3rd Annual Sue Cunningham Youth Fiddle Contest

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Welcome to the 3rd Annual Sue Cunningham Youth Fiddle Contest which will be held on Sunday August 18th at Hickory Fest 2019.  Sue Cunningham was always very supportive of young musicians wherever she went, encouraging them to keep playing, and helping them to develop their self confidence to become the best they could be. So in that same spirit,  the 3rd Annual Sue Cunningham Youth Fiddle Contest is an extension of Sue’s efforts to give young fiddlers an opportunity to be on stage in front of a live audience to play.  

Although the contest will be a judged event, we will strive to make this event a totally positive experience for every contestant who participates, whether they place in the judging or not.   Each contestant will be offered feedback and recommendations and tips to work on to help improve their playing from the professional fiddle players and judges at Hickory Fest. Also, the camaraderie that is created among all the contestants from this event is something that will be remembered and cherished for a long time, sometimes making life long friends.   

Just as Sue felt, we believe that the most important thing is not the winning or losing in the contest, but the invaluable growth as a musician that comes from being a part of this unique experience. The Sue Cunningham Youth Fiddle Contest will be a free-style fiddle contest to encourage young people to learn to play the kind of music they love. This contest will honor Sue in a beautiful way, and will allow young people to play music on stage with no restrictions on style or genre.                 

CONTEST GUIDELINES;    

• All contestants must complete the official registration form and submit by Aug 1st, found on this website.    
• Registration will be limited to 6 contestants for each age division on a first come first served basis.    
• There is no extra fee to register to compete in the contest BUT ATTENDEES must purchase a festival ticket except all Children 12 and under are free to the festival.    
• There are 3 age divisions: 5 -9, 10-14, and 15-18. Contestants must choose one division, Play one fiddle tune of choice, maximum 3 minutes.    
• This is a “Freestyle contest”, all playing styles are welcome!  (old time, bluegrass, swing, Texas style, European, even classical!)    
• One accompanist allowed but not required, any acoustic instrument except fiddle may accompany the contestant.    
• Preliminary round will be Sunday morning beginning at 9:00 at the workshop tent    
• The top 3 finalist round will be on the main stage beginning at 12:30    
• Music reading will not be allowed on stage    
• No vocal songs allowed 
• Contestants are not allowed to speak over the mic... just play their fiddle    
• Judging will be based upon the following:     
• 25% style, 25% rhythm, 25% clarity/tone, 25% difficulty/overall technique    
• There will be 2 judges with total points compiled to score each contestant 

Prizes: all contestants will receive a participation ribbon  

• First place $150.00 plus a $200.00 gift certificate from our Sponsor J.R. Judd Violins in Williamsport
• Second place $100 
• Third place $50, plus ribbons for all 3 winners in each division.