Berkshires culture and entertainment.

Keith Lockhart announced “Boston Pops High School Sing-Off: A Best of Broadway Challenge,” the first-ever Boston Pops musical theater competition for Massachusetts High school students, slated for the Pops’ spring season in May and June of 2008.

Students from high schools throughout the state of Massachusetts, working closely with their music and drama teachers, are encouraged to submit audition videos of musical theater vocal works for solo, duet, trio, quartet, or quintet to the Boston Pops anytime between now and May 9 (see details below). The live portion of the competition will take place during four concerts in June, at which time the contestants will have their first chance to sing accompanied by the orchestra at a Boston Pops concert at Symphony Hall. The winner will be featured in the Boston Pops Fourth of July concert on the Charles River Esplanade.

“The ‘Boston Pops High School Sing-Off’ is a project that is near and dear to my heart, as I have been a musical theater fan since I was a kid in junior high school,” said Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart. “This is a great opportunity for some wonderfully talented hard-working young singers to share their music with a broad audience and show the world just how important music is to their lives. All of us at the Pops welcome the chance to share our love of this great music and to bring students from high schools across the state to experience the Boston Pops. I hope that all of the talented young high school singers throughout Massachusetts will seriously consider auditioning for this competition. ”

The Boston Pops High School Sing-Off will start with a round of taped auditions to be submitted any time between now and May 9 (details below). Keith Lockhart and the Pops management team will evaluate the taped auditions and choose up to 20 contestants to compete in the competition, the names of which will be announced on May 19. The live competition will begin on June 2 when the contestants perform their audition selection on the stage of Symphony Hall with piano accompaniment; six semifinalists will be chosen from this round of the competition.

The six semifinalists will compete three at a time, accompanied by the Boston Pops, during the June 17 and 18 concerts, resulting in the selection of three finalists who will compete in the final round during the July 1 Boston Pops concert, accompanied by the orchestra. The winner, to be chosen at the conclusion of the July 1 concert, will perform with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra on July 3 and at the 2008 Fireworks Spectacular on July 4, which will be broadcast live on Boston area television.

Those interested in auditioning for the 2008 Boston Pops High School Sing-Off competition must complete an application and agree to all the points outlined in the Participation Agreement. All required information and forms are available at www.BostonPops.org. There is a non-refundable fee of $10 to audition for High School Sing-Off 2008. Once the application process is completed, a videotaped audition is to be sent to the Boston Pops High School Sing-Off, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, no later than May 9. Audio/video recordings for the competition must be sent on one of 3 formats: DVD, VHS, or mini DV; no other formats will be accepted. Please note, all auditions must be taped with piano accompaniment only. If instruments other than the piano are used in an audition tape, the tape will automatically be disqualified from the competition.

Only vocal pieces written for solo, duet, trio, quartet, or quintet will be considered; works for larger vocal ensembles or chorus will not be considered. Also, all music selected must have pre-existing orchestral arrangements and be no longer than 5 minutes in length. If your high school production was not written for orchestral accompaniment or your high school is not producing a musical this year, you can still participate in the competition by working with your music and/or theater teacher in preparing an individual selection from any of the musical theater repertoire that includes an orchestral arrangement.

Suggestions include, but are not limited to, Chicago, Dream Girls, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Into the Woods, Jekyll and Hyde, A Little Night Music, Man of La Mancha, Mame, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story. Additional selections are listed at www.BostonPops.org, but those too are only suggestions—the only requirement is that all selections have a pre-existing orchestral arrangement.

BOSTON POPS SING-OFF COMPETITION SCHEDULE

• Fill out application available at www.BostonPops.org and submit an audition tape/video of a song from the musical theater repertoire any time between now and May 9; all auditions must be accompanied by piano
• 20 contestants/vocal ensembles to be announced on May 19
• 20 contestants/vocal ensembles to compete on stage of Symphony Hall on June 2, accompanied by piano
• 6 semi-finalists to perform–three each night–during Pops concerts on June 17 & 18; to be accompanied by the Boston Pops led by Keith Lockhart
• 3 finalists to perform with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops on July 1; winner to be chosen and announced at end of concert
• Winner to perform with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at July 3 concert and July 4 Fireworks Spectacular

For more information, including competition details and rules, application, and a list of musicals that include orchestral accompaniment, please visit www.BostonPops.org or call 617-638-9395.

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