Young banjo players in Virginia are invited to submit entries for the inaugural edition of The Scott Street Five String Finals, a competition created in honor of the late Scott Street, a distinguished Virginia attorney and banjo loyalist who died from a rare cancer in February of this year.
The contest is sponsored by the Virginia Folklife Program, who host the Virginia Folklife Stage at the annual Richmond Folk Festival, and JAMinc, an organization that promotes music education in schools, of which Scott was a board member. In addition to his prominence in Virginia law, Street was a noted humanitarian and philanthropist, always at the ready to assist those in need, most particularly in the bluegrass and banjo families.
Contestants selected for the finals will compete on stage at the Richmond Folk Festival in October, with the winner receiving a new Huber Workhorse banjo, personal mentoring from Sammy Shelor, a Huber endorser and great friend of Scott Street, and one of the judges for this competition.
Entries are limited to Virginia residents aged 18 or under as of October 11, 2015. Those eligible are asked to complete the entry form, and submit a video of themselves performing on the banjo. Four finalists will be chosen from these submissions, and invited to compete on Sunday, October 11 in Richmond.
The deadline for entries is 5:00 p.m. on September 25. Finalists will be selected and notified by October 2.
This is a great opportunity for young Virginia banjo pickers, and something that Scott would have supported wholeheartedly.
Full contest rules can be found online.
