Festival Instructions

Each year, students have the opportunity to perform in our district’s music festivals. Students entered in each festival perform one or two pieces composed in the musical period represented by the festival’s name. For example, students registered for the Romantic Festival perform music composed during the Romantic Period of music. Teachers should consult the syllabus list for appropriate repertoire.

OMTA Portland festivals are open to students age 5 through 18. Participants perform in recitals with an age group range of 1-3 years. Each performer is adjudicated by a master clinician who gives the student a short master class after their performance. In addition, each performer receives a certificate of participation. The designation of Outstanding Achievement or Honorable Mention will be affixed for especially high achievement. All awards are based strictly on the level of the performance, not on the level of the piece or age of the performer, and no quotas are used to determine the number of awards given.

During the master class session, the adjudicator may give the student advice on how to play their piece even better. The adjudicator may share information about the piece’s composer, demonstrate how to play certain passages, or help a student fix common technical errors. The master class is a particularly exciting and educational part of the festival because it is held in front of the audience, all of whom can benefit from the master’s comments about each piece.

More festivals are available to the students of teachers with membership in the West Portland District. Guidelines for these additional festivals may be found on the West Portland Festival Instructions Page.*

*Eastside teachers must have dual membership in West Portland District in order to participate in these specific period festivals. Please follow the steps listed below if you would like to obtain duel membership:

Log into your account on mtna.org
On the left hand side, scroll below :Renew MTNA Membership” and click on “Add Additional State and Local”
Follow instructions and provide payment for additional district

This Year’s Festivals:

Honors Recital:

November 9, 2024

Chairs: Amie Belisle and Charlotte Laughlin

East Portland District Competitive Baroque Festival:

February 8-9, 2025

Chairs: Natalya Klimov and Harriet Wong

Composition Festival:

April 5, 2025

Chairs: Robin Ziari

All Periods Festival:

May 3-4, 2025

Chairs: