Stewart Werner and Claire Childress at the 2019 Scott Street 5 String Finals – photo by Skip Rowland Photography
This past weekend in Richmond, VA, the championship round was held in the 2019 Scott Street 5 String Finals, to find the best 18 and under banjo picker in the state. The competition is hosted each year during the Richmond Folk Festival in honor of the late Scott Street, a popular banjo player, attorney, and philanthropist who passed away in 2015.
In the opening round, young pickers submit videos to be considered for the finals, and the top three in each of two divisions, bluegrass and clawhammer, are invited to Richmond for the finals. There they perform before the judges, who rank them in 1, 2, 3 order.
When the dust had cleared on Saturday, the winners were…
Bluegrass division:
Stewart Werner, 16 – Rocky Mount, VA
Taylor Parks, 15 – Bloxom, VA
Jacob Moretz, 14 – Boone, NC
Clawhammer division:
Claire Childress, 16 – Big Stone Gap, VA
Hannah Cantrell, 15 – Floyd, VA
Nicholas Wingo, 16 – Rural Retreat, VA
As the division winners, Claire and Stewart each received a handsome crystal trophy, a demo recording session at In Your Ear Studios in Richmond, and a $1,000 cash prize. Runners up received $600 with $400 for third place.
Judges for 2019 were Malcolm Pulley, Sammy Shelor, Riley Baugus, and Brett Martin.
Congratulations to Stewart and Claire!
If you are a young banjoist within an easy drive to Richmond who might like to enter, information about the 2020 competition will be posted soon online.
JAMinc has announced the six finalists for the Scott Street Five String Finals, an invitational banjo competition held in conjunction with the Richmond Folk Festival in Richmond, VA. It honors the memory of Scott Street, a prominent banjo player, attorney, and philanthropist from Richmond.
Finalists were selected from submissions received through the summer, and will each perform for the judges next Saturday (10/12) on the festival stage. We understand that the competition was tough this year, with the judges expressing disappointment that they could only choose three each in each division.
The Five String Finals are only open to banjo players 18 and under. First place winners receive a $1000 cash prize and a handsome crystal trophy, plus a demo recording session at In Your Ear Studios in Richmond. The first runner up gets a check for $600, and second runner up receives $400.
And the finalists are:
Bluegrass
Jacob Moretz, 14, Boone NC
Taylor Parks, 15, Bloxom VA
Stewart Werner, 16, Rocky Mount VA
Clawhammer
Hannah Cantrell, 15, Floyd VA
Claire Childress, 16, Big Stone Gap, VA
Nicholas Wingo, 16, Rural Retreat VA
The competition will be held at 4:30 p.m. on October 12. Judges include Sammy Shelor, Riley Baugus, Brett Martin and Malcolm Pulley.
Registrations are now open for the 2019 Scott Street Five String Finals, held each year as part of the Richmond Folk Festival in Richmond, VA. Designed to identify the best bluegrass and clawhammer banjo players 18 and under, the competition also honors the memory of Scott Street, a talented Virginia banjoist and philanthropist whose name is given to the contest.
So far, the Finals have proven adept in picking up-and-comers, with a 2017 winner, G Rockwell, also receiving a merit-based scholarship from the IBMA to attend Béla Fleck’s Blue Ridge Banjo Camp, and a 2018 winner, Austin Hefflefinger, just having joined Nu-Blu as a member of the band.
An invitational event, contestants are encouraged to send in a video of them playing to be considered, along with the official entry form which can be completed online. A parent or guardian must also consent, as all entrants will be minors.
Three finalists will be chosen in each category from among the registered competitors, and they will be invited to Richmond to perform before the judges on October 12, 2019. The bluegrass and clawhammer competitions are separate, with different judges. All registrations must be received by September 28.
Lead judges for this year will be Sammy Shelor for bluegrass and Riley Baugus for clawhammer.
First place in each category will receive a $1,000 cash prize, a fee demo recording from In Your Ear studio, and a handsome crystal trophy. First and second runners up get $600 and $400 respectively. These prizes are endowed by Scott Street’s estate.
Complete details and the entry form can be found online.
Jim Hurst (judge), Henry Coatney, Caleb Coatney, Austin Hefflefinger, Claire Childress, Steve Lewis (accompanist), Taylor Parks, Victor Furtado (judge), Jacob Moretz – photo by Dave Parrish Photography
This past weekend during the Richmond Folk Festival, the winners in the Scott Street Five String Finals were decided. This annual competition is held in honor of Street, a former board member of JAMInc, who died in 2015 from cancer. Known for his commitment to young people learning Appalachian string music, including his service with JAMInc, the contest is a fitting tribute to a great humanitarian as it seeks to find the top banjo players 18 years or younger.
The title of this competition is carefully worded to describe its function. Instead of an open match with multiple rounds to choose a champion, this contest chooses finalists through video submissions, and they duke it out on stage during the festival. Three finalists are chosen for both bluegrass and clawhammer banjo, with their placement determined by live performance.
