What's New
Any important changes to the general rules and regulations will be repeated here for ease of reference. Changes specific to a discipline will be noted in that discipline's rules documentation. New rules or changes to existing rules will be highlighted in red text.
Festival Year 2027
Festival Age: Starting this year, a performer's Festival age is calculated as of 1 January of the current Festival year, instead of 31 December as of the previous year.
Lack of Precedent: The governance rules now clarify that decisions made by the Festival in response to particular circumstances during a given Festival year do not set precedent for the future, unless and until codified in the general rules and regulations or in the rules for a specific discipline.
Selections: Starting this year, "Own Choice" selections are not explicitly defined by the rules. Instead, any repertoire selection is an "Own Choice" selection unless it is specifically required to be a set piece or drawn from a Conservatory list.
Large Ensembles and Repeat Repertoire: A large ensemble may not repeat repertoire selections in consecutive years on a competitive basis; they may, however, repeat repertoire as long as they are performed non-consecutively. (Note that this rule was in effect in the 2018 and prior Festivals and is being formally reinstated as of this year.)
How to Read the Rules
The rules and regulations of this Festival have been created and amended over many years by the Festival, with assistance and feedback from teachers, musicians, participants, parents and guardians, volunteers, adjudicators, and any other contributors, with the objective of ensuring a positive, enriching, and fair environment for all participants.
In addition to the general rules and regulations, each discipline included in the Festival possesses its own specific rules. Please carefully review all pertinent rules in this document and in any discipline in which you intend to participate.
Plain Language Meanings
To the greatest extent possible, the rules are written to be as straightforward as possible, with no intent on the part of the Festival to include meanings outside of the rules text itself.
Specific Supersedes General
Rules specific to a discipline supersede any conflicting general rule in the general rules and regulations. Likewise, rules specific to a class, or to a category of classes, supersede any conflicting rule in the general rules and regulations or any conflicting general rule in that class's discipline.
Holistic Rules
All the rules of these Rules & Regulations, along with all rules found in a discipline or class description, are all in effect at once unless specifically contradicted by a more specific rule as detailed above.
Example: A rule restricting concerto repertoire to concerto-specific classes in a given discipline, such as strings, applies to all other classes in that same discipline except those classes where an exemption is explicitly mentioned.
English Language is Authoritative
If any Festival rules, discipline-specific rules, or classes offered within a discipline, are published by the Festival in any language other than English, the English-language rules supersede any other language in the event of any ambiguity resulting from the translation.
Important Definitions
Terms or phrases used throughout the Festival rules and regulations, along with the rules specific to each discipline, that merit definition:
Level of Study
Your level of study is your current level or grade in an Ontario Conservatory system — RCM or Conservatory Canada — as of 1 January of the current Festival year, based either on your most recent successful exams or an estimate determined by your music teacher if you aren't taking such exams. Your level of study is used to determine your eligibility for Festival classes or awards that are organised by Conservatory level.
Example: Your level of study in piano as of 1 January of the current Festival year is level 8, making you eligible to enter level 8 piano classes. Your level of study for the purpose of the Festival does not change to level 9 even if you pass an RCM or CC level 9 exam in, say, February of the current Festival year.
Festival Age
Your Festival age is your age as of 1 January of the current Festival year. Your Festival age is used to determine your eligibility for Festival classes or awards that are organised by age.
Example: Suppose a child you are entering in the Festival is 17 years old as of 1 January of the current Festival year. Even if your child reaches 18 years of age in, say, February of the same year, your child's Festival age remains 17 for the purpose of the Festival.
Example: Suppose you are entering in the Festival and your age is 28 years as of 1 January of the current Festival year. Even if you were to turn 29 on 2 January, your Festival age remains 28 for the purpose of the Festival — an especially important consideration entering adult classes in both this Festival and at Provincials.
Ensembles
How the Festival defines ensembles for its purposes.
- Duet or Trio: Any duet or trio in a discipline other than Bands, Choirs, or Orchestras. Only performers who are being adjudicated qualify as members of a duet or trio for the purpose of the Festival. For instance, a keyboard accompaniment part played by a professional accompanist/collaborative pianist — such as the performer of the orchestra reduction of a double violin concerto — does not count as part of the duet or trio.
- Small Ensemble: Any ensemble in a discipline other than Bands, Choirs, or Orchestras that isn't a duet or trio is a small ensemble.
- Large Ensemble: Any ensemble in the Bands, Choirs, or Orchestras disciplines is a large ensemble.
Selections
Festival rules refer to pieces of music or repertoire as selections.
Adult Performers
For the purpose of the Festival, a young adult performer is any performer whose Festival age is 19 through 28.
For the purpose of the Festival, any other adult performer is any performer whose Festival age is 29 or older.