Community Stage is a CMSS Virtual Talent Show for amateur musicians and singers, ages 16 and up! It is open to the general public, and contestants can submit as a solo artist, or as a band or ensemble.

Submissions will be judged by a carefully selected group of CMSS faculty and affiliates. Of all contestants, 10 finalists will be selected. From these finalists, 3 winners will be chosen.

The 1st prize winner will receive 1 year of free 30-minute lessons at CMSS, valued at $1,450.
The 2nd prize winner will receive 1 semester (17 lessons) of free 30-minute lessons, valued at $750.
The 3rd prize winner will receive a unique gift basket of items from our local Springfield vendors.

The judges will assess submissions based on proficiency, musical expression, stage presence, and your ability to communicate with your listeners through your instrument and performance.  All styles of music are accepted, but we ask that you be mindful of keeping the content "family-friendly", with no profanity. With some creativity, certain words in songs can be easily replaced, and there are often "clean" versions of popular songs.

All submissions will be carefully reviewed and without regard for age, nationality, race, gender, language or musical style.

The quality of the video, sound, and lighting will not effect the judges' evaluation of your performance, but please use the best available technology.

Contestants must choose one 3-4 minute piece or song to perform for their video submission. The selected piece can be standard or traditional repertoire, or written by a living composer, or be an original piece by the performer, and can be in any language. The song or piece chosen will not affect the judge's selection.

The contestant will then film their performance of the chosen song or piece, and upload it to the provided Dropbox link.

The contestant may be a solo performer or part of an ensemble. If part of an ensemble, it must be a single designated bandleader submitting the entry, and if chosen, it will be the band or ensemble leader who will be the recipient of the prize.

The submitted video must be exclusive to the Community Stage Talent Show– please create a unique video specifically for Community Stage, rather than one you have used before for other public events.

If contestants make it to the final round, they will be asked to submit a 2-3 minute video about themselves which will be edited and shown alongside their performance for the final event. You will receive the information on how to create this video if you are chosen as a finalist.

The 10 selected finalists will film the final performances of their chosen pieces in downtown Springfield with a professional videographer, provided by CMSS. The filming will take place July 21st and 22nd. In order to submit, you must agree to being available on these dates. Timing on these days can be flexible to accommodate work schedules.

The final event will livestream on August 5th, at which time the winners will be announced!

If you have questions, please email Liz Simmons: lsimmons@communitymusicschool.com