1. Group Repertoire Forms must be returned to the Music Dept. Along with 3 music scores of each piece to be performed by 5 April 2013.

2. Solo rehearsals: These will be arranged by the Music Office for competitors who request an Eisteddfod Official Accompanist in competitions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13 and 15 only.  There will be a charge of £25 per competition for the use of an official Eisteddfod accompanist.

3. Group rehearsals: These may be booked before or on arrival by contacting the Music Office by email at events@international-eisteddfod.co.uk

4. Procedure for competitions: All choir/group leaders will, on arrival, receive full guidance regarding backstage arrangements.

5. The Eisteddfod is held in the Royal International Pavilion which seats over 4,000 people. The stage measures 30 x 10 metres. Tiered staging for choirs is available for up to 80 singers. Further details regarding the Eisteddfod Field Outside Stage dimensions will be available to accepted competitors as appropriate.

6. International Evening Concerts: Groups/choirs may be invited, at the Music Director's discretion, to perform in the evening concerts.

7. In order to bring truly international colour to our festival, choirs/groups who wear national/stage costume are asked to remain in costume throughout their time at the Eisteddfod. Additional performances by competitor groups are timetabled at the outside stages on the Eisteddfod ground and in the town of Llangollen. The Friends’ Area, the Competitors’ Club, and other venues around the site provide opportunities for impromptu performances and social gatherings.

8. Photographs: The official Eisteddfod photographers will take photographs of all groups appearing on stage. Copies may be purchased from their site on the Eisteddfod ground. The International Eisteddfod reserves the right to use these official photographs in future publicity.

9. Recordings: All competitions on the Pavilion stage are recorded and are available for purchase at the Eisteddfod Fusion Centre (in most cases within 2 hours of the end of the competition). There is also a mail order service for DVDs, compilation CDs, and Eisteddfod merchandise such as T-shirts and other memorabilia.

10. Friends of the Eisteddfod: The Friends promote the aims and objectives of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod by providing financial and other support. Members are encouraged to form a closer relationship with the Eisteddfod, and a hospitality marquee is available to members during the week.

11. Opportunities for further performances, including the Eisteddfod parade, will be available for competitors during their stay in Llangollen.

12. The Competitors’ Club is open for all competitors to make new friends and enjoy impromptu performances and light refreshments.

 

About Llangollen

Welcome to Llangollen! The Festival Capital of Wales

Llangollen has a rich history and tradition and an increasing wealth of attractions and activities to appeal to almost everybody. The town and its people are renowned for their friendliness and welcome the Eisteddfods international and national visitors with open arms each year! Llangollen is a true festival town with live music on every corner, and even more so during Eisteddfod week. Llangollen has an abundance of cultural appeal attracting the best of choral, art, folk, literary and musical talent year round. Anyone who has visited Llangollen during the Eisteddfod will tell you that it has a buzzing atmosphere and it is difficult not to get swept away in all the excitement!

 

Definition of the Formal Barbershop Style

• Barbershop harmony is a style of unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture. The melody is consistently sung by the lead, with the tenor harmonizing above the melody, the bass singing the lowest harmonizing notes, and the baritone completing the chord. The melody is not sung by the tenor except for an infrequent note or two to avoid awkward voice leading, in tags or codas, or when some appropriate embellishing effect can be created. Occasional brief passages may be sung by fewer than four voice parts.

• Barbershop music features songs with understandable lyrics and easily singable melodies, whose tones clearly define a tonal centre and imply major and minor chords and barbershop (dominant and secondary dominant) seventh chords that resolve primarily around the circle of fifths, while making frequent use of other resolutions. Barbershop music also features a balanced and symmetrical form, and a standard meter. The basic song and its harmonization are embellished by the arranger to provide appropriate support of the song’s theme and to close the song effectively.

• Barbershop singers adjust pitches to achieve perfectly tuned chords in just intonation while remaining true to the established tonal center. Artistic singing in the barbershop style exhibits a fullness or expansion of sound, precise intonation, a high degree of vocal skill, and a high level of unity and consistency within the ensemble. Ideally, these elements are natural, unmanufactured, and free from apparent effort.

• The presentation of barbershop music uses appropriate musical and visual methods to convey the theme of the song and provide the audience with an emotionally satisfying and entertaining experience. The musical and visual delivery is from the heart, believable, and sensitive to the song and its arrangement throughout. The most stylistic presentation artistically melds together the musical and visual aspects to create and sustain the illusions suggested by the music.

 

Important Information about Visas

• The issue of visas generally takes a long time. Therefore, please make sure that you apply for your visa as soon as possible and remember that it is in your own interest to do so. If however you apply too late, you risk a rejection of your visa application and therefore won’t be able to participate in The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
• Please contact the British embassy or High Commission in your country to get detailed information about what restrictions and regulations will apply to you.
• Please also keep in mind that you might need transit visas (Schengen visa), depending on your travel itinerary to Llangollen.
• If you do not have a valid passport yet, please apply for this immediately!
• Participants from some countries may need an invitation letter from us (this will be sent if only if your application is successful and once we know exact details of the number of participant that are applying for visas).