Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition

The Richard Armstrong Vocal Award | Competition Procedures | Eligibility & Requirements | Register Online Now!

The Richard Armstrong Award 

$500 Cash Award
Registration Deadline:  Saturday, March 30, 2013 at 12:00 pm (CT)

Download Competition Flyer
Download Competitor Form and Score Sheet - Bring three (3) copies of this form with you to auditions.  You MUST register online first.

The Richard Armstrong Award is named after former JSU voice instructor Dr. Richard Armstrong, and is a testament to the joy found in vocal performance and the learning process while understanding the importance of offering one’s talent to the public—and looking for nothing in return.  This award will be given through The Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition, which will be sponsored by The Vocal Alumni Association.  All Music Education, General Music and Vocal Performance Majors in the Vocal Division of David L. Walter’s Music Department will have the opportunity to audition for the Richard Armstrong Award.  Each participating vocal student will gain valuable experience in preparation for their academic year and their future endeavors in music through the opportunity of performing in front of a panel of judges, gaining valuable feedback, and potentially performing an aria as a solo selection in “The Alumni Concert Series” if chosen as the competition winner.  This unrestricted monetary award will be of great financial help to the outstanding voice student, who will be able to use this award to further his or her music education.  No registration fee will be required in order to participate in the vocal competition.  

Competition Procedures

The first round of the Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition is a private audition in front of the judges on the given date. Competitors will be judged on Musicality, Characterization, and Performance Overall. The 6-8 competitors who receive the highest scores will proceed to the final round, which will be open to the public on that same day.  The audience will be encouraged to cast their vote for “Crowd’s Favorite” in monetary donations. The winner of the Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition will be given a monetary award and the opportunity to sing an aria of his or her choice in the Vocal Alumni Concert Series.  

The competitor with most votes for “Crowd’s Favorite” will also receive a small monetary award. The winners will be announced before the closing of the Vocal Alumni Concert.  All competitors who were voted to sing in the final round of the Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition will be asked to sing in the final selection of the Vocal Alumni Concert Series and will then receive the comments from the judges of the Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition.

Eligibility Requirements

Prospect candidates must meet the following requirements in order to participate in The Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition:

• Must be a Jacksonville State University vocal student of the David L. Walter’s Music Department
•  Must be a full-time student (12 credit hours or more)
• Must have at least a 2.5 GPA
• Must be a primary voice student who studies with a faculty member, adjunct or professor, of the David L. Walter's Music Department voice division
• Must be a Music Education, General Music, or Vocal Performance major
• Former first-place winners are not eligible to compete

Repertoire

• One aria: Italian, French, German, or English
• Three art songs: Italian, English and/or German/ various styles and time periods
• One additional selection of the student's choice: Art song, aria, or a selection from a musical

Materials

• 8x10 headshot in color or black/white

Accompanist

• Must be secured and compensated by candidate

All students taking part in the competition are required to participate in the Vocal Alumni Concert.

Registration Deadline:  Saturday, March 30th, 2013 at 12:00 pm (CT)

Richard Armstrong Vocal Competition Contestant Form (Google Word Document) - Download AFTER completing your online registration.  You are required to bring three (3) copies of this document with you to auditions.