A program of the Montgomery Symphony League
Sponsored by
The Blount Foundation and The Guice Slawson Family

Date Change for 2009

Saturday - Sunday, January 31 & February 1, 2009
at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama

Click here to download printable application to fill out and mail.
Questions? Contact Helen Steineker at msymphony@bellsouth.net

Applications must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2008

Eligibility
The Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition is open to musicians in the seventh through the twelfth grades residing in and attending school in the United States. Students of strings, winds, brass, percussion and piano are eligible to enter in one category only. Previous first place winners are not eligible to compete. The winner must be available for rehearsals and publicity as required.

Repertoire
Acceptable literature for the competition includes any one movement from any work in the standard concerto repertoire. Works associated with the student repertoire may be selected if they are original works. Transcriptions or arrangements are not acceptable unless transcribed by the original composer. Memorization is preferred but not required. All works must have orchestral parts available. Special permission is needed for complete concertos in a single movement. Please call the Symphony office (334-240-4004) to request permission.

Competition Format
The competition will be held on Saturday and Sunday, January 31 and February 1, 2009 at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. Entrants will be notified by mail two-three weeks prior to the competition of their approximate performance time.

Entrants will be divided into three groups of competitors for Saturday’s preliminary round of competition. Three entrants from each group will compete on Sunday at 1:00PM in a final round of competition, which will be open to the public. The judges’ decision will be announced at the end of the competition.

Accompanists
All entrants must perform with live accompaniment. Accompanists are the responsibility of each entrant. Entrants are strongly encouraged to bring their own accompanists, however, a limited number of assigned accompanists are available. The fee for an assigned accompanist is $150 for the preliminary round and $50 for the final round. The $150 non-refundable preliminary round accompanist fee must be enclosed with the application form or the application will not be accepted.

All entrants using an assigned accompanist will have a 40-minute rehearsal on Friday, January 30th, and a brief warm-up on Saturday. Those with early Friday afternoon rehearsals may need to travel to Montgomery on Thursday, January 29th.

Scheduling Conflicts
Entrants must note on the application form any expected conflicts in scheduling their rehearsal or audition time. Once the rehearsal and audition times are set, it is very difficult to re-arrange them because of the number of competitors, venues, arranged accompanists, 2 piano vs 1 piano practice rooms, etc. Please make an effort to let us know on the application form if your schedule is not completely free.

Travel and Accommodations
A listing of hotel and motel accommodations and local rental car companies will be mailed to all competitors. Because Montgomery’s public transit is very limited and taxi cabs are not always available in a timely fashion, competitors’ parents are urged to rent a car or to carpool with another entrant. There are no hotels within walking distance of the competition.

Unescorted Competitors
Competitors must be escorted by an adult. The competition is unable to provide accommodations, transportation, or chaperone services.

Prizes
First Prize: Performance with the Montgomery Symphony at the Davis Theater on April 27, 2009; $10,000 consisting of a Cash Award of $2,500 and an Educational Award of $7,500; An appearance on the nationally broadcasted From The Top Radio Show hosted by Christopher O’Riley.

Second Prize: Cash award of $4,000

Third Prize: Cash award of $1,000

Fourth Prize: Cash award of $500

Merit Prizes (5): Cash awards of $250 for the remaining 5 finalists*

*The Montgomery Symphony League reserves the right to amend the structure of the competition and prizes based on the number of registered competitors and the judges’ recommendations.

Tanglewood Auditions
Representatives from the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) will again be present at this year’s competition. The Tanglewood Institute is the high school division of the internationally famous Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, MA, which draws young performers from around the world each summer.

If you would like your Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition audition to also serve as a Tanglewood audition for the 2009 Summer Season, please mark the appropriate box on the application form. For more information on BUTI, you may call (800-643-4796) or visit their website at www.bu.edu/tanglewood.

