2017 Application Guidelines Deadline: August 2, 2017 General Information Each year since 1959, the Arts Commission has produced a free Holiday Celebration on December 24 on behalf of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Community and professional choirs, music ensembles, and dance companies representing the diverse cultures and holiday traditions of LA County perform in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center while the program is broadcast live on local public television. Thousands attend the program each year and about a half million Southern Californian households tune into the live broadcast. This year the 58th Annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration will be held Sunday, December 24, 2017 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The program will be televised live on local public television. Both the event and parking are free to the public. Eligibility and Selection Criteria Los Angeles County-based professional and community choirs, music ensembles and dance companies are eligible to perform on the program. Organizations are selected based on the following criteria: Artistic excellence within discipline/age category. Suitability of performance material to a multi-cultural, multi-denominational holiday themed program. The Holiday Celebration represents the many communities of Los Angeles County by presenting diverse cultural traditions and themes. (Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, New Year s, peace, joy, unity, hope, renewal, etc.). Suitability of performance for the 2,800 seat Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and technical capability of the production. Ability to meet all deadlines and to work cooperatively with other organizations and production staff. Groups are generally assigned performance times ranging from three to six minutes (this is a long time on television). If chosen to participate, all groups are required to attend a one-hour rehearsal on Saturday, December 2, 2017. Groups with complex sound set-ups also participate in a sound check the day before or morning of the show. Dance companies will be required to have a mandatory spacing rehearsal two evenings before the performance. A note to educators and other performing groups with annual auditions: we encourage applications even if the total number of members is in flux or repertoire hasn t been selected at the time of applying. If approved for the program, repertoire will be set in September. Application Guidelines page 1 of 6
Performance Fees Participating organizations receive honorariums based on the scope and length of programming. In general, fees will be in the following ranges: Choirs - $500 to $1000 Dance companies $750 to $2,500 Music Groups Honoraria ranges based on group size, youth/professional, and union/non-union status. Applicants with musician union members in their group may be required to contract with the Local 47 Musicians Union office to disperse artist payments and are required to collect and submit copies of current union cards for all local 47 members who will perform as part of the required support material for this application. As this is a limited budget production, the Arts Commission approves a limited number of union affiliated performers. Non-union dance and choral music accompanists that have been approved will be factored in to supplement the group honorarium - $100 to $500 (e.g. choir honorarium is $500 plus piano accompanist at $100 = total group honorarium of $600). 4-A (AFTRA, SAG, AEA, AGVA) choral/dance members that have been approved are paid 80% of the AFTRA scale rate under an agreement with the union. As this is a limited budget production, the Arts Commission approves a limited number of 4-A affiliated members for this program. Application Each organization must submit a complete application to be considered for the 2017 Holiday Celebration. To access the Holiday Celebration application, please visit http://lacounty.culturegrants.org. You will be directed to the Arts Commission Culture Grants homepage where you will be required to register and login. Opening an Application 1. On the Arts Commission grants homepage click on Sign Up. 2. On the registration page provide contact information for yourself or organization. You will be asked to provide a username and password. Your password must have one uppercase letter, one lower case letter, one number and a special character within the password. Remember to write down your username and password as you will not receive an email confirmation. Click on Submit. 3. Click Yes on the Terms and Conditions agreement and then Submit. 4. You will then be directed to the My Forms page. On the My Forms page, you will see the following folders: All Available Programs and My Grants. The All Available Programs folder contains open applications for all Arts Commission programs. The My Grants folder contains the application(s) you are working on or have submitted. Click on All Available Programs to access the application. Application Guidelines page 2 of 5
5. On the All Available Programs page locate the application on the list and click on the green arrow under Actions. 6. You will then be directed to the Holiday Celebration application. IMPORTANT: once you begin the application, please remember to hit Save or Save & Continue before proceeding to the next page or closing your application. If you advance or close the application without saving you may lose any information entered during the session. Frequently Asked Questions The following addresses commonly asked questions to assist you, as you complete your application. County Supervisorial District Information If you are unaware of which Supervisorial district your organization s office is located, visit: http://rrcc.lacounty.gov/onlinedistrictmapapp/. If you enter the address in the format required, your district should be listed. If you are unable to access the website, call (323) 856-5793. Addresses should not be a P.O. Box as we are unable to verify the district of a group without a street address. We also ask that you estimate the district in which the majority of your members reside and the district in which your organization most often performs. If your group performs in more than one district of Los Angeles County, check mark each district in the application. Visit the link below for a County district map: http://ceo.lacounty.gov/forms/lacmap.pdf. Proposed