All individuals and ensembles in a regular program of music study in the Greater Puget Sound area, who have studied under a PAFE teacher for at least one year are eligible to enter the Festival. The Festival schedule is listed on the home page.
- All students must be non-professional.
- All students must be registered by their parent or guardian to ensure we have their permission to enter the festival.
- Classes are determined according to school age. This is a change from previous years. We follow Bellevue School District age guidelines, which means a student’s correct age for a class is their age on August 31 prior to the Festival.
- Students must be no older than 17 on August 31. The minimum age may vary depending on the Division. See each Division page for the minimum age.
Class Types
The Festival offers Solo, Concerto and Ensemble classes for students. A class is comprised of a small group of students being evaluated by an adjudicator. See the Registration Instructions for details.
Music performed in a Solo class is a piece, played by a single performer, who may have an accompanist. Sonatas may be performed in the Solo section. Some pieces written for solo instrument and orchestra (not concertos) will be allowed if first approved by the Division Chair of the student’s instrument. If there are any questions about the appropriateness of any given piece for a class, please check with the specific Division Chair before registering.
A Concerto is a composition for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra. In a Concerto class, the accompanist plays the orchestra part, which is arranged by the student. Concertos are not solo pieces and are not permitted to be performed in Solo classes. Even Concerto pieces which have been rearranged to be performed as solos must be approved by the Division Chair for the student’s instrument. Concerto pieces composed for multiple instruments are not allowed in Concerto classes; they can, however, be performed in Ensemble classes.
All student performances must be played from memory, except for woodwinds and ensembles which are allowed to use music. Please be sure to bring enough copies of the music for your use, as well as for the Adjudicator. We will not be able to make copies at the Festival. Music must include measure numbers. Be sure to arrive 10-15 minutes before your performance time.
In addition to the Festival requirements, you must read the information concerning Registration instructions, where you will find additional information about Ensemble classes.
Select the link in the photograph.
Conflicts
If you will be unavailable during any part of PAFE week, please let the Registrar or Division Chair know when you register. We will do our best to accommodate your request, although we cannot make any guarantees. If you know that you have a conflict of two full days or more, please don’t register.
Students registering for Concertos must be available on Tuesday or Wednesday. Once you have opened an account and have registered, if you see a conflict, you must let us know as soon as possible. We cannot accept scheduling changes once the schedule is published.
Refunds: We have a no refunds policy.
Registration Instructions
In addition to the Festival requirements, you must also read the information relating to the Registrations instructions. There is additional information on this page about Ensemble classes.
Select the link in the photograph.
Wait List
Keep in mind that there is a limit to the number of students that can be accommodated in the available space and time. We recommend that you register early to ensure your participation. Individuals who register once a division is full will be put on a waiting list. Wait listed entrants are not charged unless they are accepted to the festival.
In general, we start adding students from the wait list when we schedule the classes. It is only at this point that we know how many more students can register. There is no fixed date for this, but it is roughly a month before the start of adjudicated classes. Once we have added all the students we can from the wait list, we will inform those that we were unable to accommodate.
During the registration process, you may have entered additional information (e.g. instrument, piece titles, etc.). Unfortunately, our system does not maintain that information. If we are able to find room for you, and remove you from the waitlist, we will again ask for all registration details. In the meantime, please refrain from requesting changes until you hear back from us.
If you wish to be removed from the wait list, please let the Registrar know this and we will cancel your registration from the wait list.
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the adjudication procedures, so you understand the process. The link in the photograph will take you to the information.
Accompanists
If a student is playing a piece composed to be performed with accompaniment, then an accompanist is required. Students must provide their own accompanists. No mechanical accompanying devices of any kind, such as CD players or MIDI players, are allowed. If a student registers with an accompanist who does not show up, or the student plays a Concerto alone, the student will not be eligible for placement. PAFE will attempt to schedule around accompanist conflicts but makes no promises, due to the large number of performers involved in the Festival.