Application Guidelines

Applications open November 4, 2024 and close January 31, 2025.

Deadline for submitting an application and a non-refundable entry of $130 payable or fee waiver application online is Friday, January 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Applications must be submitted online here on Submittable, along with the $130 fee at the time of submission.

Fee Waivers

A limited number of fee waivers are available for applicants whose adjusted household gross income is $60,000 or below. While we do consider extenuating circumstances such as cost of living, medical expenses, dependents, etc., we do not encourage applicants with an annual household Adjusted Gross Income of over $100,000 to apply.

Fee waivers are limited and will be reviewed first-come, first-serve, so please apply early to allow us time to review your application. In the event that you do not qualify for a fee waiver, you must pay the $130 fee before January 31, 2025 at 11:59pm EST to have your application considered.

Application requirements

A high-quality AUDIO recording of three contrasting selections of approximately 30 minutes total in ONE file. Have clock timings for each selection ready, which you will input into your application: once you upload your recording, a form for timings will appear. Please read complete guidelines below.

A photocopy of proof of age (scan of valid driver’s license, passport, or birth certificate)

$130 application fee at time of application online by credit card OR materials submitted for fee waiver consideration on the application.

Recording requirements

Your recording must have 3 separate works recorded within the last 12 months, represented in ONE audio file. Please ensure the file name of your audio file contains no identifying information (name, etc.) and order your works as following:

TRACK 1: Unaccompanied Bach (at least 5 minutes). Choose ONE or more complete movements of unaccompanied Bach appropriate to your instrument. Violists are welcome to choose from either the cello Suites or the violin Sonatas and Partitas. If you wish, you may submit movements from more than one work; be sure that this is clear when you submit the recording.

TRACK 2: Concerto ONE substantial movement of any Classical, Romantic, or major 20th-21st century concerto for your instrument with piano accompaniment only. Submissions of concertos with orchestral accompaniment will be disqualified.

TRACK 3: 20th-21st Century selection (approximately 10 minutes). This requirement is intended to demonstrate to the Jury how you handle the challenges presented by music of your own time, in a modern compositional language. Compositions by Debussy, Ravel, Ysaÿe, and Kreisler are specifically excluded and may not be used to fulfill this requirement. Additionally, works such as Franz Waxman’s Carmen Fantasie and the Sibelius Violin Concerto, while technically written after the beginning of the 20th century, do not meet the spirit of this requirement and are not acceptable.

Do not include:

Works that do not fulfill one of the 3 specified requirements (e.g. encore pieces, sonata movements unless in fulfillment of the 20th-21st century requirement). The jury will not listen.

Biographies, letters of recommendation, performance reviews, or photos.

Any identification (name, etc) in your uploaded audio file names. Contestants must remain anonymous to the jury during the review process: please review our judging procedures to learn more.

Repertoire requirements

Below are sample lists of works that satisfy the Concerto and/or 20th/21st Century works requirements. These are by no means exhaustive lists; they are simply those works that have been submitted in past review rounds or performed at past Competitions. Remember that for works that can satisfy both requirements, you may only use them to satisfy ONE requirement on your submission. If you have questions about acceptable repertoire, please email info(at)californiamusiccenter.org.