Adjudicators

The main choral competitions take place at the three-day Festival in April, when the twelve Member Choirs compete in three Divisions. The competitions fill the mornings and are judged by professional adjudicators in accordance with descriptors recommended by the British and International Federation of Festivals.

Marks are given out of 100 as follows:

• 70-80   A performance showing development of technique and/or communication
• 81-83   A capable performance showing some artistic appreciation and/or technical ability
• 84-86   A convincing performance technically and artistically
• 87-89   An excellent performance both technically and artistically
• 90+      An exceptional performance both technically and artistically (this category/mark range will usually be 90-95 except in the rarest of performances)

The seven different classes in which the choirs compete are shown on the Competitions page, but in respect of the marks awarded it should be noted that sometimes there are two 'full chorus' works on one day, which both need to be prepared and rehearsed for the evening concert. In these cases, a separate mark out of 100 is given for the extract(s) from each work.

There are usually two adjudicators sharing the classes between them.

At the Youth Choirs' Competition in March, the choirs perform in age categories. Each choir performs two songs of their choice and, after hearing all performances in their category, the adjudicator will give constructive comments before announcing the winner of the category. The marking system is the same as above. In addition, there is an 'adjudicator's choice' for most categories awarded for that special 'other factor': this may be music choice or special performance and is given to encourage performing as opposed to winning.