The open, stylised choir class of the folklore split, where a team sings with folk inspiration but free interpretation and is scored out of 10 across seven age divisions.
Choirs – Styled is the most open of the three choir classes in the folklore split. Where authentic keeps close to traditional repertoire and manner, and processed arranges tradition while staying tied to a source, styled lets a choir take folk inspiration and treat it freely: new harmonic language, contemporary vocal textures, movement or staging, or a folk theme reimagined in a modern idiom. The song is a starting point rather than a boundary.
On the template it is a team item in seven divisions: Mini Kids (4 to 6), Kids (7 to 9), Children (10 to 13), Junior (14 to 17), Adults (18 and over), Senior (50 and over) and a Mixed Age division across all ages. It is open to both genders, Polish is the language setting, each choir receives one score out of 10 as Marks, and results are ranked within each division. The template prints no time limit and no sub-criteria, so running time, number of songs, accompaniment and staging rules are for the organiser’s notice to set.
Because the interpretation is the point, a panel in this class is listening for a clear idea carried through: does the choir know what it is trying to say with the piece, and do the voices deliver it with control? A bold treatment that is out of tune or ragged scores below a modest one sung cleanly, so ambition has to be matched by security.
Organisers run a styled choirs class to give modern, experimental and crossover ensembles a place in a folklore programme, and to keep them from competing directly against choirs that sing tradition as received. Where styled ends and processed begins is a decision for the event notice, so a coordinator should state in plain words how far a piece may depart from its folk source.
Where Choirs – Styled is run
On eTalenter this item is used in one template, an international folklore dance and music festival template based in Krakow, Poland, which offers every discipline in authentic, processed and styled forms. Crossover and contemporary choral work built on folk themes is found at choral festivals in many countries, though organisers label such classes differently, so each event’s own notice has the final say.
- Poland (the festival the template is built from)
Key facts
- Team item on the template: each choir receives one ensemble score
- Seven divisions from Mini Kids (4-6) to Senior (50+), plus a Mixed Age division
- Open to both genders, scored out of 10 as Marks
- Language setting on the template is Polish
- No time limit is printed on the template, so the organiser’s notice sets the programme length
- Third of three choir classes: authentic, processed, then styled
On eTalenter, Choirs – Styled is filed under On Stage 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, Choirs – Styled is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 10.
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means. The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed. Others in this category: Dance, Music, Drama, Mimicry, Debate, Elocution, Story Telling, Group Song, Action Song eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead.How it is scored
Where it sits
Judging criteria installed for it
What judges look at in Choirs – Styled
What a Choirs – Styled panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Clarity of concept: a recognisable idea behind the interpretation, carried from first bar to last
- Vocal control under a free treatment: pitch and tuning that survive unusual harmonies or textures
- Ensemble unity: entries, cut-offs and dynamics that the whole choir shares
- Creative use of the folk source: inspiration that is audible without being copied note for note
- Stage presence: any movement or staging that supports the sound rather than distracting from it
- Overall impression: with one score out of 10 and no printed sub-criteria, the panel’s total reaction decides the result
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Choirs – Styled under Scoring Setup, or start from our judging and score tabulation guide.
How to prepare for Choirs – Styled
How entrants and their teachers usually get Choirs – Styled right on the day:
- Read the organiser’s notice for time limit, accompaniment, staging and any rule on how far the piece may depart from its source
- Decide the one-sentence idea of the piece first, then check every arrangement choice serves it
- Keep the vocal lines singable by the weakest section, since unusual textures expose weak tuning quickly
- Rehearse with the staging or movement from early on, so breath and pitch do not suffer when the choir moves
- Practise the first entry and the final chord until they are reliable, as they shape the panel’s first and last impression
- Keep a short note of the folk source and what the choir changed, in case the organiser asks for it at registration
- Check the age division before registering, as each is ranked separately
- After a loss, record a run-through and listen for where the concept blurred or a part slipped, and fix that before adding anything new
- Ideas, not rules: a folk tune sung over a hummed drone, a call-and-response piece split across two halves of the choir, a spoken-word opening that leads into a melody, or a body-percussion accompaniment under a familiar song
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Choirs – Styled judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What is the difference between Choirs – Styled and Choirs – Processed?
Processed stays tied to a traditional source through arrangement. Styled is the more open class, where folk material is a starting point for a freer interpretation. The template does not print the boundary, so check the event notice.
What is the difference between Choirs – Styled and Choirs – Authentic?
Authentic keeps to traditional repertoire and manner. Styled departs from it deliberately. The exact line is for the organiser to define in the notice.
Is Choirs – Styled judged individually or as a team?
On the template it is a team item, so the whole choir receives one score out of 10 as Marks.
Can a styled choir use movement or backing sound?
The template does not restrict it. Whether staging, movement or recorded accompaniment is allowed is for the organiser’s notice to state.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read our judging and score tabulation guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
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See every ready-made template that runs Choirs – Styled, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
