Vocal Solo & Ensemble Festival (OMEA District 05)
Applicable grades/instruments: Middle and High School. All voice categories, mixed/treble/low voice ensembles
Registration via Opus (registration link not yet live)
Coordinators: Jon Vevia
The District 5 Vocal Solo & Ensemble Festival for 2026 will take place on Saturday, February 28th at Trinity Lutheran High School in Bend (2550 NE Butler Market Road). This is a great event to showcase the abilities of our Middle and High School vocalists throughout the region! Participating students are rated and scored by our adjudicators and will receive written feedback and (typically) verbal comments. High School students also have the opportunity to qualify for the corresponding state contests.
Here are the basics:
Registration is now open for vocalist soloists and ensembles.
Registration time slots are 10-20 minutes, depending on category and scheduling constraints. My hope is to allow time for the judges to work with the students. Note that performances must be under 10 minutes regardless of given time slot.
“Small ensembles” are 2-4 students and “large ensembles” are 5-16 students. Some of the categories can be confusing, so feel free to ask if you're not sure where to put a student or group.
For the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble category, if a group chooses to have a rhythm section accompany their group, the rules for large vocal ensembles will apply. The maximum number of students including the rhythm section will be 16.
High School students need to provide their own accompanist (this can be an adult). Middle School students are welcome to use a track accompaniment. A Bluetooth speaker will be provided but students must provide their own device to hook up to it.
Pricing:
HS Soloist registration is $20
HS Ensemble registration is $20+$5 per ensemble member
MS students get reduced pricing of $10 per registration for both solos and chamber ensembles. We would love to see increased Middle School participation this year and are happy to support any efforts to get these students involved!
For High School participants, state-qualifying winners and alternates will be selected in each category. Please make sure to indicate if you would like a soloist or ensemble to be considered for state competition as part of the registration process on Opus.
Registration deadline: Monday, February 23rd at 11:59pm registrations are not complete unless paid online through Opus prior to the deadline. Unpaid registrations will not be scheduled.
Contest date: February 29th, 2026
We are super excited to have TWO judges this year. Returning is Jacalyn Kritzer, who is a Bend HS graduate and has retired from a career as an Opera singer and university professor. The second is James Knox, composer and current Professor of Music at Central Oregon Community College.