*** July 18, 19 & 20, 2008 ***

~ The Baltimore 19th Annual Billie Holiday Vocal Competition~ Application

Application Deadline: FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008

Overview: Considered by many to be the greatest jazz singer of all time, Billie Holiday grew up in Baltimore and started her singing career here. Her voice defined a generation and set the bar high for those who would follow. Baltimore honors Billie Holiday and invites you to become part of the Billie Holiday tradition by participating in the Baltimore 19th Annual Billie Holiday Vocal Competition. The Competition: Again this year, the competition will be held at Artscape on Sunday, July 20, 2008, from Noon 4pm at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The Billie Holiday Vocal Competition will be held in conjunction with the Cab Calloway Vocal Competition for Men. The First Place winners of the Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway Vocal Competitions will perform at Artscape 2009 and at the Baltimore Book Festival in September 2008. The winning competitors will receive the following awards: First Place - $2,500 Second Place - $1,500 Third Place - $1,000 The Ruby Glover Award of $500 will be given to the most popular singer voted by the audience at the Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway competitions. Eligibility: Any vocalists 18 years and older currently residing in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, DC, or the counties in Virginia and Pennsylvania listed below are eligible to apply. Applicants who are selected as semifinalists may be asked to submit proof of eligibility.

Virginia Counties: Fairfax, Loudoun & Prince William Pennsylvania Counties: Adams, Chester, Franklin & Lancaster Application Fee: A $25 non-refundable application fee must be included with your application. Applications submitted without the $25 fee will not be processed. Application and $25 application fee submission does not imply acceptance into Artscape. Payment Information: Artscape will accept check or money order Please make checks payable to: Baltimore Festival of the Arts, Inc. (BFAI) Please mail check to: Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, Inc. Attn: Randi Vega 7 East Redwood Street, Suite 500 Baltimore MD 21202 *All checks must be mailed to the attention of Randi Vega to ensure proper payment processing Application Process: Heres your chance to perform on the stage of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and show Baltimore how to sing a song! Fill out the application and submit it with the $25 application fee Include a cassette tape or CD of you singing at least two (2), but no more than three (3) songs. Your combo must include at least one song previously recorded by Billie Holiday. Examples of Billie Holiday selections are Lover Man, Them There Eyes, Strange Fruit, and What a Little Moonlight Can Do. If youre chosen as a semi-finalist, you will compete for the top prize of $2,500 and a chance to sing at Artscape. The second place winner receives $1,500 and $1,000 goes to the third place winner. The Peoples Choice winner will receive $500.00. Selection Process: Three panelists distinguished in the field of music will evaluate and select the competitors on the basis of the quality of the work presented. This years judges include lead singer for Fertile Ground, Navasha Collins, and Cab Calloways grandson and leader of the Cab Calloway Orchestra, C. Calloway Brooks. The decisions of the judges are final. All applicants will be notified of the panel's decisions by Friday, June 6, 2008.

Decisions in the preliminary round will be based on the recordings submitted by the applicants. No more than twelve (12) applicants will be selected by the judges to compete in the semifinal round.

Tips for submitting tapes or CDs for the preliminary round: Use piano accompaniment only for your audition tape. We want to hear your voice and style. Additional musicians will make that harder. Mark the cassette or CD case with your name. Be sure to include, in order, the title and length of each song. Choose a slow and an upbeat song for your audition tape. Dont forget At least one song should be a Billie Holiday Song. It is recommended that you submit your recording on CD. The quality and clarity are much better that most cassette recordings. The judges will be better able to hear your performance. Please listen or have someone else listen to your recording before submitting it. If it doesnt sound good to you, it probably wont sound good to the judges. Vocalists Contact Information: The contact will receive all festival information acceptance notice, guidelines, parking pass, festival updates, etc. Please be sure to include a valid email address most festival information will be communicated via email. Vocalists Name Address City, State, Zip County (or Baltimore City) __________________________________________________ Phone Email Website Cell Fax ____

Title and Time of Songs on Cassette or CD, including a Billie Holiday Song: 1. _______________ ____ Timing: ________________

2. 3.

_______________ ____ Timing: ________________ _______________ ____ Timing: ________________

Required application attachments: Groups interested should submit this application, cassette or CD and the materials listed below by Friday, March 28, 2008, by 4:30pm: Completed application form and $25 application fee. Cassette tape or CD with vocal and piano accompaniment only marked clearly with your name, the order, title and playing length of each song. Biography/music performance experience (resume). Self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish to have your cassette tape or CD returned. All reasonable care will be taken in handling materials; however, BOPA cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. Mail or bring completed application to: Randi Vega Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts 7 E. Redwood Street, Suite 500 Baltimore, MD 21202 Re: The Billie Holiday Vocal Competition INCOMPLETE OR LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED For further information or assistance call Randi Vega at 410-752-8632, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please make a copy of this application for your records!