Annual Meeting Report
Membership
In the 2023-2024 year, we had 35 Senior Clubs with over 450 members, including 6 lifetime members and 333 Junior Clubs with 5,600 members. Wow! That is more than a 600 new member increase in our Junior Clubs from last year! Let’s keep adding members and sharing the joy of music!
Respectively Submitted,
Megan Palma
GFMC Membership Chair
Competitions and Awards
Starting in 2025, the application process will be conducted via an online system. You may check out the competition requirements and the revised application instructions at our website.
With growing number of competition contestants in all three Georgia Federation of Music Clubs competitions, an expanded winner awarding system was established for competitions in 2024.
47 contestants entered in these virtual competitions in 2024, submitting their performance video by May 1. The judges were Dr. Owen Lovell (piano), Mr. Todd Wedge (voice), and Dr. Eva Hsu (instrumental).
Respectively Submitted,
Margaret Liu
Competitions and Awards Chair
Festival
Currently, we have 5,507 students and 376 teachers participating in our Festival Program. The most popular events are Piano Solo, Piano Duet, Piano Trio, Piano Concerto, Vocal Solo – Art Song and Musical Theater, Violin Solo, Cello Solo, Woodwinds Solo, Guitar Solo, Composition and Theory.
All the students and teachers work very hard for their Gold Cups. This year, we were happy to present 4 Grand Cups, and 8 Students were winners in State and Regional Competitions covering all four levels of Jr. Composition.
Respectively Submitted,
Leslie Kennedy
Festival Chair
Jr. Division
South East Regional Meeting:
Georgia will be the host state in 2027 for the SE Regional NFMC Meeting and can choose the location for that year.
This meeting is held annually in July, usually the first weekend after the July 4 holiday. This meeting can be held in 1 of three locations:
Brevard Music Camp in Brevard, NC
Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC
Summer Music Festival in Sewanee, TN
These three locations are located in the SE Region and are financially supported by NFMC and the SE Region. This meeting was held in Brevard, NC, in July 2024 with South Carolina being the host state.
As hosts, we make all arrangements for the Friday evening banquet, and the Saturday luncheon in addition to arranging for concert tickets.
There are certain customs that the host state must follow including:
- A meet and greet on Friday before the dinner, with wine and appetizers.
- A program for each meeting
- Set prices for meals and concert tickets (so that the state can recoup expenses they incur in hosting the event)
- Collect all fees and bill payments
- Send out the event information
- Arrange for table decorations and favors for attendees
- A welcome basket for the honored guest.
The Greensboro, NC, location is pretty far from Georgia. Brevard and Sewanee, TN are similar distances. Brevard is quite expensive and there are some parking issues. Alabama will host the 2025 meeting in Sewanee.
I will attend the meeting in Sewanee in 2025 to get an idea of that location. There is a SE Region handbook that aids the host state. This project will require planning and coordination from GA members. I wanted you to be aware this is approaching!
Respectfully Submitted,
Nancy Eckert
Jr. Division Chair