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Learn the "nuts and bolts"about how the competition runs! YouTube Vimeo Facebook Watch our 2-minute video tutorials with explanations! Categories, Repertory, Signup, Auditions, Tech, Scheduling, Rounds, Ages Groups. What is Live Broadcast? How is this different from Zoom Meeting? And more.

FAQ What are the repertoire requirements? There's no specific requirement! We are a classical music competition so please choose repertoire accordingly, but we do not request specific pieces or time periods. Choose whatever represents your artistic merit best Do I have to play the same pieces in all rounds? There are no specific requirements for that. You can play the same pieces; or you can play completely different program; or you can play a combination of both. You decide everything about your repertory yourself. What makes this competition unlike any other? It's fully virtual with many innovative elements you can view above in the slides and boxes. Our Broadcasts are made using TV technology (NOT Zoom!) How do I know I'm good enough to compete? All levels are welcome to compete! With many categories to excel in and multiple age groups to win in, this competition provides one of the biggest lineups of winners and prizes out there. Check the 2020 Gallery. If you aren't sure - apply for non-competitive. You are still eligible to observe masterclasses for FREE Do I need a recording to enter? For Prelims you can choose to perform live or to submit a video (or a link to YouTube) ¿Cuáles son los requisitos del repertorio? ¡No hay ningún requisito específico! Somos un concurso de música clásica, así que elija el repertorio en consecuencia, pero no solicitamos piezas o períodos de tiempo específicos. Elija lo que represente mejor su mérito artístico How do I know my equipment is good enough to compete? Visit the Sign Up page and scroll down to Technical Requirements for a list of things you will need to have a stress-free time in the tech check. If you already meet the minimum, apply with confidence. If not, we recommend finding the equipment online or borrowing from friends. All of these are widely available My teacher is one of the judges, can I still apply to compete? Absolutely! Your performance will be adjudicated by the panel which will EXCLUDE your current and previous teachers Do I have to win first place, to receive any prizes? Not at all! Prizes are offered by distinguished companies with vast experience in promoting performing arts which are experts in classical music. Each company will award their prize(s) to contestant(s) of their own choice. Their decisions may or may not match those of the judges'. Some companies may choose to not award their prizes Will my teacher get recognition? Of course! Your teachers shared their knowledge and inspiration with you! the Competition will recognize teachers and schools of every contestant on the Teachers page. If you win, your teacher will be invited to join the live broadcast and receive special recognition during virtual Awards Ceremony I still have more questions. What should I do? Scroll down to the Get In Touch section and send us your question by email directly. We will do our best to answer your questions there!

Audience voice matters! Vote for your favorite Finalist - the musician who receive most votes will receive the James Adler Audience Favorite Award, a Certificate and $200. Make your voice count! James Adler Audience Favorite Award For Pianists and Composers $300 cash Award J&S Silver Award ($100) Vote for your Favorite Laureate! Voting closes December 15, 2025 at midnight EST I want to VOTE! Vote I want to VOTE! Voting ends on December 15, 2025 at 11:59pm EST One vote per audience member Vote by choosing a Laureate from the list on the form Duplicate votes will be deleted One winner Winner is determined by the simple majority - the Winner will have received the highest number of audience votes Minimum votes for the cash Prize to be awarded - 100 No purchase necessary to vote, you do not need to create account to vote Audience Favorite Award is co-founded by James Adler Photo: Frank Gimpaya It is very important to have the audience participate in this competition! It engages the listener and encourages our wonderfully talented contestants. I am delighted to co-found the James Adler Audience Favorite Award for the Carnegie Hall Laureate Gala 2023. Sit back, listen, enjoy -- and please vote!

