2010 Ottawa Folk Festival August 13-15 Britannia Park

Audition Finals and Fundraiser!

Congratulations to Clarksdale Moan and The Musettes!


Tickets:

Regular: $20
Youth:$15 (Ages 16-25, w/valid ID)
Tickets can be purchased in advance throughTicket Break or at the door.

Included in the ticket price is canapes/light fare! We will have some great silent auction items to bid on as well as a chance to bid on awesome prize packs in the live auction! We'll also have a cash bar - remember to bring your I.D.!

Youth Category Finalists:

  • Acorn Trail
  • Kara Askwith
  • The Musettes

Winner will receive $1,000 and the Galaxie Rising Stars Award, generously provided by Galaxie.

Open Category Finalists:

  • Gabrielle Papillion and Simon Honeyman
  • Clarksdale Moan
  • Ambre McLean

Winner will receive $1,000 and the One Fret Less Award, generously provided by Harvey and Louise Glatt.

Preliminary Round

The Ottawa Folk Festival runs auditions each spring as a way to discover new talent of all ages. Judges choose the top three performers in each of two categories: Youth (25 years and under) and Open (26 and over). The 3 finalists from each category will move on to the finals. The details are to be announced shortly.

The lucky (and talented!) winners in each category receive a cash prize via the Galaxie Rising Stars Award (Youth) and the One Fret Less Award (Open) as well as a spot at the Festival. Exciting? YES!

Open Category:
Saturday March 20, 2010,
Raw Sugar Cafe - 692 Somerset St. West, 1 Block west of Bronson
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Youth Category (25 and under):
Saturday March 27th, 2010
Raw Sugar Cafe - 692 Somerset St. West, 1 Block west of Bronson
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The Rules

If you are a resident of Ontario or Quebec and have not previously performed at the Ottawa Folk Festival, you are eligible to audition for a performance spot at the Festival. Several awards and cash prizes are also available to selected acts.

Initial auditions will take place at Raw Sugar Café (692 Somerset St. West, 1 block west of Bronson) in Ottawa as follows:

  • Open Category (over 25 years): Saturday, March 20, 2010 - noon to 5:00 p.m.
  • Youth Category (25 years & under): Saturday, March 27, 2010 - noon to 5:00 p.m.

Registration Fee

There is a $15 advance registration fee to reserve an audition spot. This fee just covers the cost of the administration & production of the auditions. Cheques are payable to "Ottawa Folk Festival". Your audition will be confirmed once the registration fee has been received.

Finalists from the Preliminary Auditions will be chosen from the Open Category and the Youth Category to participate in the Final Audition taking place at Saturday, April 17, 2010 at Library and Archives Canada.

A panel of judges - including the Festival Director, prize donors, & media representatives - select acts from each category to receive awards and who will then participate in the daytime sessions at the Ottawa Folk Festival in August.

Please note:

  1. Performers must be residents of Ontario or Quebec.
  2. Acts must not have performed previously at the Folk Festival.
  3. Acts can participate in the audition process every 2 years. For 2010 only, acts that auditioned in 2009 may audition again this year.
  4. Each act performs two pieces in the Preliminary Audition and three in the Final Audition.
  5. Unless Festival Director gives advance approval for a change, participants in the Final Audition must perform with the same personnel and same instrumentation as the Preliminary Audition.
  6. Full drum kits are generally not permitted on daytime stages at the Folk Festival.This makes it easier to set up the stages, and avoids potential problems with sound overlap from one stage to another. Auditioning acts should consider using hand drums and percussion rather than a full drum kit. (Also, a maximum of 4 members per band is allowed for the audition due to space restrictions.)
  7. An artist age 25 and under can have an older accompanist and still be considered in the Youth Category - provided that the young artist is clearly the central focus.
  8. There are 40 performance slots in the Preliminary Audition (20 acts in each category).
  9. There are 6 performance slots in the Final Audition (3 acts in each category).
  10. Finalists will receive an honorarium for participating in the Final Audition. Out-of town finalists will receive a travel subsidy. Cash prizes are considered to be payment for performing at the Festival in August. No additional fee is paid to award winners for performing at the Festival. Cash prizes are treated as taxable income by the Canada Revenue Agency.

'09 Audition Winners

Youth Category: Tall Trees Rising Stars Award
(generously donated by Galaxie)

Open Category: Stewed Roots One Fret Less Award
(generously donated by Harvey & Louise Glatt.)