighbors during the prep time. The director may not assist by illustrating intervals or rhythms.
  
• The practice of "neighboring" shall not be a unified effort by a section or group of more than three students.
• Small and large ensembles desiring All-State Festival consideration must sight read at intermediate.
• Ensembles must sight-read at the voicing of one of their pieces. 

• Large Ensembles are allotted 15 minutes for sight reading.  

• Small Ensembles & Duets are allotted 7.5 minutes for sight reading.

• State S&E Sight Reading Procedures and Policies
  
• The ensemble’s performance will reflect its ability to understand and sight read the following:         
• • Rhythm: note and rest values, feeling of pulse/tempo - appropriate and steady              
  • Pitch:  pitches, tonality and intonation                                                                 
  • Other: Technique (either fixed or movable do, using either solfege, numbers, letter names, or neutral syllable(s)), concentration of group members, expression, phrasing, tone, quality

Matt Snell

Director of State Events
mattsnell@msvma.org

Cindy Hunter

Supervisor of State S&E Festivals
cindyhunter@msvma.org

Julia Holt

State Events Scheduling Supervisor

juliaholt@msvma.org

State S&E Festival Documents
2026 State S&E Invitation

State Event Transfer