Performer Info
Hello! Below is all the information about Chamber Pops participation that you need to know! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at contact@chamberpops.com. There’s a checklist at the bottom of the page as a summary!
What is Chamber Pops?
Chamber Pops is a music festival hosted at the Rialto Theater. This season’s concert will be held on the weekend of February 20th. Chamber Pops is an event for middle and high school students to perform in chamber ensembles playing pop music. Everyone is welcome, and we’d like to have as many performers as possible! We can accommodate string groups, band groups, a cappella groups, etc.
Your group can play any music you desire, so long as it is not classical (i.e. Bach), or jazz. We are also not allowing soloists to perform. If you need help putting a group together, please reach out to contact@chamberpops.com, and we will be happy to assist you.
Please note that while the concert will be held on the weekend of February 20th, we are currently unsure whether it will be on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. We are anticipating Saturday (2/21) or potentially Friday (2/20). We will communicate when we have a confirmed date. The concert will be at 7:00 PM regardless of the day.
Our Goal
Our goal is to run an amazing and fun concert that is unlike any band, orchestra, or chorus concert you’ve ever experienced while maintaining high artistic standards. Everything outlined below and the process to perform at Chamber Pops is in service of that goal. If you have any questions about the process or want to know why a certain step is required email davis@chamberpops.com.
Pre-Concert Participation
Interest Form & Group Creation
We want to have as many performers as possible! To allow us to better communicate with all possible performers, we’d appreciate it if anyone interested could fill out this interest form as soon as possible. If you have any questions or any reservations about participating, please let us know. We are happy to help!
Once you fill out the interest form, start getting a group together! If you already have a group, that’s great! If you need help finding a group, please let us know. Groups are not limited to any specific instrumentation, but should not have more than 10 people. We’d prefer groups with at least three people, but that is not a firm requirement. No solos are permitted. If you would like to request an exception to allow a larger group size, please let us know. We will consider your request and do our best to accommodate you.
Music & Piece Reservation
With regards to music, every group may play up to three songs, for up to a potential total of 10 minutes of music at most. Please ensure that these pieces are not classical or jazz music. Resources to help with music selection are available on our Music Resources page. If you need additional help choosing music, or with finding suitable arrangements, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Your pieces must be approved by Davis Baker, the Chamber Pops Artistic Director. Email him at davis@chamberpops.com to seek approval. Please include the name of your group in the subject of the email, and links to any recordings of the pieces you may have (not required to be your group playing, youtube is fine). The Artistic Director has the final decision regarding what pieces are played at the concert.
Once you have received approval, please complete the piece reservation form. This is something new we’re trying this year. Only one group can play a particular song, so if you would like to play a song, fill out this form to let us know. Similarly, the results from the form are embedded at the top of the page, so make sure no one else is playing a song that you choose. If there are disputes about which group gets to play a particular song, Chamber Pops staff will make the final decision, based heavily on who filled out the reservation form first.
Registration Form
After you’ve reserved your pieces, go ahead and fill out the registration form. This lets us know formally what pieces you’re playing, who’s in your group, and many other logistical details for the concert. This form won’t close until January 21st at 11:59 PM (1 month before the concert), so don’t feel rushed to submit it. This form does require a complete video of each piece you’re playing. While this is not an audition, you should make sure your videos show your group in your best light. You cannot participate in Chamber Pops without registering, and we do not accept late submissions. If you think you’re going to be unable to submit the form in time, please let us know at contact@chamberpops.com, or email one of our board members.
On January 28th (~4 weeks before the concert), we will send out program information, including the list of songs to be played. This final set list is determined at the sole discretion of the Artistic Director. We hope to have every group play as much as possible, but due to time constraints that likely won’t be possible. The final set list will be based heavily on the artistic quality of the videos submitted, so please ensure they represent your group well.
Once you have your confirmed pieces, just keep rehearsing! There’s nothing else we will need from you until concert day!
Sweet Caroline
The finale piece of the concert will be an arrangement of Sweet Caroline that we all play together. It’s very easy, and your parts will be emailed to you on January 28th. It will be a crowd favorite, and a nice way to end the night. To that end, please don’t select Sweet Caroline as one of your pieces. We will rehearse it day of at 5:30 before the concert. Please take a look at your part before then though, as we will not have time for you to learn your music in the 90 minutes before the concert.
Concert Day
On concert day, we will have a dress rehearsal for every group at the Rialto Theater in the afternoon. Your assigned time slot for the rehearsal will be sent out January 28th, along with your selected pieces. We anticipate rehearsals starting at around 2:30, but that may change depending on the level of participation. On the registration form there is a spot for you to list any conflicts your group may have for the day of the dress rehearsal. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate those conflicts but we will do our best. Please note that if you do not list conflicts on the registration form and later remember a conflict we will be unable to move your dress rehearsal time.
You are welcome to stay at the Rialto after your rehearsal, arrive early and watch other groups rehearse, and pretty much do whatever floats your boat, so long as you’re there for your rehearsal and the concert. The call time for the concert will be 5:00, so if you choose to leave after your rehearsal, please make sure you’re back by then. We will rehearse Sweet Caroline for around 30 minutes, and then Pizza will be served around 5:30. Pizza is $5.00 per person, paid when you submit the registration form or cash day of.
Warm-up space at the Rialto is limited, so be prepared for that. There will be an option to warm-up outside if your group would like. You will also be able to warm-up in the house and backstage before the house opens. With regards to concert attire, you are welcome to wear whatever you feel represents your group (within reason of course). We ask that you not wear traditional concert black, but that you coordinate your group around a theme. More instructions around attire will be communicated closer to the concert. There will be gendered communal changing rooms offered. We hope everyone will be changed by 6:30.
Checklist
Now that you’ve made it through all the information, here is a checklist to sum up what we need from you in order to ensure the Chamber Pops concert will run smoothly for everyone!
- Complete the interest form
- Get a group together and choose music
- Up to 3 pieces
- Not classical or jazz
- No more than 10 minutes total
- Have your pieces approved by Davis (davis@chamberpops.com)
- Reserve your pieces as soon as possible and make sure no one else has reserved them. If someone has reserved a piece you want to play, choose another one (and get it approved).
- Submit the registration form by January 21st
- Attend the dress rehearsal and concert on the weekend of February 20th
Again, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to contact@chamberpops.com, and we will be happy to help. We’re also happy to offer a phone call, but please email to schedule an appointment.