DISTRICT CONTEST INFORMATION

OCTOBER 3-4, 2025
Portland, ME
Venue:

Questions or Comment?
Events: Bob Bradley
Contests: Alan Lamson

 
 

Get Ready to Shine: Barbershop Harmony Takes Center Stage!

Calling all competing quartets and choruses! Are you ready to showcase your vocal talents at the upcoming district competition?
We've got all the essential details to help you plan and prepare for a stellar performance.

Quartet Contest:

  • Friday, October 3rd

  • Quartet Semi-final sessions take place in the afternoon (2:30 PM) and evening (5:45 PM).

  • Stage access is directly from your warm-up room, located on the same level as the stage and backstage area.

Chorus Contest (including VLQs):

  • Saturday, October 4th

  • The competition starts at 10:30 AM.

  • Stage access is also directly from your warm-up room.

  • The auditorium might have a chorus shell or monitor speakers depending on the sound check results.

JUDGES

MUSICALITY: Evan Boegehold, Melody Hine, Erin Odell
PERFORMANCE: Greg Caetano, Sean Devine, Theresa Weatherbee
SINGING: Jay Butterfield, Ig Jakovac, Tim Waurick

DISTRICT NOVICE QUARTET STATUS

A quartet must meet all the following requirements:
(NED Operating Code – Paragraph 11.1.2.3.2)

  1. Is eligible to win the District Quartet Championship

  2. Contains no more than two members who have competed at a district or higher level

JUDGING CATEGORIES

Music, Performance and Singing - judging categories, do refer to the BHS “Contest and Judging Handbook” on the Society’s website.
Detailed descriptions can be found on Page 5-1 (Musicality), 6-1 (Performance), and 7-1 (Singing).

  • Musicality - Judges in this category score the musical elements in the performance: melody, harmony, range, and tessitura; tempo and rhythm; construction and form; and embellishments. They judge the extent to which the musical performance displays the hallmarks of the barbershop style, and the degree to which the musical performance demonstrates an artistic sensitivity to the music’s primary theme.

  • Performance - (formerly the "Presentation" category) - The new Performance Judge evaluates entertainment within the Barbershop style. Vocal and visual elements, in the context of the song choice/s, are evaluated for their contribution to the overall entertainment effect of the performance.

  • Singing - Judges in this category evaluate the degree to which the performer achieves artistic singing in the barbershop style: the production of vibrant, rich, resonant, technically accurate, and highly skilled sound, created both by the individual singer’s use of good vocal techniques, and by the ensemble’s process of tuning, balancing, unity of sound, and precision. They listen for a sense of precise intonation, a feeling of fullness or expansion of sound, a perception of a high degree of vocal skill, a high level of unity and consistency throughout the performance, and a freedom from apparent effort that allows the full communication of the lyric and song.

Each judge may award up to 100 points per song.