The competition to select the next Kingdom Bard will take place at the Kingdom Twelfth Night event on January 9, 2016. The letter below was published by our current Kingdom Bard, the Magnificent Lord Johann von Solothurn. Make note that anyone wishing to compete for the position of Kingdom Bard must submit a letter of intent to Lord Johann, and his deadline was published as December 18th.  If you are considering competing, have not yet submitted a letter of intent, and would like to have more time to consider taking on this significant position, please email Lord Johann to express your concern and he might extend the deadline.  (Keeping the bar as high as he and Lady Scholastica have raised it is a task worthy of some other magnificent performers in our Kingdom, and worth taking serious time to consider.)

Please read and make note of Lord Johann’s email address and directions below, and Bona Fortuna to any performers ready to step up and compete for this position!

Lady Sophia the Orange, Kingdom MOAS Deputy for Performing Arts

Letter text from Lord Johann von Solothurn:

Greetings!  I am Johann von Solothurn, currently serving as Royal Bard of fair Atlantia.  I wish you all a joyous and music-filled holiday season!  As I near the end of my tenure as Royal Bard, I will be attending Yule Toy Tourney and Twelfth Night, and hope to see many of you around bardic circles and entering the bardic competitions at those events.
 At Yule Toy Tourney, I will be hosting a bardic bear pit competition.  The cost of entry in the competition is one toy per entrant.  The toys collected at the event will be donated to Country Santa, a Program that collects toys for needy children across upstate South Carolina.  Bring your bardic weapons (songs, stories, poems) and prepare to have fun while you do battle with your fellow bards!  Bonus points will be awarded for period pieces and original compositions.  Time permitting, there will be three rounds of head to head bardic combat.  Don’t forget your bard book!  The bard with the most points (wins) will win the day – and the prize!
At Twelfth Night, a new Royal Bard will be chosen from among Atlantia’s many talented and skilled bards.  I hope many of you will choose to compete for the mantle of Royal Bard.
Their Royal Majesties are now accepting letters of intent from those who wish to enter the Royal Bard competition.  If you would accept the challenge and compete for the title of Royal Bard, please send your letter of intent to me at  RoyalBard@atlantia.sca.org  by December 18.
Per the Atlantian Great Book of Laws, the Royal Bard is chosen for excellence in the individual performance of any of the following fields:  singing, instrumental music, poetic rendition, or storytelling.  The Royal Bard is encouraged to be proficient in at least two of these fields.
Kingdom Royal Notables are expected to encourage the disciplines for which they are selected.  Suggested goals and duties for the Royal Bard include:  1) services to the Crown as Their bard, 2) sponsoring at least two bardic competitions during their tenure, including the Royal Bard competition to select a successor, 3) work with Branch Officers to encourage the growth of the bardic arts, 4) teaching in such venues as are available and reasonable.  The tenure of the Royal Bard is one year.
The Royal Bard competition will consist of a minimum of two rounds.  For the first round, bring a period piece (song, story, instrumental, or poem) with documentation.  For the second round, bring an original composition (SCA-themed or Period-themed) with documentation.  At Her Majesty’s whim, a third round may be required, and will be announced during the competition.
It has been an honor to serve the Kingdom as Royal Bard for the past year.  The position of Royal Bard has been a more gratifying role than I ever imagined it could be.  I cherish the new friends and memories made while promoting the bardic arts across Atlantia, and I look forward to seeing what our new Royal Bard will bring to the position.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions you  have concerning the position of Royal Bard.  I look forward to hearing my fellow bards compete at Twelfth Night!
Yours in Song and Service,
Lord Johann von Solothurn
Royal Bard of Atlantia

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