Contest and Judging update - June 2016
| Type of post: | News |
| Sub-type: | No sub-type |
| Posted By: | Dick Bushell |
| Status: | Current |
| Date Posted: | Sun, 19 Jun 2016 |
2016 Regional Contest Season and Hunter Harmony Convention
Congratulations to each region on a fantastic season of regional contests. A total of 32 quartets qualified for the open contest, 9 for the seniors contest, 7 for the youth contest and 7 for the mixed contest. Alongside what will surely be an action packed chorus contest, Hunter Harmony is set to be a huge week of entertainment.
AGBJ Reporting and Feedback Procedures
As part of the continuing development of the AGBJ and to ensure that we are serving our competitors in the best possible way, the AGBJ will soon implement Reporting and Feedback surveys following all contests. If you were a competitor in a recent Regional Contest, I ask that if you receive a request to provide feedback that you do so as promptly and succinctly as possible. We want to know how we can ensure that the contest experience is always a positive one!
BHS Category School 2016
I am very excited to announce that the BHA Council was able to provide scholarship funding to 5 BHA members of the AGBJ who expressed interest in attending the 2016 BHS Category School in Nashville, TN directly preceding the 2016 BHS Harmony University. Linda Vinall, Alex Morris, Dan Millgate, Richard Reeve and Sarah Bradley, along with Eddie Klimowicz and 6 BHNZ members of the AGBJ will be representing ‘down under’ with a record attendance for the AGBJ and the largest affiliate organization represented at this year’s school.
I thank and congratulate each and every one of these Australian barbershoppers who are willing to dedicate their time, energy and a lot of money to not only develop their own skills but also continue to develop the skills of our membership through the judging program.
Transition from PRS to PRF
As you may or may not be aware, as of the 2016 BHS Category School, the Presentation (PRS) category will transition to the Performance (PRF) category. This is an incredibly exciting initiative by the BHS C&J Committee and one that will most certainly ensure that our artform continues to thrive and engage with audiences through the art of performance.
Below is an extract from the proposed new Performance category description.
One significant goal of any art form is communication. A barbershop performance refers to how the artist communicates his/her message and vision via the transformation of a song into an entertaining experience for an audience. The performance of a song is the artist’s gift to the audience; whose experiences, memories, and imagination transform that gift into an emotional experience. The performers’ goal is to create a high level of entertainment through the performance. The means to that end are as varied as the personality, abilities and creative skills of the performers.
All currently certified BHS Presentation judges will attend Category School to certify as Performance judges. There are 5 AGBJ Presentation judges attending this year’s Category School who will train as Performance judges with the remaining AGBJ Presentation judges training later this year. The BHA and BHNZ National contests will both be judged using the Performance category.
Practice Panels at International
As always, members of the AGBJ were invited to sit on practice panels at the BHS International Contest in Nashville, TN. As a member of a practice panel, you not only get an opportunity to hone your skills at a very high level but you are also guaranteed the best seat in the house!
2016 BHS International Contest
My best wishes to all those BHA representatives competing in Nashville in just a few weeks time! To our Youth Barbershop Quartet Contest (YBQC) representatives: Blindside, Skyline and The Grand Angus and to my fellow quartet mates in The Mellow Diners as well as the men of Vocal Evolution, we all wish you the most amazing experience as you take to the international stage! We know you will do us proud!
Alex Morris - BHA Vice President - Contest and Judging
Congratulations to each region on a fantastic season of regional contests. A total of 32 quartets qualified for the open contest, 9 for the seniors contest, 7 for the youth contest and 7 for the mixed contest. Alongside what will surely be an action packed chorus contest, Hunter Harmony is set to be a huge week of entertainment.AGBJ Reporting and Feedback Procedures
As part of the continuing development of the AGBJ and to ensure that we are serving our competitors in the best possible way, the AGBJ will soon implement Reporting and Feedback surveys following all contests. If you were a competitor in a recent Regional Contest, I ask that if you receive a request to provide feedback that you do so as promptly and succinctly as possible. We want to know how we can ensure that the contest experience is always a positive one!
BHS Category School 2016
I am very excited to announce that the BHA Council was able to provide scholarship funding to 5 BHA members of the AGBJ who expressed interest in attending the 2016 BHS Category School in Nashville, TN directly preceding the 2016 BHS Harmony University. Linda Vinall, Alex Morris, Dan Millgate, Richard Reeve and Sarah Bradley, along with Eddie Klimowicz and 6 BHNZ members of the AGBJ will be representing ‘down under’ with a record attendance for the AGBJ and the largest affiliate organization represented at this year’s school.
I thank and congratulate each and every one of these Australian barbershoppers who are willing to dedicate their time, energy and a lot of money to not only develop their own skills but also continue to develop the skills of our membership through the judging program.
Transition from PRS to PRF
As you may or may not be aware, as of the 2016 BHS Category School, the Presentation (PRS) category will transition to the Performance (PRF) category. This is an incredibly exciting initiative by the BHS C&J Committee and one that will most certainly ensure that our artform continues to thrive and engage with audiences through the art of performance.
Below is an extract from the proposed new Performance category description.
One significant goal of any art form is communication. A barbershop performance refers to how the artist communicates his/her message and vision via the transformation of a song into an entertaining experience for an audience. The performance of a song is the artist’s gift to the audience; whose experiences, memories, and imagination transform that gift into an emotional experience. The performers’ goal is to create a high level of entertainment through the performance. The means to that end are as varied as the personality, abilities and creative skills of the performers.
All currently certified BHS Presentation judges will attend Category School to certify as Performance judges. There are 5 AGBJ Presentation judges attending this year’s Category School who will train as Performance judges with the remaining AGBJ Presentation judges training later this year. The BHA and BHNZ National contests will both be judged using the Performance category.
Practice Panels at International
As always, members of the AGBJ were invited to sit on practice panels at the BHS International Contest in Nashville, TN. As a member of a practice panel, you not only get an opportunity to hone your skills at a very high level but you are also guaranteed the best seat in the house!
2016 BHS International Contest
My best wishes to all those BHA representatives competing in Nashville in just a few weeks time! To our Youth Barbershop Quartet Contest (YBQC) representatives: Blindside, Skyline and The Grand Angus and to my fellow quartet mates in The Mellow Diners as well as the men of Vocal Evolution, we all wish you the most amazing experience as you take to the international stage! We know you will do us proud!
Alex Morris - BHA Vice President - Contest and Judging