The six finalists appeared on stage on Sunday in Richmond before a panel of judges consisting of Jim Hurst, James Bailey, Richard Ward, and Victor Furtado.
When the dust had cleared, the results for 2018 were:
Bluegrass
Austin Hefflefinger (age 13), Rimersburg, PA
Taylor Parks (age 14), Bloxom, VA
Jacob Moretz (age 13), Boone, NC
Clawhammer
Caleb Coatney (age 16), Boone, NC
Claire Childress (age 15), Big Stone Gap, VA
Henry Coatney (age 14), Boone, NC
The winner in each category receives a crystal trophy, plus a $1,000 cash prize and a free recording session.. The first runner up gets $600 and the second $400.
Nobody outdoes bluegrass and old time lovers when it comes to remembering those who have gone before us. Countless festivals and events carry the names of artists and entertainers we have lost, many of them launched specifically to keep the name of a cherished loved one alive after they have passed. Just in my neck of the woods are two such – the legendary MerleFest, started by Doc Watson to commemorate his son, Merle, and HoustonFest, started a few years ago to memorialize a picker, Houston Caldwell, who died tragically at a young age.
Another here in Virginia of a more recent vintage is The Scott Street Five String Finals, held in the memory of one of Richmond’s most civic-minded individuals. Scott Street was an attorney, a philanthropist, a kind and loving soul, and a dedicated follower of all things banjo. Even while losing his battle with cancer, Scott was the first one off the couch to help anyone who needed it, especially within the bluegrass and banjo community.
After his passing in 2015, several friends in Richmond came up with the idea of a banjo competition to keep Scott’s name in the conversation. It is held each year as a part of the Richmond Folk Festival, with generous prizes offered for pickers 18 and under in two banjo categories. A $1,000 prize is given to the winner in both a bluegrass and a clawhammer division, with $600 and $400 awards for 2nd and 3rd places.
To enter, you must submit a video of yourself playing on YouTube. A group of finalists will be chosen from the video submissions, and they will be invited to the festival on October 13 to compete in the finals live on stage. There is no fee to submit an entry.
Judges for this year include James Bailey, former banjo player with The Country Gentlemen, clawhammer virtuoso Victor Furtado, and Richard Ward, formerly with The Heights Of Grass.
Full details on the Scott Street Five String Finals can be found online.
Contest host Tim Timberlake with the winners of the 2017 Scott Street Five String Finals – photo by Samson Trinh
Saturday, October 14, was the date for the Scott Street Five String Finals, held as a part of the Richmond Folk Festival in Richmond, VA. The annual competition is held to honor of memory of Scott Street, a noted attorney in Richmond, who was also a banjo player and enthusiast, plus a strong supporter of youth in bluegrass.
The competition selects three finalists in both bluegrass and clawhammer banjo via video tape submissions, and they come to Richmond to go head-to-head live before a panel of judges. This year’s judges were classical banjoist John Bullard, clawhammer wizard Victor Furtado, and Steve Martin Prize winner Sammy Shelor.
When the scores were tallied up, G Rockwell from Bridgeport, CT had taken first in bluegrass and Christiana Joneikis from Shreve, OH came out on top in clawhammer. Rockell is 15 years of age and Joneikis 16. Well done, both of you!
A tip of the cap to the other finalists as well. Johnny White (15) from Glen Allen, VA was 2nd runner up in bluegrass, and Taylor Parks (13) from Bloxom, VA was 1st runner up. On the clawhammer side, 2nd runner up was Henry Coatney (13) from Boone, NC, and 1st runner up went to Alanna Brewer (17) from Mountain View AK.
The first place winners receive a handsome crystal trophy, plus a demo recording session at In Your Ear Studios in Richmond, and a $1000 cash prize. First runners up receive $600, with $400 for the 2nd runner up.
The competition is open each year to banjo players under the age of 18. Full details can be found online.
Fortunately, the weather cleared sufficiently on Saturday afternoon to hold the Scott Street Five Strings Finals in Richmond, VA during the Richmond Folk Festival. Three finalists had been chosen from video submissions in both bluegrass and clawhammer categories, who competed before judges including Josh Bearman, Sheila Kay Adams, and Richard Ward at the festival .
This new annual competition (in its second year) for banjo players under 18 serves as a tribute to Scott Street, whose generosity towards banjo players and bluegrass musicians in general was bound only by his lifespan, shortened by cancer. A highly successful attorney – he was a former President of the Virginia Bar Association – Scott was always ready to assist the musicians he cared about in any way he could, sharing his expertise and good fortune to help them stay on their feet. Scott was also active in JAM Inc, a Richmond organization that works to bring musical experiences to young people in the city schools.
