Woodwind Duet Competition: What It Is, Where It's Run and How It's Judged

Two woodwind players, such as two flutes or a clarinet and an oboe, perform one piece together and are judged as a pair on tuning, balance and shared phrasing.

A woodwind duet class puts two players of wind instruments on the stage together. Typical pairings are two flutes, two clarinets, flute and clarinet, oboe and clarinet or two saxophones, and the music is written as a true duet in which each part carries real material. The adjudicator wants to hear one piece shaped by two musicians, not two soloists who happen to start together.

A round is short. The pair walks on, checks their tuning against each other, and plays the piece, from the music or from memory depending on the event rules. Wind instruments are tuned by breath and embouchure, so pitch drifts as the players warm up, and the adjudicator listens first for how well the two instruments agree on pitch, especially in long notes and at the ends of phrases. Matching articulation, shared breathing and clean entries after rests come next.

On paper an entry is one duet that fits the time limit for the age band. Good choices let both players lead in turn, and suit the weaker player technically. Many entrants are two pupils of the same teacher, friends from a school band or siblings, and organisers like the class because it teaches listening in a way a solo class cannot.

On the British eisteddfod template listed here Woodwind Duet is a team entry, open to boys and girls together, in six age bands from 7 and under to 18 and under. The limit is 4 minutes for the three youngest bands, 5 minutes for 13 and under and 15 and under, and 6 minutes for 18 and under, each marked out of 100. An Australian eisteddfod template carries the same class in four age bands (6 to 9, 10 to 13, 14 to 18 and Open), also marked out of 100, with no time limit printed on the template.

Where Woodwind Duet is run

Woodwind Duet appears on two eTalenter templates: a British music, speech and drama eisteddfod and an Australian cultural festival eisteddfod, in both cases in the instrumental section beside the solo woodwind classes. Duet classes for wind instruments are common at competitive music festivals, but this page records only the templates listed here.

• United Kingdom
• Australia

Key facts

• Team entry of two players, open to boys and girls together
• British template: six age bands from 7 and under to 18 and under
• British time limits are 4 minutes for the three youngest bands, 5 for 13 and under and 15 and under, and 6 for 18 and under
• Australian template: four bands (6-9, 10-13, 14-18 and Open) with no time limit printed
• Marked out of 100 on both templates; neither prints separate criteria

On eTalenter, Woodwind Duet is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 2 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Woodwind Duet is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 4–6 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Woodwind Duet

What a Woodwind Duet panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Intonation between the two instruments: unisons, thirds and sixths are tuned to each other, not only to a tuner
• Balance: neither part covers the other, and the lead passes cleanly between the players
• Togetherness: breaths, entries after rests and cut-offs of long notes are shared and exact
• Tone and articulation: matching tonguing and note length make two different instruments sound like one idea
• Phrasing and dynamics: the shape of each line is agreed in rehearsal
• Technical security and stagecraft: the piece suits both players, and walking on, tuning and leaving are calm and tidy

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Woodwind Duet under Scoring Setup, or start from how judge scoring and tabulation works in eTalenter.

How to prepare for Woodwind Duet

How entrants and their teachers usually get Woodwind Duet right on the day:

• Choose a duet that gives both players interesting music and suits the weaker player technically
• Practise each part alone with a metronome, then slowly together, so rehearsal time goes on listening
• Warm up together before the class, because wind pitch rises as the instruments warm and the pair must rise together
• Agree who gives the entry nod, where the breaths fall and how to signal a slowing down or a final chord
• Mark breaths and articulation in both parts so phrases match, especially at cadences
• Record a rehearsal and listen for balance, since players rarely hear which part is too loud
• Time the piece against the limit for your age band and cut repeats if it runs over

Frequently asked questions

Is Woodwind Duet judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What is a woodwind duet class in a music festival?

It is a class where two players of wind instruments such as flute, clarinet, oboe or saxophone perform one piece together and are judged as a pair on tuning, balance and shared phrasing as well as individual technique.

How long is a woodwind duet in competition?

It depends on the event. On the British eisteddfod template listed here the limit is 4 minutes for the three youngest age bands, 5 minutes for 13 and under and 15 and under, and 6 minutes for 18 and under.

Can two different woodwind instruments enter together?

Many festivals allow any pairing of woodwind instruments, such as flute and clarinet, but check your own syllabus because rules differ by event.

Is a woodwind duet judged individually or as a team?

It is a team entry. The pair receives one mark, so both players need to be balanced and together.

Want the full judging picture? Read how judge scoring and tabulation works in eTalenter, or browse every music competition item.

Try Woodwind Duet in eTalenter

See every ready-made template that runs Woodwind Duet, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.

See where Woodwind Duet is used