Competitions

Concerto Competition

  1. The Concerto Competition will be open to all Juniors and Seniors enrolled at Stetson University during the semester of the competition.
  2. There will be at least three judges from outside of the School of Music. The Conductor will not vote and will only participate as an advisor in the case of a tie.
  3. Students must clear their competition repertoire with the Conductor before they begin working on it in order to determine whether the University Orchestra will be able to perform it. All students will provide the Conductor with an orchestra score (personal copies, library copies, or perusal scores are all acceptable) in order to determine factors that will allow for proper performance (such as instrumentation, degree of difficulty, etc). After approval, students must submit completed Concerto Competition entry forms by the posted deadline prior to the competition. Students will be assigned a time for the day of the competition by lottery.
  4. Each member of the jury shall mark a ballot for each student according to the following scoring system:
16-20 Points comparable to the best undergraduate student performances anywhere in the United States.
11-15 Points comparable to the average undergraduate student concerto performance.
6-10 Points comparable to below average student concerto performance.
1-5 Points below acceptable for concerto performance.

Voting is tabulated in the following manner:

  • The votes will be averaged.
  • The two students with the highest scores will be declared winners. (The Jury reserves the right to declare fewer than two winners).
  • Balloting will be based on performance at the audition, not on expectation of possible performance at a later date.
  • The orchestra conductor shall place the winners on the remaining concerts of the season according to programming needs.
  • A student’s performance in the competition should not exceed 15 minutes duration without permission of the conductor.

Past winners of the competition are ineligible to compete again.

Giffin Competition

Eligibility

  • A student must be enrolled as a voice principle (BM, BA, BME) in the School of Music.
  • A student must be enrolled in an Applied Voice Course and have passed the Sophomore Decision.
  • A student must have the permission of his/her voice instructor.
  • A student must submit a Request to Perform form at least two weeks prior to the event. This form will include the names of the pieces to be performed, performance times, the name of the accompanist, and the signature of the voice instructor.
  • Students may compete in the Giffin Competition only one time during their study at Stetson University, regardless of the number of semesters of upper-division study.

Competition

The student must perform two compositions in contrasting languages, including one art song and either one aria from an opera/oratorio or an additional art song.

  • The judges for the event will be three musicians from off campus chosen by the voice faculty.
  • There is a 10-minute time limit for all competitors. Request for additional time must be made by the studio faculty member (not the student) in advance of the competition day and approved by the voice faculty.

Winner

The winner will be announced at the end of the competition.

  • The award will be available to the winner in the fall of the following year, and is to be applied to the costs involved in attending Stetson University as a music major.
  • It is a Stetson tradition that the winner will perform at the Baccalaureate ceremony at the conclusion of the academic year in which he/she has held the Giffin Scholarship award.

Neil and Dolly Huhta Instrumental Competition

Eligibility

  • The Neil & Dolly Huhta Instrumental Music Competition is open to all enrolled Stetson University instrumental music majors, including string, guitar, woodwind, brass, percussion, and keyboard instruments.
  • Students must be enrolled in Applied Primary Lessons for Music Majors (MUSA 112 - Lower Division, MUSA 312 - Upper Division, or MUSA 313 – Upper Division) and fulfill their ensemble requirements.
  • Music Education students who will be interning are eligible to enter the competition provided they have the endorsement of their applied instructor.
  • Students must have permission from their applied instructor to enter the competition.

Competition Guidelines/Preliminary Round

  • Repertoire includes unaccompanied works as well as works with piano accompaniment. Concert movements will not be accepted. Works featuring an orchestral reduction must be approved in writing by the competition coordinator and the applicant’s applied instructor.
  • Memorization is optional at any stage of the competition.
  • Contestants will email the competition coordinator links to YouTube video recordings, including two contrasting selections/movements totaling to 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Where the repertoire requires, piano accompaniment does not need to be included in the preliminary recordings.
  • A panel of three external judges, comprised of instrumental artists/professors in Florida, will select up to 24 competitors to advance to the final round.
  • No repertoire changes are allowed after the deadline.
  • Announcements of finalists will be done via email in the Fall of the academic year.

Winner/Final Round

  • All finalists will compete live at Lee Chapel in the Spring of that academic year.
  • Finalists will be expected to perform the same repertoire submitted in the preliminary round, including piano accompaniment if applicable.
  • Repertoire changes are not permitted.
  • Contestants must provide three copies of the full score for the judges at the time of the competition.
  • The final round will be adjudicated by a panel of three external judges, distinct from those who evaluated the preliminary round.

The winners will be announced at the end of the day after all finalists have performed and the judges have deliberated.

Stetson at Carnegie Hall Chamber Music and Solo Competition

The third annual “Stetson at Carnegie Hall Chamber Music and Solo Competition” will take place on September 29, 2024. Winners of the competition will be featured in a performance at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall on March 7, 2025.

Current Stetson music students, both chamber ensembles and soloists, will have the opportunity to compete for a slot on the concert program in New York City. The competition will take place at Stetson University and will be judged by a panel of internationally acclaimed artists.

For more information please contact the Coordinator of Chamber Music in the School of Music.