< Back Previous Jamie Alimorad Next Vocalist Gala at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall February 20, 2025 WATCH VIDEO Jamie Alimorad is a vocal-driven artist whose signature blend of pop, rock, and adult contemporary styles has earned him international acclaim. Originally from Harrison, New York, Alimorad studied Music Technology at Northeastern University, where his solo career began to flourish. He quickly became one of Boston’s most in-demand college performers and was selected to sing the National Anthem on Northeastern Night at Fenway Park. While completing his studies, Alimorad released his first two albums, Cornerstone and Words Left Unsaid. His breakout ballad “Beautiful” went viral with over 2 million YouTube views, while singles such as “What You Have,” “She Is…,” “Dancing With You,” “That’s What She Said,” and “Crawling Back to Me” gained international radio play. Alimorad’s breakthrough album, This Is Tomorrow Calling, marked a creative partnership with Grammy-nominated artist Gino Vannelli and producer Ross Vannelli. The singles “Not Ready to Say Goodbye” and “Brighter Days” each reached the Top 10 of the New Music Weekly Hot 100, earning nominations for Best Pop Song and Best Male Vocal at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. “Brighter Days” won the Overall Grand Prize in the 24th Annual USA Songwriting Competition and led to collaborations with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on a moving music video filmed at the Out of the Darkness Walk in Santa Monica, CA. Touring for This Is Tomorrow Calling included an opening appearance for Gino Vannelli at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, a headlining showcase at SXSW (Austin, TX), a concert at The Listening Room in Nashville, and a featured performance at The Composer’s Showcase in Las Vegas. The tour also brought Alimorad international exposure, including a live broadcast on 94.1 FM in Melbourne, Australia. In 2022, Alimorad reunited with Ross Vannelli to co-write and produce a series of successful singles. His first release, “Give a Little Lovin’,” spent 20 weeks at #1 on the New Music Weekly Indie Top 40 Chart and topped the Indie Hot AC Chart. The accompanying video was featured on MTV Spankin’ New and PBS’s Music California. Alimorad swept the 2022 LIT Talent Awards, winning all five of his nominated categories, including Best New Artist and Best Pop Song. Follow-up singles “Break the Fall” and “It Never Rains in L.A.” expanded his creative reach, earning multiple international nominations and festival honors, including Best Music Video awards and recognition from the International Singer Songwriters Association and the InterContinental Music Awards. In 2024, Jamie Alimorad was named Best New Artist at the World Entertainment Awards, where he also performed live—cementing his place as one of today’s most compelling and versatile independent voices in pop music.

