<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;font-size:10pt"><DIV>Wish it didn't conflict w/ our Yule.... sigh.</DIV>
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<DIV>Shanahan<BR></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>----- Forwarded Message ----<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Catrin ferch Maelgwn <ladycatrin@gmail.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Ansteorran Bardic list <bards@lists.ansteorra.org>; "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra@lists.ansteorra.org><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Sun, November 8, 2009 6:26:33 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Ansteorra] Kingdom Eisteddfod<BR></FONT><BR>Unto the good and noble denizens of Ansteorra does Catrin ferch<BR>Maelgwn, Bard of Ansteorra, send greetings.<BR><BR>The time for the passing of the cloak is close at hand. I have<BR>learned that the Eisteddfod has been awarded to the Barony of<BR>Stargate, and will take place at their Yule celebration on Saturday,<BR>December 5th.<BR><BR>All who wish
to vie for the privilege of serving as Kingdom Bard are<BR>invited to compete, and all who wish to hear some of the finest<BR>performers in the Known World at their best are encouraged to attend.<BR>The competition will consist of three rounds; specific requirements<BR>are outlined below.<BR><BR>In addition to the criteria below, please be aware that, in order to<BR>win, at least *one* of your pieces must be a period or period-style<BR>piece, accompanied by documentation. In which round you choose to<BR>fulfill this requirement is up to you, but please have your<BR>documentation ready and let me know at the time of your performance.<BR>If you need assistance with documentation, there are some very helpful<BR>articles here: http://laurel.ansteorra.org/ under the heading<BR>"writing documentation." If you have any questions, do not hesitate<BR>to contact me.<BR><BR>Onward!<BR><BR>***Round 1 - Bardic Olympics***<BR><BR>Choose ONE of the
following scenarios, and respond in the form of your<BR>first entry.<BR><BR>1. The battle has raged for days. Ansteorra's warriors, badly<BR>outnumbered, continue to fight valiantly in spite of their injuries,<BR>hunger, and exhaustion. On the eve of a clash that will decide the<BR>kingdom's fate, your King looks to you to bolster the hearts of his<BR>men.<BR><BR>2. The Queen has asked you to entertain at an afternoon tea for<BR>visiting Ladies of the Rose. Her Majesty has a wicked sense of humor,<BR>but some of her royal cousins possess decidedly more delicate<BR>sensibilities. Your duty is to delight your monarch without offending<BR>her guests.<BR><BR>3. You have been commissioned--or, perhaps, inspired--to pen a paean<BR>of love to a subject of adoration. Unfortunately, you have<BR>subsequently been thrust into a world in which the words "love" and<BR>"adore" do not exist. The words "pine,"
"admire," "yearn," and "long<BR>for" are likewise strangely absent from the dictionary. You get the<BR>picture. Still, it is absolutely imperative that the pined-for<BR>individual be made aware of your (or your patron's) feelings.<BR><BR>4. You are invited to share your craft at a local demo for the<BR>public. You may have heard it said that modern ears "can't<BR>appreciate" period music, or that our attention spans can't hold up to<BR>to period storytelling. We know that's rubbish, don't we? Perform a<BR>piece that will teach your listeners just how enjoyable "period" can<BR>be.<BR><BR>5. You have somehow found yourself charged with the care of a gaggle<BR>of small children. One is trying to pick a fight with his sister.<BR>Another is experiencing mommy separation anxiety. A third is an<BR>absolute font of questions for which you have no conceivable answer.<BR>When you ask if they would like to hear
a story, they fall silent,<BR>wide-eyed, and nod. This is your opening. You must not hesitate.<BR><BR>***Round 2 - Personal Challenge***<BR><BR>Try Something New.<BR><BR>I had originally planned to call this "stepping outside your comfort<BR>zone," but I want people to feel confident, not uncomfortable, while<BR>performing. I AM asking, though, that you Try Something New. This is<BR>left to the individual judgment of each performer, of course, but at<BR>the very least I ask that you choose a piece with which you have NEVER<BR>competed before.<BR><BR>Beyond that, it's up to you. Perhaps you are a singer and would like<BR>to try a spoken piece. Perhaps you've always wanted to write original<BR>material and haven't yet taken the plunge. Perhaps you're known for<BR>your dirges, and would like to try to make us laugh. If nothing else,<BR>this would be a great time to try out a period piece if you don't
have<BR>many in your repertoire. Again, I don't want you to stress yourself<BR>out trying to do something you're reaaally not comfortable with--but I<BR>would like to see people stretching their bardic muscles. When you<BR>are Premier Bard, you may be asked to try a lot of things you've never<BR>done before, and it's important that you be able to do so with<BR>confidence. This is good practice!<BR><BR>***Round 3 - Victory Lap (almost)***<BR><BR>You've made it this far. You're in the finals. You few, you happy<BR>few, you--well, you get it. Pull out all the stops. Choose a piece<BR>that lets you shine!<BR><BR>***<BR><BR>And that's it. I would love to hear from those of you who are<BR>planning to compete, to give me an idea of what to expect and also<BR>because it's even more exciting that way. If you are on the fence<BR>about competing, I hope you'll decide to go for it! This is an event<BR>that
never fails to delight because you really get see your fellow<BR>performers excel, even as they support and encourage each other<BR>throughout a very big day.<BR><BR>Any questions? Anything I missed? Let me know! And feel free to<BR>forward this to anyone you think might be interested.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR>Lady Catrin ferch Maelgwn<BR>Premier Bard of Ansteorra<BR>(for a little while longer. :))<BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Ansteorra mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:Ansteorra@lists.ansteorra.org" ymailto="mailto:Ansteorra@lists.ansteorra.org">Ansteorra@lists.ansteorra.org</A><BR>In order to make changes and manage your account please go to:<BR>http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/ansteorra-ansteorra.org<BR></DIV></DIV><!-- cg2.c201.mail.mud.yahoo.com compressed/chunked Fri Oct 30 21:53:13 PDT 2009 --></div><br>
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