number of performers Choral and dance groups proposing live musical accompaniment should enter the number of musicians in the Choral/Dance Music Accompanists field (not the Music Ensemble field). Union Membership Choral and dance groups should include the anticipated number of union members in their group (ex. Local 47 Musicians Union, SAG/AFTRA) as this may affect the amount of the honorarium. Instrumentation This section is for all groups proposing live music. Please be specific about the type of instrument (e.g. piano vs. keyboards, electric bass vs. string bass) and note when an amplifier is used. Specify percussive instruments, i.e. cajón, congas, cow bell, etc. Choral groups: Choral groups perform on risers in the house of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with musicians to the side. The following instruments are preset in the House left area for choral accompanists: a standard drum kit (kick drum, snare, hi-hat, toms, etc.), piano, keyboards, and a bass amp and guitar amp. Space for additional instruments is limited. Dance and music groups: In all other cases, musicians perform on the stage. A grand piano will be provided for main stage musicians if needed. Musicians will be required to provide all other instruments. Application Guidelines page 3 of 5
Proposed Performance Information When describing your proposed program, use as much detail as possible: propose specific repertoire, give titles, describe the theme/historical context (when applicable), offer general costume description, etc. Also, be sure to list any special technical requirements for your proposed performance. Some technical limitations to consider are: Choral groups cannot use prerecorded music (this is a technical limitation due to placement in choral risers). Dance groups may use pre-recorded music for onstage performances. The wood stage is covered with a marlite floor. This floor has worked for all dance companies programmed in the past, including ballet. Group leader biography and group biography Write these sections in journalistic style, focusing on facts and maintaining a neutral tone. Avoid using quality statements (e.g. unique, exciting, dynamic, etc.). Condense the information to succinct sentences, and include what cultural tradition(s) your group represents. This information will be edited for use in promotional material for the show. Rehearsal/Performance Schedule Select a preferred time frame for the mandatory rehearsal held Saturday, December 3, 2016. Staff will make an effort to accommodate your request, but please keep the date open. Also, list your group s upcoming performances for possible site visits by Arts Commission staff. Music Center Plaza consideration The Arts Commission frequently engages groups to perform on the Music Center Plaza before the start of the staged show. Indicate if you are interested in this opportunity if not selected as a main stage performer. Please note that there is no power (generator, power cords, outlets, etc.) available on the Music Center Plaza so performances are acoustic only. Required Support Material All applicants are required to submit supporting documentation with their application. Supporting material must be digitally uploaded. Hard copies of documents/photos, CDs or DVDs will not be accepted [applicants with YouTube or Vimeo links may submit hyperlinks on a PDF or Word document]. Please provide a title and brief description for each link provided. Performance Sample All applicants (whether new or returning) must submit digital work samples to be considered for the program. Wherever possible, your sample should reflect your proposed performance for the Holiday Celebration. You will describe the sample in your application; please also label the sample with the name of the applicant organization, titles, lengths of sample pieces in sequential order, and identity of soloist(s). All artistic documentation should be of the highest quality possible. Music and Choral Groups: Submit at least three full length songs. Audio and/or video recordings should be recent, of high quality and pertain as much as possible to your Application Guidelines page 4 of 5
proposed performance. Whenever possible, submit the songs that your group proposes in the application. Choral Groups: If proposing live musical accompaniment, provide at least one sample that represents musical quality. Dance Companies: Whenever possible, show the material and performers proposed in the application, or submit a sample performance or rehearsal footage that shows the proposed spirit of the piece. Do not submit montages of performance excerpts. If proposing live musical accompaniment, provide at least one sample that represents musical quality. Samples should be no longer than six minutes in length. Local 47 Membership verification Any groups proposing approval of union musician participation in a performance must upload copies of current/active union cards for all proposed union musicians as part of support material. Photos High resolution digital images (at least 300 dpi) are the preferred format for photo submissions, in either.jpeg or.tif files. Photo images should be high quality and print-ready in order to be considered for possible publication. Printed images, still images from videos, and snapshots will not be considered for publication. Notification All applicant organizations will be notified of the status of their application via email in 6-8 weeks from the application deadline. Approved applicants will submit a follow-up Artist Production Form that will be due approximately two weeks after notification. Organizations will provide more detailed information at that time, including specific repertoire, composer/publisher and costume information, lyric sheets, stage diagrams, soloist names and approved union artist contact information. Questions? Please contact staff at (323) 856-5793 or publicevents@arts.lacounty.gov. Application Checklist The following materials should be submitted online along with your application. Performance samples (digital audio and/or video files, as appropriate) Photos:.JPEG or.tif digital images (300 dpi minimum resolution) If applicable: copies of current Local 47/4-A membership cards ALL materials must be submitted online by Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 5:00PM. If you have any questions, please call (323) 856-5793 or email publicevents@arts.lacounty.gov Application Guidelines page 5 of 5