About the Competition
With many thanks to the Bill and Helen Davidson Memorial Foundation.
Entry Deadline: April 1
May 8, 2027 – First Presbyterian Church, 2170 Albert St, Regina, SK
The Bill and Helen Davidson Memorial Vocal Competition recognizes the hard work and talent of Saskatchewan vocal students.
The Bill and Helen Davidson Foundation Fund aims to assist, support, encourage, or promote any charitable organization with cultural, community, or religious activities. Primarily those with a focus on developing talent and music skills or by providing comfort to those in need as perpetuated by the life and wishes of Helen E. Davidson.
Helen Davidson had a gift of music that would become a lifelong ministry to the community of Weyburn. She went to Brandon College and received her ATCM diploma in 1929. In 1930 she was appointed as church organist of Calvary Baptist Church, a position she held for over 60 years.
As a dedicated teacher who loved her students like her children, she was not only proud of those who did well and went on to become musical stars but also of those who felt they had benefited from being her student. She took a very active part for many years with the Music Festival, was a 50-year member of the Saskatchewan Registered Music Teacher’s Association, and was also the region’s representative for the Royal Conservatory of Music for over 25 years.
William John Davidson was born & farmed in the Heward, SK area, loving the land & the community. On December 29, 1954, he married Helen Campbell, and they resided in Weyburn. After 8 years of marriage, Bill passed away. He always told Helen never to sell the oil rights to the land, which was prophetic as it lies in the heart of the Bakken Oil Field. Production of oil began in 2009, & all royalties have since gone to the Bill & Helen Davidson Foundation, which was set up in 2008 at Helen’s request.
The Bill and Helen Davidson Memorial Vocal Competition was established in 2026.
Thank you to our Sponsors!
The Bill and Helen Davidson Memorial Vocal Competition is made possible through the generous donation of our sponsors, the Bill and Helen Davidson Memorial Foundation.
Rules & Regulations
| GENERAL | ||||
| · The student must currently study with an SRMTA member in good standing.
· Competitors are responsible for their own expenses, including collaborative pianists’ fees. · Competition levels refer to repertoire grade level and not to age. First-place winners are permitted to compete in the same competition band in subsequent years, winning a maximum of twice. · Competitors must bring copies of music for the adjudicator and collaborative pianist, including transpositions, which conform to copyright law. · The adjudicator’s decision is final. The decision to allocate or withhold an award is at the sole discretion of the adjudicator. · Failure to comply with any regulation may result in disqualification. |
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| PROGRAM | ||||
| Level | Time Limit | Entry Fee | Prize | |
| 5-6
RCM/Conservatory Canada or equivalent |
15 min | $35 | $300 | |
| 7-8
RCM/Conservatory Canada or equivalent |
20 min | $45 | $350 | |
| 9-10
RCM/Conservatory Canada or equivalent |
25 min | $50 | $400 | |
| Diploma
RCM/Conservatory Canada or equivalent Age limit of 30 years |
30 min | $55 | $500 | |
| • Time limits include all music from start to finish AND breaks in between selections, as well as any spoken commentary.
• Competitors are encouraged to fill their time limits. Exceeding them is a breach of regulations. |
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| SELECTIONS | ||||
| · A varied, balanced, and satisfying program is encouraged. Entries will be vetted by an SRMTA-appointed scrutineer within two weeks of the entry deadline. No changes to repertoire selections will be permitted after April 1. Any changes of program order must be announced at the competition.
· Selections may be chosen from the current Syllabus of either RCM or Conservatory Canada or both, and they may be from either or both levels within the 2-level competition band. They may also be chosen from outside those Syllabi if they are of equivalent grade level. In the case of non-Syllabus or unpublished selections, the adjudicator will be the ultimate arbiter, although applicants may seek advice from the “scrutineer” ahead of the application deadline, and may need to supply a copy of the selection(s). Where a selection has been regraded from an earlier Syllabus, the grade attribution of the current Syllabus prevails. · Applicants wishing to choose pieces of demonstrably higher level than the competition band they are applying for should move to the next competition band. |
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| PERFORMANCE CRITERA | ||||
| Level 5-6 | ||||
| Required Repertoire:
• one selection in English • one language other than English • one Baroque OR Classical period selection • one 20th- or 21st-century art song preferably Canadian |
Permitted Additional Repertoire:
• other selections in any language of the competitor’s choice, to give a balanced and varied program within the overall time limit of 15 minutes • option for a maximum of one musical theatre selection no props or costuming |
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| Level 7-8 | ||||
| Required Repertoire:
• one selection in English • one language other than English • one Baroque OR Classical period selection • one 20th- or 21st-century art song preferably Canadian |
Permitted Additional Repertoire:
• other selections in any language of the competitor’s choice, to give a balanced and varied program within the overall time limit of 20 minutes • option for a maximum of one musical theatre selection no props or costuming |
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| Level 9-10 | ||||
| Required Repertoire:
• one selection in English • two languages other than English • one Baroque OR Classical period selection • one 20th- or 21st-century art song preferably Canadian |
Permitted Additional Repertoire:
• other selections in any language of the competitor’s choice, to give a balanced and varied program within the overall time limit of 25 minutes • option for a maximum of one musical theatre selection no props or costuming |
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| Diploma | ||||
| Required Repertoire:
• one selection in English • three languages other than English • one Baroque OR Classical period selection • one 20th- or 21st-century art song preferably Canadian |
Permitted Additional Repertoire:
• other selections in any language of the competitor’s choice, to give a balanced and varied program within the overall time limit of 30 minutes • option for a maximum of one musical theatre selection no props or costuming |
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| PERFORMANCE | ||||
| • All selections must be performed from memory.
• Acoustic performance is required. Any accompanying instrument must also be acoustic. No electronic accompanying tracks, mics or other amplification/enhancement is permitted. A cappella performance is permitted for folksongs, at the performer’s discretion. SRMTA will supply a piano for accompaniment, but any other accompanying instrument must be supplied by the applicant. • Repertoire may be transposed to any key as long as the transpositions supplied to both adjudicator and pianist conform to copyright law. • The performer may request that applause be held until the end of the program. • Applicants will supply and compensate their own collaborative pianist or other musician. SRMTA will provide a list of area pianists willing to work with applicants from other regions of the province. |
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