Registration & Postmark Deadline: January 31, 2025
Refund Deadline: TBD
Sight Reading and Rep Submission Deadline: February 17, 2025
Upstate
Date: March 11th & 12th, 2025
Location: Spartanburg High School
Address: 2250 E Main St, Spartanburg, SC 29307
Midlands
Date: March 4th & 5th, 2025
Location: Columbia International University
Address: 7435 Monticello Rd, Columbia, SC 29203
Lowcountry
Date: March 13th & 14th, 2025
Location: West Ashley High School
Address: 4060 W. Wildcat Blvd. Charleston, SC 29414
Information
Fees
The registration fee is $200.00 per choir. No money will be refunded due to cancellation after January 31, 2025. Any cancellations must be sent in writing/email to the Committee Chair dated no later than January 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Checks should be made payable to SCMEA Choral Division. Schools registering two or more choirs may submit 1 check for their school; however, checks (or any registration material) from middle schools will not be accepted by the high school choral festival committee and vice-versa. Note: Late registrations and/or fees will not be accepted.
Repertoire Requirements (including the warmup)
Repertoire must be quality choral literature that is both festival appropriate and appropriate for each individual ensemble (voicing, genre of ensemble, etc.), and all music should be memorized. Judges have the discretion to take choice of repertoire into account for scoring using the performance rubric provided. Directors must cite credible literature sources from which their repertoire was chosen. Acceptable sources may include but are not limited to SC All-State Chorus Concert Repertoire, ACDA repertoire lists, High School Honor Choral Clinic lists, graded literature lists, etc. Judges can take off points for choice of repertoire if they feel that the music chosen does not fit the voices within the ensemble. Any repertoire information that is not received by the deadline will result in the ensemble’s omission from the program.
Sight-Reading Rules & Procedures
- Appropriate music will be available for each choir based on their stage performance classifications (female, male, mixed). Please indicate your sight-reading preference on the registration form so we may know how many copies to order for each classification. Choirs may also opt to sight read down one classification if the program is new or in a growing state with a new director (i.e. a 5A school with a new choir director or a new growing program may sight read 4A instead of 5A).
- Students may NOT be used for two ensembles in the same category (for example, if you have a Chamber Choir that is your “Varsity” Mixed Choir, those students may not be used in another ensemble that is a “Varsity” Mixed Choir. Your “second” group must be your “Non-Varsity” Mixed Choir and will sight read “Non-Varsity” music in the sight-reading room. Further, Varsity students may not sing in Non-Varsity groups.
Performance Site
Consequences of Rules Violations Levels of Notification 3. (a.) If the Choral Director continues to commit Rules Violations after #1 and #2 are issued, either the students involved, or the Choral Director and the school choral program will be barred from participation at all SCMEA Choral Division events for up to two consecutive years contingent upon the severity of the violations. (b.) If the evidence of violations is the direct result of the Choral Director’s repeated negligence to review and adhere to the guidelines, the Choral Director (same or different school) and the choral program will be barred from participating in all Choral Division events for a period up to two consecutive years contingent upon the severity of the violations. The letters (a. and b.) will be mailed to the Choral Director, Principal, District Music Consultant, and Choral Division President containing the documented history of rules violations, dates, and quote the most recent standing rule(s) that were violated. Committee members who teach in the same region of South Carolina will continue to serve as a mentor during this period.
Refunds
The following events do not offer refunds after fees are paid: All-State Chorus, Middle School Clinics, Region Choir, Solo & Ensemble Festival. For these events, refunds will not be processed for any reason unless the Choral Division leadership determines it is necessary to cancel an event. The following events do offer refunds for group cancellation by specific deadlines: Middle School Choral Performance Assessment; High School Choral Performance Assessment. For these events, refunds will not be automatically processed. Directors must request a refund by the published deadline. The refund request must be submitted in writing via email to the event chairperson. Please note: online payment processing fees can never be refunded.