1st Annual Old Time Fiddle Contest

Saturday, August 2 | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Steinbaugh Pavilion
824 Front Street

This summer, the City of Louisville will be hosting our first Old Time Fiddle Contest in the downtown Steinbaugh Pavilion. We invite all local and regional fiddle players to sign up and participate in this free contest for a chance to win some exciting prizes and, even more importantly, the right to call themselves the best fiddle player in Louisville!

Please see the full details for the contest below. We hope this is the beginning to a vibrant new tradition for Louisville!

How to Enter

The contest is free to enter by completing this sign-up sheet. The deadline to sign up is midnight on July 30, 2025.

An email to all contestants will be sent out a week before the contest to confirm registration and contact information. 

The contestant order will be posted on the morning of the event during check in.

Prizes

1st Place: Antique violin from Louisville's very own Scherer Violin Shop

2nd Place: $250 cash
 
3rd Place: Assortment of Louisville gift cards valued at $100

Run of Events

8 - 8:45 AM: Contestant check in

9:00 AM: Preliminary round begins

11:30 AM: Finalists are announced and finalist round begins

12:30 PM: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are announced

Rules and Scoring

TUNE SELECTION

• Contestants play 3 tunes in the preliminary round. Finalists play 3 tunes in the final round.
• Each tune must not exceed 4 minutes, for a total performance length of 12 minutes. Judges will mark you down if stage time significantly exceeds the time limit.
• Tunes must include: 1 breakdown, 1 waltz, and 1 tune of the contestant's choice.
• Old time ONLY - contestants that deliberately play tunes that are not classified as old time or "mountain music" in the opinion of the judges will be disqualified. This means NO bluegrass, Texas swing, or trick fiddling
• Tune selection should be in the public domain or composed by the contestant.
• Each song must be a unique song, a medley of songs is not considered a single song.
• Repeats of songs played in the preliminary round are not allowed in the final round.

GENERAL RULES & PROCEDURES

• On the day of the contest, contestants must check in with City staff at the Steinbaugh Pavilion a minimum of 30 minutes before the contest is scheduled to begin.
• Contestants may retune their instruments between songs, however time spent tuning will be counted towards total stage time.
• One backup rhythm musician is allowed for accompaniment.
• Contestants may play instruments acoustically into a microphone. Contestants and backup musicians will play on separate microphones.
• Contestants may sit in the provided chair or stand.
• The contest is judged "in the blind" and therefore judges will not be in the audience but will be listening in a remote location.
• Contestants are not allowed to speak on stage.
• The contest emcee will announce each contestant by their number and the contestant must be ready to get on stage once their number is called. If not present, contestant will be disqualified.
• Score sheets will not be shared with contestants.  

SCORING

• 50% Overall Ability (Includes difficulty, expression, material selection, taste, execution)
• 25% Rhythm
• 25% Tone

Questions?

Please reach out to our Arts & Events Program Manager, Iris Belensky, at Ibelensky@louisvilleco.gov or at 303-335-4581.

Thank you to Scherer Violin Shop or their sponsorship and support of this event!

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