The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre is proud to present the inaugural Ariel Bluegrass Competition hosted by Open Rail, the Ariel’s house band.  This event will be held on November 12, 2011, and the Second Saturday in November of each year.  Bands wanting to participate in the competition are encouraged to pre-register here.  To purchase tickets to this exciting evening of Bluegrass music, click here.

Official Competition Rules:

1. The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre (Presenter) has compiled a point system and appointed a panel of judges. Judges will score each round of elimination.  The lowest result and the highest result for each round will be thrown out, leaving the remaining bands to proceed to the next round.  All judges’ decisions are final.
2. Any bluegrass band wishing to enter this competition may do so regardless of past or present status.
3. Any band entering this competition must be an organized group, having performed at previous events and are currently accepting bookings for the coming season.
4. Entry fee is $25.00 per band.  All performing band members will receive free passes to the event after paying the entry fee.
5. Bluegrass bands organizing after arriving at contest will not be permitted to enter the competition.
6. No band member shall be a member of any other competing band.
7. No more than one of the competing band members shall be a regular member of any other organized band.
8. With the exception of the Bass, only acoustical string instruments will be permitted and absolutely neither direct amplification of instruments nor the use of amplifiers other than the house system will be permitted.  House system will be used by all participants.
9. Only the following instruments will be permitted in the competition:  Five-string Banjo, Flat-top Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle, Dobro, and Bass.  Only combinations listed below will be recognized by the Ariel Bluegrass Competition officials. There is a 6-member maximum.  Up to two (2) non-musician vocalists may be added to make up this maximum.

a.       4-Member Mandatory Requirement: 

A-Five-string banjo
B-Flat-top guitar
C-Mandolin
D-Bass

b.      5-Member Requirement includes the above 4-Member requirement Plus One (1) of the following:

A-Fiddle
B-Guitar
C-Mandolin
D-Dobro
E-Non-musician vocalist

c.      6-Member Requirement includes the above 4-Member requirement Plus One (1) of the following combinations:

A-Two fiddles
B-One fiddle and one guitar
C-One fiddle and one dobro
D-One fiddle and one mandolin
E-One guitar and one dobro
F-One guitar and one mandolin
G-One dobro and one mandolin

10. Each Bluegrass Band shall perform 3 vocal selections for the preliminary round of elimination and 2 vocals in the final round.
11. Order of performance will be determined by a random drawing from the sign-ins.
12. There shall be no more than 5 bands in the final round.
13. There are no restrictions on the choice of material a group may use, however in order to receive all possible points each group must display, to some degree, lead solo singing and three or four part harmony.
14. The Presenter will make sound system adjustments prior to each round of eliminations, and those adjustments will remain throughout the entire round, with the only exception being feedback adjustments by the official sound technician.
15. Bands will not be permitted to repeat any song used throughout each round of eliminations.
16. After registration, the Presenter must be notified in advance of any personnel changes.  Failure to comply may result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fee.
17. Contestants will be allowed to stop to replace a broken string but must resume playing the original tune.
18. In the final round, bands will compete for first through 3rd place.  Selection of place of each band shall be by the rating computed from the combined scores in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final contest.  The net result of the above system of judging is that the bands are not competing against each other but against a possible perfect score.
19. It is absolutely impossible for the audience listener to predict with any degree of accuracy the winner of the competition.  Even the judges have no way of knowing until the Presenter has computed the scores at the end of the contest.  It sometimes happens that a band has tremendous audience appeal but has not perfected the finer techniques of bluegrass music and therefore loses points.  The judging panel will judge each band on their merits during each round of the competition, disregarding past performance status or known capabilities.  All judges’ decisions are final.
20. All bands must arrive at least an hour before (6:00 p.m.) the start of the contest on Saturday, November 12, 2011. The contest will start at 7:00 p.m.
21. Any band member who appears to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs or any other controlled substance will result in band disqualifications and forfeiture of entry fee.
22. The Presenter reserves the right to modify rules at any time before the competition.

Judges Criteria:

The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre (Presenter) has compiled a 5-point system and appointed a panel of judges. Judges will score each round of elimination.  The lowest result and the highest result for each round will be thrown out, leaving the remaining bands to proceed to the next round.  All judges’ decisions are final.

The following criteria will be used for judging:

A.    Content – Repertoire

1.      Appropriateness of material

2.      Originality

3.      Use of time

4.      MC Work

B.     Originality

1.      Original material

2.      Interpretation of others works

C.     Musical Ability

1.      Vocal

a.       Lead

b.      Phrasing

c.       Pitch

d.      Emotiveness

2.      Harmony

a.       Pitch

b.      Emotional Expression

3.      Instrumental ability

a.       Tone

b.      Difficulty

c.       Appropriateness

d.      Rhythm

e.       Timing

4.      Stage Presence

a.       Group Communication

b.      Audience appeal and entertainment value

c.       Appearance

d.      Use of Time

e.       MC Work

f.       Overall Impression