INVITATION FOR CONCERT PROPOSALS
2009-10 SFEMS SEASON
The San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS) has issued a request for proposals from individuals and ensembles interested in appearing on the 2009-10 annual SFEMS concert series.
SFEMS will present eight concert events (each repeated in three venues) during its next concert series, from September 2009 through May 2010. At least half of the presentations will be by local ensembles. (It is SFEMS policy that the term local includes ensembles based within 180 miles of San Francisco. Acknowledging that early music organizations are often comprised of national and international personalities, such an organization may be considered local if it consists of major membership and activity within the Bay Area. That is, an organization can be considered local even if only one member is based in the Bay Area, so long as that member is central to the organization.)
SFEMS welcomes all proposals that could interest its audiences, although it primarily presents music from the Middle Ages through 1800 performed on period instruments.
Proposals should be sent to the Concert Committee, SFEMS, P.O. Box 10151, Berkeley, CA 94709, by September 30, 2008. The Concert Committee has stressed that the submission deadline of September 30 will be strictly observed in order to facilitate early season planning. Questions about procedures and deadlines should be directed to the Concert Committee at 510-528-1725 or at concertproposals@sfems.org.
Selection decisions will be made during October 2008, and ensembles chosen will be notified at that time.
Local ensembles will be selected though the procedures described in detail below. Unlike most concert presenters around the world, SFEMS goes to great lengths to give all local ensembles a fair and equal opportunity to play. An anonymous and impartial Audition Panel recommends local groups to the Concert Committee based solely on the quality of the performances submitted. The Committee selects local groups from those recommended by the Audition Panel.
Local ensembles may submit proposals that include out-of-town or foreign guest artists. (Please be advised that SFEMS cannot help non-U.S. citizens obtain visas to perform in the U.S.) SFEMS also issues a special invitation for proposals appropriate for the December 2009 holiday-season concert.
Proposals must include a CD of unedited music and a written description of the programs and performers proposed. The CD should include not fewer than 15 and no more than 30 minutes of material. Only one CD may be submitted by each ensemble no matter how many different programs are proposed. The audio tracks on the CD should fairly represent the proposed performers. The CD should be labeled with the name of the ensemble, and the music contained and performers included on the disc should be listed on the CD liner/case. The best material should be placed at the beginning of the CD. In the case of long works, excerpts may be included. Commercially produced recordings will not be considered. Edited performances may not be considered.
You may also (but need not) include publicity materials in a separate sealed envelope. Such materials will not be considered by the Audition Panel but will be considered by the Concert Committee if the ensemble is chosen by the Audition Panel. They will not be returned. CDs will be returned only if expressly requested and a suitable self-addressed, postage pre-paid mailing envelope is provided or arrangements are made for pick up in person.
Each ensemble must represent that all performers named in its proposals have agreed to participate and must give one person authority to conclude arrangements with SFEMS. Compensation for local groups consists of a per-person fee and appropriate compensation for the expenses of out-of-town artists.
Proposals by non-local ensembles will be considered separately from the above process by the Concert Committee. Such ensembles should submit their proposals to SFEMS as soon as possible, and no later than September 30, 2008. There is no required format for submissions by non-local ensembles. Please be advised that SFEMS cannot help non-U.S. citizens obtain visas to perform in the U.S.
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A. SFEMS emphasizes Bay Area artists and ensembles in its annual concert
series. Several non-local presentations are normally included in the
series in the interest of diversity and audience appeal, and Bay Area
artists may include local and non-local guest artists in their proposals.
B. SFEMS seeks to present a concert series that reflects the broad
diversity of early music, including vocal and instrumental repertoire
from all eras of western music before 1800, played, as appropriate, on
period instruments.
C. The primary criterion for selection to appear on a SFEMS concert
series is quality, within the context of historically-informed performance.
D. Subject to the primary criterion of quality, an effort is made to
distribute performance opportunities and to avoid excessive frequency of
appearance.
E. Proposals must be accompanied by an audition recording that
substantially represents the personnel who are proposed to appear on the
series.
F. Selection is impartial. Submissions are evaluated in a blind audition
without identification of the performers.
G. Audition panelists serve anonymously and are encouraged to maintain
the confidentiality of their participation. No panelist may serve more
than two years consecutively.
H. Audition panelists are experts in the field. They are chosen from a
list of individuals nominated for their awareness of the field,
diversity of expertise, impartiality, and absence of potential conflicts
of interest.
I. Curatorship of SFEMS concert presentations is the responsibility of
the entire Board of Directors.
J. The SFEMS Board Concert Committee may delegate tasks to non-Committee
members, SFEMS staff, or other individuals, except where specifically
excluded in the following procedures.
K. All questions regarding concert selection decisions are referred to
the chair of the Concert Committee, who may, at her/his discretion,
provide the inquirer with decision rationale.
L. The following procedures apply to all major concert series presented
by SFEMS, including the annual concert series and the Berkeley Festival
series.
1. The concert selection process begins with the SFEMS Concert
Committee’s publication of a request for local proposals in the Early
Music News and other appropriate media.
2. The Concert Committee presents for approval by the SFEMS Board of
Directors a proposed list of at least twenty nominees for the Audition
Panel.
3. The Concert Committee chair selects five individuals from the
approved list of Audition Panel nominees, confirms their availability,
and arranges for them to meet under her/his chairmanship to hear all
submissions. The chair does not have a vote in the evaluation of
submissions. This entire step is strictly confidential and may not be
delegated.
4. The Concert Committee convenes in executive session, reviews the
Audition Panel assessments as well as availability of non-local
presentations, and assembles the proposed concert series. In the
selection of local groups the assessments of the Audition Panel will
dominate, but the Concert Committee is empowered to override the
assessments in order to ensure, among other things, diversity of era,
repertoire, and instrumentation; audience appeal; and financial
viability. The minutes of the executive session are strictly
confidential. This step may not be delegated.
5. The Concert Committee presents the proposed series to the Board of
Directors for approval.
6. If necessary, the Concert Committee meets again in executive session
to make changes in the series if for scheduling or other reasons the
series as originally planned is not practical. Any such changes are
subject to Board review.