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BHS announces summer Virtual Quartet Festival

BHS announces summer Virtual Quartet Festival

Audiences and quartets have a great new event to experience this summer as part of the BHS Virtual International Convention. All quartets welcome!

Quartets of all levels of ability, all backgrounds, and all configurations can now enter videos in a unique new event. The Virtual Quartet Festival offers evaluations and judging by BHS-certified judges in a unique format that will give audiences a huge range of performers to enjoy.

Using videos recorded individually by the entrants, quartet performances in the Virtual Quartet Festival will be staged in typical contest fashion, with standard entrance, two-song set, and exit.

Reimagining our summertime gathering

With the rebooking of the Cleveland 2021 convention to 2024, we wanted an opportunity for everyone to get together and still enjoy the innovative performances of an international-caliber event. Conversations with the many top quartets who have been sidelined by the pandemic showed keen interest in a meaningful goal to work toward, while also acknowledging that no one would have time to mount a full-scale, ranked international quartet contest.

The broadest event ever staged by BHS

To provide full access to ALL singers, there are no membership requirements for participation in the Virtual Quartet Festival. Singers of all ages, all nations, and all combinations are welcome to submit entries for the Festival.

This means that high school-age quartets can have access to the same level of evaluation and judging as world-champion caliber quartets, and casual first-time quartets have a chance to be seen on a national platform.

Part of a Super Summer of Barbershop

The Virtual Quartet Festival is just part of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Virtual International Convention, which will be staged in the BHS Virtual Campus hosted by Virbela from June 30-July 4. Details and event dates are still being finalized, but fans can expect a full schedule of shows, meet-ups, and special events.

Event registrations go on sale the first week of May!

Entry requirements and procedures

Eligibility

  • Open to all quartets anywhere — affiliation with a barbershop organization not required
  • Men’s, Women’s and Mixed quartets — all are welcome!
  • Quartets at all levels of ability welcome, from novice to champion
  • Submit your video by June 8th, 2021.
  • Registration for the BHS Virtual International Convention is encouraged, although not required to enter. Paid registration is required for viewing the event.

Judging

  • Standard BHS definitions of contestable barbershop as found in C&J Handbook
  • Adjudicated by BHS-certified category judges
  • BHS “festival” rating system — Superior/Excellent/ Outstanding

Recognition

  • Not a BHS International Quartet Contest — no medals or ranking issued
  • Evaluations and personal scores offered to each entrant

How and when to view the Virtual Quartet Festival

  • Part of the 2021 Virtual International Convention to be hosted in Virbela
  • Registration required to view festival—coming first week of May

Video Submission Requirements

Submit your video by June 8th, 2021.

Record your video

  • Dress as you normally would for a contest performance, and enter the stage, break between songs and exit the stage as you normally would
  • Your 2-song set must be shot continuously – you cannot record one song at a time
  • Shoot the quartet straight-on with a stationary camera (we want to see the whole quartet from head to toe)
  • Video must be shot horizontally. No vertical videos will be allowed.
  • Record with best possible quality (1080p or 4k)
  • Record in a well-lit space (no windows or mirrors behind your quartet, face a natural light source if possible, etc.)
  • Avoid echo chambers, like stairwells, that will distort your sound
  • No audience required
  • Avoid amplified sound from speakers – DO NOT MODIFY AUDIO QUALITY! (this would make your submission ineligible)
  • Technical questions about staging, recording and uploading? Contact BHS at events@barbershop.org

Upload video to YouTube

  • Label your set with your Quartet Name
  • Make the link Unlisted (not Public or Private)
  • Watch your video to ensure you have a complete, quality upload

Enter the Festival and submit your video by completing this form by June 8.