Period Festivals

Each year, students have the opportunity to perform in our period music festivals: the Baroque/Classical Festival, and the Romantic/Contemporary Festival. Students entered in each festival perform one or two pieces composed in the musical periods represented by the festival’s name. Teachers should consult the syllabus list for appropriate repertoire.

OMTA Portland festivals are open to students age 5 through 18. Participants perform in recitals with an age group range of 1-3 years. Each performer is adjudicated by a master clinician who gives the student a short master class after their performance. In addition, each performer receives a certificate of participation. The designation of Outstanding Achievement or Honorable Mention will be affixed for especially high achievement. All awards are based strictly on the level of the performance, not on the level of the piece or age of the performer, and no quotas are used to determine the number of awards given.

During the master class session, the adjudicator may give the student advice on how to play their piece even better. The adjudicator may share information about the piece’s composer, demonstrate how to play certain passages, or help a student fix common technical errors. The master class is a particularly exciting and educational part of the festival because it is held in front of the audience, all of whom can benefit from the master’s comments about each piece.

Festival guidelines may be found on the Festival Instructions Page.

This Year’s Festivals:

Baroque/Classical Festival:

Dates November 9, 10, 16, 17

Chair: Marla Hansen and Andrea Olson

Romantic/Contemporary Festival:

Dates April 26,27

Chair: Marla Hansen