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

One woodwind player performs a short programme of two own-choice pieces in a class entered by age ceiling, with time limits rising from 8 to 15 minutes and a mark out of 100.

Woodwind Repertoire is the class where a flautist, clarinettist, oboist, bassoonist or saxophonist is judged on a small programme instead of a single piece. The entrant prepares two own-choice pieces and plays them in one appearance, so the adjudicator hears how the player handles two different characters, tempos and styles back to back.

On the one eTalenter template that carries it, a British music, speech and drama eisteddfod for children and young people, entry is by age ceiling rather than by graded standard. The tiers on the template run from seven and under up through nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen and eighteen and under. It is an individual class open to boys and girls together, with no language attached, and the class title names no instrument beyond woodwind.

The time limit grows with age: 8 minutes for the two youngest tiers, then 9, 10, 12 and finally 15 minutes for eighteen and under. The limit covers the whole appearance, so a player combining a slow lyrical piece with a quick one has to leave room for the gap between them. A round is formal and quiet: the entrant is called, settles, plays, and receives a 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 differs from Woodwind Solo, which uses graded standards and shorter limits, and from Woodwind Concerto, a single open class for a concerto-length work. The event also asks that a piece used in a solo class is not repeated in the repertoire class, so entrants who enter both need two sets of music.

Where Woodwind Repertoire is run

Woodwind 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 wind players exist at other 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
• Two own-choice pieces make up the programme
• Entered by age ceiling, from seven and under to 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 15 at eighteen and under
• Marked out of 100; the source prints no judging criteria for the class, so none are assumed here
• A piece played in a solo class should not be repeated here

On eTalenter, Woodwind 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, Woodwind Repertoire is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 8–15 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Woodwind Repertoire

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

• Tone quality across both pieces: a centred, even sound that holds up from the lowest to the highest notes of the instrument
• Intonation and pitch control: staying in tune within each piece and after the pause between them, not drifting as the lips and breath tire
• Contrast between the two pieces: each given its own character, so the programme sounds chosen rather than two tracks played in sequence
• Technical security: clean fingering and tonguing in the fast passages, with the tempo set where the player stays in control
• Phrasing and breath planning: lines that reach their end, with breaths placed to serve the music rather than interrupt it
• Presentation and time discipline: a composed entrance, a calm settling before each piece and an appearance that ends inside the limit for the age tier

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

How to prepare for Woodwind Repertoire

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

• Pick two pieces that differ clearly in speed and mood, for example one lyrical and one lively, and check the total playing time fits the limit for your tier
• Make sure neither piece is one you are also entering in a solo class, since the event asks for different music
• Run the programme through in order at least twice a week before the day, including the short gap between pieces, so stamina is not a surprise
• Practise the hardest bars slowly with a metronome, then raise the speed in small steps until the performance tempo is comfortable
• Book accompanist rehearsals as soon as the notes are secure and give the accompanist a clear, page-turn-friendly copy of each piano part
• Pack spare reeds, a swab, cork grease and a pencil, and warm up away from the hall so you arrive with a settled embouchure
• Perform the programme standing for family or friends and note where intonation or concentration slipped

Frequently asked questions

Is Woodwind 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 Woodwind Repertoire the same as Woodwind Solo?

No. Woodwind Solo is a graded class with shorter time limits. Woodwind Repertoire is entered by age ceiling and is judged on a programme of two own-choice pieces in a single appearance.

How long is a Woodwind Repertoire performance?

It depends on the age tier on this template: 8 minutes at seven and nine and under, 9 at eleven, 10 at thirteen, 12 at fifteen and 15 at eighteen and under. The limit covers the whole appearance.

Which woodwind instrument can I play?

The class title says only woodwind, so flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and saxophone are the usual entries. Check your organiser if you play recorder or another instrument.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

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

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