And the 2016 winners are…
Bluegrass
Logan Redding, age 16- Pickens SC
Taylor Parks, age 12 – Parksley VA
Johnny White, age 14 – Richmond, VA
Clawhammer
Madison Shepherd, age 16 – West Jefferson NC
Uma Peters, age 9 – Nashville TN
Rachel Dunaway, age 17 – Richmond VA
Winners in each division received a handsome custom trophy, a demo recording session at In Your Ear Studios and a $1000 cash prize. Runners up got $600, and $400 went to third place contestants.
The finalists have been announced for this weekend’s Scott Street Five String Finals in Richmond, VA. This invitational event is being held for the second time this year to honor the finest young five string banjoists in the country, and the memory of Scott Street, who dedicated so much of his life to encouraging and advancing banjo playing among young people.
Three finalists have been invited in both bluegrass and clawhammer categories, based on YouTube submissions. They will perform for the judges on Saturday afternoon (10/8) with a trophy awarded to the winners, along with a $1,000 cash prize. Second place finishers will receive $600, and $400 for third.
And the finalists are…
Bluegrass
Taylor Parks, Parksley VA
Logan Redding, Pickens SC
Johnny White, Richmond VA
Clawhammer
Alanna Brewer, Mountain View AK
Uma Peters, Nashville TN
Madison Shepherd, West Jefferson NC
Best of luck to all the contestants, and let’s hope that Richmond is spared the effects of Hurricane Matthew so that the competition can go on as scheduled.
Entries are now being accepted for the 2nd annual Scott Street Five String Finals competition, to be held in Richmond, VA on October 8. Held in conjunction with the Richmond Folk Festival, the competition is hosted in honor of the late Scott Street, a prominent Richmond attorney who dedicated much of his life to playing the banjo and helping young people rise up in the music.
The aim of the contest is to name the best young banjo player in Virginia. It is limited to pickers 18 and under, as of October 8, 2016. Three finalists will be chosen based on the submission of preliminary YouTube videos, and the top three will be invited to the Richmond Folk Festival for the finals, which will be live on stage before an panel of banjo experts, led by Sonny Osborne.
And for 2016, the competition is expanded into two division, bluegrass and old time banjo. The first place winners in each will receive a Scott Street Five String Finals trophy identifying them as the top young banjo picker in the state, a demo recording session at In Your Ear Studio in Richmond, and a cash prize. Runner ups will also be awarded a cash prize and music merchandise.
Full details are spelled out on the official contest submission page online, which includes an entry form to be completed by any potential contestant and their parent or legal guardian. The submission form is quite brief, but must include the link to a YouTube video of the contestant playing a piece which can be considered for judging.
The submission deadline is September 30, and finalists in both bluegrass and old time banjo will be notified no later than October 2.
This annual competition serves as a perfect tribute to Scott Street, whose generosity towards banjo players and bluegrass musicians in general was bound only by his lifespan. A highly successful attorney – he was a former President of the Virginia Bar Association – he was always at the ready to assist the musicians he cared about in any way he could, sharing his expertise and good fortune to help them stay on their feet. Scott was also active in JAM Inc, a Richmond organization that works to bring musical experiences to young people in the city schools.
Cancer took Scott early in 2015, and the Scott Street Banjo Finals were launched in the summer of that year.
There is no entry fee, so banjo players, get those videos posted and submission in by September 30!
UPDATE 6:38 p.m.: The organizers of this event have asked that we also include the following…
The contest is not restricted to Virginia players…open to anyone willing to come to Richmond if they’re finalists. Sonny Osborne, IBMA Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry member leads our judging panel. Scott Street worked for years gathering material for a biography on Sonny but never finished. Bill Evans has agreed to pick up the project although we haven’t had any recent discussion with him on progress.
Winners in each division receive a handsome custom trophy, a demo recording session at In Your Ear Studios and a $1000 cash prize. Runners up get $600 with $400 awarded to third place contestants.
Virginia was a busy place for bluegrass pickers this past weekend. In addition to the Virginia Bluegrass Band Championship in Chesterfield, the first annual Scott Street Five String Finals were held during the Richmond Folk Festival.
This new competition is especially for younger banjo players, held in memory of Scott Street, prominent Virginia attorney and banjo player who passed away earlier this year. Scott had dedicated much of his time in life to ensuring that young bluegrass artists were supported in learning their craft, and funds have been raised to continue this contest in his name.
The Scott Street Five String Finals are limited to Virginia residents aged 18 and under. Finalists were chosen through pre-judging and invited to perform in the finals on Sunday in Richmond. Sitting in judgement were Lonesome River Band banjo man Sammy Shelor, classical banjo player John Bullard, and Malcolm Pulley with Commonwealth Bluegrass.
The winner chosen was Clay Russell of Troutdale, VA. He received a new Huber Workhorse banjo and a personal mentorship with Shelor. Other finalists were Trajan Wellington, T. J. Honaker, and Spencer Hatcher.
Russell performs with Close Kin, a youth bluegrass and old time group under the direction of Johnny Williams in southwestern Virginia.
