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:

• 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Stetson at Carnegie Hall Chamber Music and Solo Competition

The second annual “Stetson at Carnegie Hall Chamber Music and Solo Competition” will take place on October 1, 2023. Winners of the competition will be featured in a performance at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall on March 1, 2024.

Current Stetson music students, both chamber ensembles and soloists, will have the opportunity to compete for a slot on the concert  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.