Tanglewood Scholarship
The Montgomery Symphony will award a $5,000 scholarship to the Boston University Tanglewood Institute to a young Alabama musician for the 2009 Summer session. For more details click here.

Application Forms
Application Forms for the Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition may be printed off the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra’s website and mailed to:

The Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition Committee
C/o The Montgomery Symphony Orchestra
P O Box 1864, Montgomery, AL 36102
Phone: (334) 240-4004

Printable application to fill out and mail.
Questions? Contact Helen Steineker at msymphony@bellsouth.net

Application Deadline
Applications must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2008 and if an accompanist is to be arranged by the Competition, a check for $150 made payable to the MSO must be attached to the application.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q Can I compete in the preliminary round at a certain time of the day?

A Yes. If you let us know on your application form that you will only be available, as an example, after noon and if you bring your own accompanist, we will schedule you accordingly.

Q Will there be a place for me to practice while I am in Montgomery?

A Generally speaking, the practice room demands of the competition, itself, fill the available practice rooms on Friday night and during the day on Saturday. Instrumentalists should plan on practicing in their hotel room. Pianists should check with local churches or music stores for a piano.

On Friday night, any practice rooms not already assigned to a competition accompanist can be used by competitors on a first come, first served basis. Please share. During the day on Saturday, each competitor will be assigned a practice room for the 40 minutes prior to his or her performance in the preliminary round. After the preliminary round is over, anyone may use the practice rooms.

On Sunday, the nine finalists will have the first option on practice rooms. Otherwise, they are open to other competitors.

Q May I request a specific competition supplied pianist to accompany me?

A Yes and No. You may ask the competition to match you with someone but we cannot guarantee you that we can make that particular assignment. Our assignment process is geared to providing the best collaboration for all competitors who have requested that we provide them with an accompanist. Familiarity with the totality of the repertoire to be accompanied is a primary consideration in our assignments. That said, we will do our best to pair you with the pianist you have requested.

Q Can I rehearse with my assigned pianist on Saturday as opposed to Friday?

A No. All of the practice rooms will be assigned on Saturday to competitors warming up to compete in the preliminary round.

Competition Goals

The goals of the Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition are threefold:

- To promote a professional standard of performance among young musicians through the experience of a competitive forum

- To afford young musicians the opportunity to be judged by artists of recognized standing

- To select a talented young musician to perform with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra

The Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition and Concert are made possible by the generosity of The Blount Foundation and The Guice Slawson Family in cooperation with the Montgomery Symphony League Huntingdon College.

The Blount Foundation

The Blount Foundation was the creation of the late Montgomery businessman and philanthropist Wynton M. (Red) Blount. As Founder and Chairman of Blount International Inc., Mr. Blount established the Foundation in the 1970s to support activities in the communities in which his company had a presence.

Foundation President D. Joseph McInnes continued to nurture the arts in Montgomery and created an environment where they thrived until the Foundation's closure in 2007.

The Blount Foundation’s 29-year partnership with the Montgomery Symphony League and its endowment of the competition has resulted in a nationally respected event for young musicians that will continue in perpetuity.

The Guice Slawson Family

The Montgomery Symphony League extends its thanks to Guice and Carolyn Slawson for their generous support of this competition. Mr. Slawson is the President of Southeast Wood Treating, Ltd., with corporate offices in Montgomery, Alabama.

Mr. And Mrs. Slawson support a variety of educational, religious, and arts organizations in the community.

Huntingdon College

Huntingdon College has served as the host of the Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition for over 20 years.  From the beginning of the competition's three day schedule until the last note has been played, Blount-Slawson judges, competitors, their accompanists and families fill the Smith Music Building to overflowing.  The chapel in Ligon Hall provides an exciting venue for the competition's final round.

Our thanks go to Dr. Cameron West, President of Huntingdon College, and the entire music faculty for their generosity of spirit in supporting the efforts of pre-college musicians and their willingness to provide such a fitting home for the Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition.