March 15-18, 2012 - Tempe, Arizona
1st Prize
$750 in cash and/or merchandise
2nd Prize
$500 in cash and/or merchandise
3rd Prize
$250 in cash and/or merchandise
Prize winners will be featured on a winner’s recital at the 2012 NASA Biennial Conference.
I. Eligibility
Please Note: The NASA Young Jazz Artist Competition is designed for high school students or for those students enrolled in a high school, or grade 9-12 equivalent (E.g. academy, home school, etc.). During the on-line application process, all applicants will be required to verify that they are full-time high school students. The on-line application web pages will be available by August 2011. Applicants to the NASA Young Jazz Artist Competition must meet all of the following requirements:
1.) Contestants must be enrolled in a high school or grade 9-12 equivalent.
2.) Contestants must not be enrolled FULL-TIME in a college, university or other post-secondary school.
3.) Contestants must not have graduated from high school prior to March 15, 2012.
4.) Contestants must be between 15-19 years of age on March 15, 2012. (Born between March 16, 1992 and March 15, 1997)
5.) All contestants must be current members of the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) as of March 15, 2012. Contestants who are not current members of NASA must join online at: http://www.saxalliance.org/members/signup.php Membership rates: Student: $25 Professional: $35
II. Application guidelines – Preliminary Round
1.) All application materials will be submitted online at the NASA website www.saxalliance.org. The online application web pages will be accessible by August 2011. The deadline for submission of applications, recordings and fees is: December 15, 2011.
2.) In addition to any necessary NASA membership fees, contestants must submit a competition entry fee of $30. All payments must be made on the NASA website via PAYPAL by December 15, 2011.
3.) Incomplete applications will not be considered.
4.) There are two rounds of the NASA Young Jazz Artist Competition; one recorded Preliminary Round and one live Final Round. The deadline for the recorded Preliminary Round is December 15, 2011. The live Final Round will be held in Tempe, Arizona, March 15-18, 2012.
• Preliminary Round. Preliminary Round. The preliminary round will consist of a recorded audio audition. Recordings should be in MP3 format and will be uploaded to the NASA website. (Please note that there is no longer a video requirement.) The recording must be submitted with the initial application materials by the deadline, December 15, 2011. Technical guidelines for the recording will be posted when the application web pages become accessible by August 2011.
• Preliminary Round repertoire requirements: No compositions composed by contestants are allowed. Popular standard or jazz-standard compositions only. The use of live rhythm section accompaniment is preferred. Contestants may use a play-along recording if live rhythm section accompaniment is not feasible. All finalists will be required to perform with a live rhythm section. The recording should contain three selections in the following order:
1.) There Will Never Be Another You by Harry Warren/Mack Gordon. Include a minimum of three choruses of improvisation.
2.) A jazz ballad of your choice that includes a minimum of one chorus of ballad-tempo improvisation.
3.) An up-tempo composition of your choice in any jazz style.
III. Finals
• 3 to 5 saxophonists will be invited to perform in the final round. The Finals will be held March 15-18, 2012 on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, in conjunction with the 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference. Each finalist will be allowed to perform a four-selection, 20 minute program that includes the following styles; jazz ballad, medium tempo swing, up-tempo swing and jazz-latin. Performance of original compositions is not permitted. Final round repertoire need not duplicate repertoire from the preliminary round.
IV. General Guidelines
• The contestant’s birth date must be verified at the competition site with the contestant’s driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport. Any contestant who does not show proof of age, or is not between the ages of 15 and 19 years of age as of March 15, 2012, will be disqualified.
• A Winner’s Recital will feature the 1st Prize Winner in the NASA Young Jazz Artist Competition. It will be scheduled during the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference in Tempe, AZ, March 15-18, 2012.
• All fees and dues are non-refundable.
• All expenses, including lodging and transportation to and from the competition, are the sole responsibility of the contestants.
• A minimum of 15 entries is required to hold this competition. Entry fees will be refunded if the competition is cancelled.
• Judging - Professional musicians will judge both the preliminary audition recordings and the live round performances. Finalists will be evaluated solely on their live round performance.
• Contestants may perform on soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, or any combination of these saxophones during both the preliminary and final rounds of the competition.
• Invited finalists will be provided with a professional rhythm section free of charge at the conference for the performance, one rehearsal and the winner's concert.
• Contestants may also enter the NASA Young Artist Competition, but they must submit a separate application and separate entry fee.
• Questions may be directed to the Jazz Competition Coordinator, Gene Smith. ( info@gsojazz.com )