Application Guidelines
The Klein Competition is open to violinists, violists, cellists and bassists aged 15-23 at the time of the competition on June 6-7, 2026. All prizes are intended for instrumental studies; therefore persons under professional management are not eligible.
Applications for the 2026 competition open November 3, 2025 and close January 30, 2026.
Deadline for submitting an application and a non-refundable entry of $130 payable online is Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Fee Waivers
We anticipate offering the fee waiver program again for the 2026 cycle. Please check back for more details soon.
Application requirements
A high-quality AUDIO recording of three contrasting selections 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 on the application.
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.
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.
Please note that submitted recordings which do not meet these time requirements will still be considered by the jury, although the jury will take the shortness of recording under consideration.
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: ONE substantial movement of any Classical, Romantic, or major 20th-21st century concerto for your instrument with piano accompaniment only (10-15 minutes). Submissions of concertos with orchestral accompaniment will be disqualified. Please note that if the movement you have chosen to submit is extremely short, you are welcome to submit an additional movement(s) from the concerto in order to substantially show your playing (i.e. for the Elgar Cello Concerto, you may submit the first and second movements together).
TRACK 3: 20th-21st Century selection (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.
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.