St. Cecilia Music Center won’t host an ArtPrize musicians’ showcase this fall, but more busking stations will be added for performers and music could have a higher ArtPrize voting profile.
Blue Bridge Busking Station: Amanda Vernon, one of 2013’s St. Cecilia song contest winners, performed at an outdoor busking station during ArtPrize last year. (Photo/Kathy Barth)
With musical entries at ArtPrize 2014 expected to enjoy a higher profile and a better shot at prize money, St. Cecilia Music Center is reminding songwriters who want to enter the contest that they must register by midnight June 5.
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For the third year in a row, St. Cecilia – the official ArtPrize music hub – plans to separately award five $2,000 awards to the top vote-getters for songs entered in five musical categories: rock/blues, folk/country, classical, jazz and pop/electronic. Once again, winners will be decided by popular vote via the ArtPrize website.
AOK performed with Rick Chyme at last year’s ArtPrize Musicians’ Showcase. St. Cecilia won’t host a 2014 showcase. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
It’s the fourth year that songs have been part of the ArtPrize competition. Last year, a record 82 songs were entered, with Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Karisa Wilson (folk/country), emerging jazz outfit Brad Fritcher + trois (jazz), blue-soul singer Molly Bouwsma-Schultz (rock/blues), pop singer Amanda Vernon (pop/electronic) and composer Chris R. Hansen (classical) winning their respective categories by earning the most ArtPrize votes.
Read more about last year’s winters and listen to the winning songs as part of this Local Spins story.
St. Cecilia is still seeking sponsors for the separate prize money that it awards to songwriters.
NEW ARTPRIZE VOTING STRUCTURE MIGHT HELP MUSIC ENTRIES
Executive director Cathy Holbrook stressed that changes in the ArtPrize voting structure this year could give musical entries a better chance at winning $20,000 juried and public vote awards as well as part of the competition which runs from Sept. 24 through Oct. 12.
Under the new structure, ArtPrize will announce a Final 20 rather than Top 10 after two weeks of popular voting on ArtPrize entries throughout the city. These Final 20 will include the top five entries in four different artistic categories of ArtPrize including 2-D, 3-D, installation and time-based (which is where musical entries are placed). Both the public vote awards and juried awards will include a $20,000 prize for each of the four categories. In all, $560,000 in prizes will be awarded by ArtPrize in 2014.
The 2013 Song Contest Winners (Photo/Local Spins)
“Music has a large presence in the time-based category so the chance of a song making it into the top five in that genre and maybe even win a public vote in that category is pretty good,” Holbrook said.
Songwriters have through June 5 to register for ArtPrize at artprize.org and then provide a professional recording of their song to St. Cecilia by Sept. 1. On the ArtPrize site, entrants must select a category, choose “time-based,” tag their profile as “music,” and request St. Cecilia as their venue. Get detailed instructions online at the St. Cecilia website.
Another major change: St. Cecilia this year won’t host a musicians’ showcase weekend where those entering songs previously had an opportunity to perform on indoor and outdoor stages.
MORE BUSKING STATIONS TO SHOWCASE SONG ENTRANTS
Instead, to help spotlight musical entries, ArtPrize this year will expand the number of musical “busking stations” around the city where musicians and bands who’ve entered songs in the competition can entertain audiences throughout ArtPrize. Last year, performers could be found at sites such as Rosa Parks Circle, St. Cecilia, the Blue Bridge and elsewhere, playing throughout the day.
“We have decided that more busking stations actually gives musicians a better opportunity to be heard and seen versus the two days in the St. Cecilia parking lot,” Holbrook said.
“We loved having that event because it was a wonderful chance for musicians to hang out together, but it’s a very expensive venture and they actually get more opportunity to play in more places and more times through the busking locations (including two at St. Cecilia).”
St. Cecilia, at 24 Ransom Ave. NE, will also continue to host listening stations with headphones where visitors can find and sample song entries.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
