ELIGIBILITY

The competition is open to currently enrolled CSUF music majors. Non-music majors enrolled through Extended Education and students graduating in Fall 2024 are not eligible. Previous overall grand-prize winners and last year’s first-prize division winners are not eligible unless entering in a different category or division.

 

DATES & DEADLINES

Applications must be submitted online no later than 11:59 pm, PT, Friday, October 4th, 2024.  See application form link below.

 

Preliminary Rounds

Keyboard
     • Monday, October 21 (begins at 11:30am)
     • Chair:  Alison Edwards (aedwards@fullerton.edu)

Brass/Percussion
     • Monday, October 21 (begins at 1:00pm)
     • Chair: Sycil Mathai (smathai@fullerton.edu)

Woodwind
     • Tuesday, October 22 (begins at 11:30am)
     • Chair: Jean Ferrandis   (jferrandis@fullerton.edu)

Strings/Guitar
     • Wednesday, October 23 (begins at 11:30am)
     • Chair: Kimo Furumoto (kfurumoto@fullerton.edu)

Voice
     • Thursday, October 24 (begins at 12:30pm)
     • Chair: Kerry Jennings (kjennings@fullerton.edu)

Final Round

     • Friday, October 25 (10:00am-2:00pm)
     • Chair:  Bongshin Ko (bko@fullerton.edu)

 

REPERTOIRE

Instrumentalists: One movement of a standard concerto or a single-movement concerto work, originally written by the composer, for a solo instrument(s) with an orchestra or with a wind ensemble.

Vocalists: Two contrasting selections - opera arias or art songs - with orchestral or winds accompaniment.

Note: The submitted repertoire must be approved by Prof. Kimo Furumoto (orchestral) or Dr. Dustin Barr (wind ensemble) for the availability and suitability of the repertoire with the accompanying ensemble. Please check before you submit your application. 

 

 

REQUIREMENTS

All repertoire at both rounds must be performed from memory. 

Selections must be prepared in their entirety* for both preliminary and final rounds. 

The same work must be performed at both rounds from the repertoire submitted at the time of application. No change of repertoire will be allowed between rounds.

Accompaniment is required. Contestants may bring their own accompanists or contact directly the School of Music staff accompanists Mikhail Korzhev for instrumentalists and David Bergstedt and Mark Salters for vocalists.

The first-prize winner from all divisions must be available to perform at the Music Associates Luncheon/Winners Concert on April 25, 2025.

The overall grand-prize winner must also be available to perform with the University Symphony Orchestra on February 23, 2025 or with the University Wind Symphony on May 3, 2025.

* While contestants must prepare the entire repertoire, the individual performance will last no longer than 8 minutes at the preliminary round and 15 minutes at the final round. The judges may stop the performers and ask to continue from any part of the work. No cuts in the solo part are allowed, but cuts in lengthy tutti accompaniment parts are highly recommended.

 

DIVISIONS

You may enter only one of five Divisions

     • Keyboard Division
     • Brass/Percussion Division
     • Woodwind Division
     • Strings/Guitar Division
     • Voice Division

 

CATEGORIES

You may enter only one of three categories

     • Concerto for solo instrument
     • Concerto for multiple solo instruments*
     • Aria/Art Song with orchestral or wind ensemble accompaniment.

*For a concerto written for multiple solo instruments you may enter only one of five Divisions. For example, Beethoven Triple Concerto for piano, violin, and cello may choose to enter only Keyboard or Strings/Guitar Division. 

COMPETITION PROCEDURE

Preliminary Rounds

     • Keyboard Division  |  Division Chair: Alison Edwards
     • Brass/Percussion Division  |  Division Chair: Sycil Mathai
     • Woodwind Division  |  Division Chair: Jean Ferrandis
     • Strings/Guitar Division  |  Division Chair: Kimo Furumoto
     • Voice Division  |  Division Chair: Kerry Jennings

Preliminary rounds will be held separately by each Division.

The Division Chair will provide the schedule and repertoire of the preliminary round no later than one week prior to the preliminary round.

Each Division’s preliminary round judges – comprised of two musicians from outside the University – will select three finalists to compete in the final round.

Rankings and placement awards will not be given in the preliminary round.

Judges’ comments from the preliminary round will not be distributed, but they will be available upon the contestant’s request after the final round is complete.

Preliminary results and the three finalists will be announced after the judges finish deliberation on the same day. An announcement email will be sent to all division participants by the Division Chair.

The final round program and schedule will be available after the Voice Division’s finalists have been announced on Thursday. 

 

Final Round   

Finals Chair: Bongshin Ko

Three finalists from each division will compete in one collective final round. 

All prizes including each Division’s placement awards and the overall grand prize will be selected in the final round by and at the discretion of the final round judges. The final round judge panel is comprised of five musicians from outside the University, who are separate from the preliminary round judges.

The final round will be conducted in a recital-like setting, where instrumentalists perform in a more artistic and mixed program order.

Judges’ decisions are final. Comments from the final round will not be distributed, but they will be available upon the contestant’s request for one week after the performance. 

Results and winners will be announced after judges finish deliberation on the same day. An announcement email will be sent to all participants by the Finals Chair via the School of Music office.

PRIZES

( placed in the Final Round)

Overall Grand Prize: Performance with an applicable Major Performance Ensemble (University Symphony Orchestra or University Wind Symphony) as a featured soloist. No cash award.

Cash prizes awarded for each Division ($5,000 total):
     • First Prize $500
     • Second Prize $300
     • Third Prize $200