String Repertoire Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

One string player performs a repertoire programme on a bowed instrument in a class entered by age ceiling, with time limits rising from 8 to 16 minutes and marked out of 100 by an adjudicator.

String Repertoire is the class where a string player shows range rather than a single piece. Instead of one work played for a mark, the entrant presents a programme of repertoire on a bowed instrument, so the adjudicator hears how the player handles contrasting styles, tempos and moods in the same appearance. It suits players who have a few secure pieces and want to be judged on the whole performance.

On the one eTalenter template that carries it, a British children and young people’s music, speech and drama eisteddfod, the class is entered by age ceiling: seven, nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen and eighteen and under. It is an individual item open to boys and girls together, with no language attached, and the class title does not name an instrument, so any bowed string instrument can reasonably be offered.

The time limit grows with the age band, from 8 minutes for the two youngest tiers to 9, 10, 12 and finally 16 minutes for eighteen and under. The limit covers the whole appearance, so older players building a long programme have to plan the running order and any pauses as carefully as the music. A round is quiet and formal: the entrant is called, tunes, plays, and receives a spoken or written comment and a mark out of 100.

Organisers run a repertoire class beside the ordinary solo and concerto classes because it rewards programme building. It is different from String Solo, which uses graded standards and shorter limits, and from String Concerto, which is a single open class for a concerto-length work.

Where String Repertoire is run

String Repertoire appears on a single eTalenter template: a British eisteddfod for children and young people covering music, speech and drama, where it runs as an age-banded class. Repertoire classes for strings exist at many music festivals, but this page records only that one template.

• United Kingdom

Key facts

• Individual entry, open to boys and girls together; no language is set
• Entered by age ceiling: seven, nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen and eighteen and under
• Time limit by tier: 8 minutes at seven and nine and under, 9 at eleven, 10 at thirteen, 12 at fifteen and 16 at eighteen and under
• Any bowed string instrument can be offered; the class title does not name one
• Marked out of 100; the source prints no judging criteria for it, so none are assumed here
• Separate from String Solo (graded standards) and String Concerto (one open class of up to twenty minutes)

On eTalenter, String Repertoire is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, String Repertoire is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 8–16 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in String Repertoire

What a String Repertoire panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Intonation across the programme: staying in tune from the first piece to the last, including after tricky shifts and changes of key
• Tone and bow control: a warm, even sound with clean string changes, kept consistent as the style of the music changes
• Contrast between pieces: each work given its own character, so the programme feels chosen rather than just assembled
• Rhythmic security and tempo choice: steady pulse, sensible speeds and accurate rhythm, not rushing the hard passages
• Phrasing and musical shape: lines that lead somewhere, with dynamics and articulation that follow the music
• Stage manner and time discipline: a composed entrance, a tidy tune-up and finishing inside the limit for the age band

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for String Repertoire under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music competition judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for String Repertoire

How entrants and their teachers usually get String Repertoire right on the day:

• Choose pieces that contrast in speed and mood, and check that the total playing time sits comfortably under the limit for your age tier
• Decide the running order early and rehearse the gaps between pieces, including how you will re-tune or turn pages
• Play the full programme through, in order, at least twice a week before the day so stamina is not a surprise
• Fix the weakest passage in each piece slowly with a tuner or drone, then restore the tempo in small steps
• Book accompanist rehearsals as soon as the notes are secure, and give the accompanist a clear copy of each piano part
• Perform the programme for family or friends standing up, then note where concentration or intonation slipped
• Pack spare strings, rosin and a pencil, and arrive early enough to warm up away from the hall

Frequently asked questions

Is String Repertoire judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Is String Repertoire the same as String Solo?

No. String Solo is a general class with graded standards and shorter time limits, while String Repertoire is entered by age ceiling and is judged on a programme of repertoire in one appearance.

How long is a String Repertoire class?

It depends on the age band on this template: 8 minutes at seven and nine and under, 9 at eleven, 10 at thirteen, 12 at fifteen and 16 at eighteen and under. The limit covers the whole performance.

Which string instrument can I play?

The class title does not name an instrument, so any bowed string instrument can reasonably be offered. Check your organiser’s own rules for any restriction.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

It is an individual item, one player per entry, open to boys and girls together and marked out of 100.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music competition judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.