Class Evaluations, Marks & Placements

All participants will receive written and verbal evaluations from the adjudicator.  In competitive classes participants will also receive a mark (out of 100) and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place will be awarded based on class marks.  Participants must earn a mark of 80 or higher to qualify for a class placement.  Seals of Standard will be given based on marks: Gold for a mark of 90 and above, Silver for a mark of 85-89 and Bronze for a mark of 80-84.  At the end of each class the adjudicator will announce the class placements but will not disclose the marks. 

 

For School & Community Ensemble classes 1st, 2nd & 3rd placements will not be assigned, but the adjudicator will announce the Seals of Standard that are awarded to each ensemble.

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Class Ribbons

Participants who are awarded 1st, 2nd or 3rd Place will receive a designated Ribbon.  All other participants (including those in Non-Competitive classes) will receive a Participant Ribbon.

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Financial Awards

Thanks to generous donations made by the Kiwanis Club of Kitchener-Waterloo, several long-time major donors, and many donations by individuals each year, the festival distributes between $8000 to $20000 annually to deserving festival participants.  Individual awards may range from $25 to $500 and will be distributed throughout all divisions and class levels.  Adjudicators are provided with a list of Awards available within their division and will have sole discretion in distributing the available Awards.

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Award packages are presented on stage at the Finale Concert and recipients are invited participate in the award-recipient group photo.  Recipients of the Allan Bush $500 Top Awards, if invited, are expected to perform at the Finale Concert to receive their award.  (Award recipients who do not pick up their award will have it mailed to them). 

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Award packages contain a cheque with the participants name on it and a letter indicating the who donated the award along with their contact information.  Award recipients are encouraged to write a thank you letter to the donor of their award.  Note: Expired award cheques are not reissued.

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Trophies

The top performer in each division and in some cases a particular class will receive an annual trophy which will be awarded at the discretion of the adjudicators and presented at the Finale Concert.  Trophy Winners will have their name and year inscribed on a large trophy that they will get to keep until next year’s festival.  Trophies must be returned to the festival Coordinator at the start of the 2025 festival.  Winners will also be given a smaller version of the trophy that they may keep permanently.  Trophies will be presented on stage at the Finale Concert.  Students who are not able to attend must contact the KWKMF Coordinator to arrange to pick up the trophy.

 

Honours Announcements

Class Placements, Award Recipients, Trophy Winners, and Provincial Delegates will be announced on the KWKMF website at the conclusion of the festival.

 

 

 

Finale Concert – Friday May 10th, 2024 at 7:00 pm 

The Finale Concert program aims to celebrate the achievement of all festival participants by featuring excellent performances that represent as many divisions, levels, genres, and styles as possible. Adjudicators nominate performances from their division and then a committee selects the program from the collective list of adjudicator-nominated performers.  Performers are invited to perform at the finale concert by email and are expected to reply within 24 hours to confirm their availability. 

 

In addition to the performances, the Finale Concert will include presentations to trophy winners, provincial delegates, concerto competition winners, and award winners. 

 

Performers requiring piano accompaniment are welcome to hire their own accompanist or use the festival-hired accompanist for which there will be one rehearsal earlier in the day on the day of the finale concert.

 

The Finale Concert will be live streamed on the KWKMF website, and tickets will be sold for $15 each to attend the live show.  Honours recipients and performers do not need to purchase a ticket, but family members will need a ticket to attend.  Links to view past Finale Concerts are available on the Archives page on the website.

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OMFA Provincials

The Kitchener-Waterloo Kiwanis Music Festival is a feeder festival for the Ontario Music Festival Association Provincial Competition. At the end of each festival, adjudicators nominate up to three (3) delegates as well as alternates for each eligible division and level to compete at the OMFA Provincials.  Nominees will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to accept or decline their nomination.  If one or more of the nominees decline, then the next alternate on the list will be notified. Those who compete in the OMFA Provincials will receive a Provincial Delegate Certificate, which will be presented at the Finale Concert. (Those who do not attend the ceremony will have their certificate mailed to them).

 

Students must receive a mark of 85 or higher to qualify for a provincial nomination. Most OMFA classes require that participants perform two (2) selections, therefore adjudicators will give preference to participants who perform two (2) or more selections during the KWKMF when deciding who to nominate.  It some cases the adjudicator may nominate a participant who only plays one (1) selection, but that participant should be prepared to perform a second piece if they accept the nomination.

 

OMFA rules stipulate that nominees must accept the first invitation that they receive from any festival.  Therefore, if a participant enters multiple Ontario music festivals, they must accept the first festival nomination they receive and will not be permitted to accept an invitation at a later date on behalf of another festival (regardless of whether they declined the first invitation).

 

The 2024 OMFA Provincials will take place in Oakville, Ontario during the week of June 10th to 15th, 2024.  More information including registration and syllabus rules & regulations can be found on the OMFA website.