Virtual Live performing - what can go wrong? What are the ways to prepare the troubleshooting so even the most complex live multicast will go smooth and stress-free? Live Internet Broadcast FAQ Can something go wrong during my performance? Yes. Something can go wrong. Live Virtual Stage and live Virtual Concert Hall are relatively new inventions of humanity, and Internet TV hadn’t been around the block for much more than a decade. The tech connections/integrations are complex, consist of many elements which must be made to work together in sync in real time. VCHS’ production crews consist of very experienced people who directed over 600 live broadcasts with 1,000s of participants. They’ve been called “Harry Potters of live music on a virtual stage”. You will be served by some on the best professionals in the industry. But still - things CAN go wrong during your performance! What can go wrong? What to expect if something does go wrong? What? During your tech check our producers may find that your tech is not able to perform adequately or reliably Solutions? We will offer you to reschedule for the next available date/session. We will give you instructions what you need to do to be prepared. What? Tech can fail while you are waiting for your turn in the Green Room, or while you are in the Competition Backstage, or even just before your turn. Solutions? We will walk you through the steps you need. Keep a close watch of the internal chat in the Broadcast Studio and follow producers’ instructions. You will not miss performing in your session! We will change the order of performances and you will perform later in the same session What? After our producers fine tune your tech settings and complete your audio/video tech checks you will transition to the Competition Backstage. Your tech can automatically revert to default settings during the transition Solutions? Take careful notes during your tech check, double-check to make sure your settings are the same, before entering Competition Backstage. “I did everything right and according to your producer’s recommendations. Can something still go wrong during my performance??” Unlikely, but something still can go wrong. As mentioned above: live virtual performance relies on young and cutting edge technology, and requires for many complex puzzle pieces to perform in sync AND in real time. It is a journey which may not be best suitable for you if you are prone to stage fright, or expect to feel traumatized if you need to deal with a sudden change of how things unfold. Please be mindful of your own feelings and do not take unnecessary risks. Virtual stage will keep developing and eventually will become as reliable as electricity in a physical concert hall. One can always just wait a bit longer for the tech to reach that stage of perfection! We now take our beautifully illuminated concert venues for granted, don’t we? But 10-20 years after Edison’s invention they didn’t look nearly as glorious as today. Your evening concerts were illuminated by a jumble of wires with weird looking glasses hanging from them, giving out flickering yellowish light, and sometimes turning off altogether “What will will your tech team do if something happens while I perform??” We will not let your performance look or sound in subpar quality, get “frozen”, get “muted”, etc. Instead we will: Interrupt your performance Take you off the stage Give you access link to our Troubleshoot Tech Room Our producers will work with you on solving the problems If we can solve the issues within reasonable time - we will bring you back onstage and you will have another opportunity to perform your program within the same session If the issues persist and we can’t resolve them right there and then - we will reschedule your performance for the next available date/session. "I have great and fast WiFi connection, a new generation IPad, and I’ve done 2 years of studying/teaching online. No worries, I am well prepared for your stream, there’s nothing that can go wrong from my side." Unfortunately things can still wrong: IPads are not suitable for Internet TV broadcasting, the technology of an iPad does not support connecting to a Broadcast Studio and streaming live music. Please be prepared to use a laptop or desktop. WiFi connection, although often workable, may become unreliable and not sustain the stream throughout the duration of your performance, no matter how fast. Ethernet cable connection is highly recommended as it provides stability of your signal. Both, the speed and stability are essential for quality broadcasting of a live music performance. However, WiFi connection may work fine. Just please be prepared that the transmission made through WiFi connection may lack consistency when compared with the transmission by people who are able to connect to a grounded Router using Ethernet Cable. Ok, I got the Ethernet cable, now we are all set, right? Almost. Please make sure that your cable is connected to the grounded Router. Please refer to our recommendation deck on how to identify that you are really connecting to the correct type of Router. If you are connecting to a Wi-Fi-based Router, or to a Wi-Fi-based Booster, or another Internet device which is not connected to your provider via a grounded cable – you are not improving the connection by using Ethernet cable. The logic is simple: Ethernet cable is used with a purpose to eliminate wireless Internet connection at any point in the chain.

Learn more < Back Brilliant Talent Discovery Awards Two Scholarship for any instrumentalists to take part in immersive cultural tour in Europe Dates TBD Munich-Fussen-Insbruck-Liechtenstein-Zurich Details TBC Two Scholarships for Pianists Masterclasses with professors in one of the leading music institutions in Germany Performance opportunity in one of the castles/venues (again, details TBC) Dedicated cultural tour/itinerary that involves visits to various cultural sites, concerts and/or opera theatres This Award is Sponsored by BTDA CULTURAL TOUR CONCERT & MASTERCLASSES SOUNDS OF THE ALPS Munich | Füssen | Kempten | Augsburg Artistventure Concerts, together with Brilliant Talent Discovery Awards is organizing a cultural tour with masterclasses, sightseeing and concert performance from 13 to 20 June 2023. The itinerary includes city tour in Munich, visit to Neuschwanstein Castle (yes, the one that inspired Disneyland!), cultural sites in historic Kempten, breath-taking scenery of snowy Alps (even in June), Leopold Mozart’s House in Augsburg, scenic road trip through the mountains, cultural sightseeing and of course masterclasses and concert performance. View More Visit BTDA Website Previous Next

< Back Previous Yifu Peng Next Gala at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall November 24, 2024 WATCH VIDEO A bsolute Platinum Winner 2024 US-Canadian International Music Competition Winner of the 2024 Philip Cohen Award Yifu Peng earned the highest score in the inaugural US-Canadian International Music Competition in 2024, receiving the Absolute Platinum Prize and the distinguished Philip Stanley Cohen Prize as the top performer — an achievement that led to his invitation to perform at today’s Carnegie Hall concert. A native of Shenzhen, China, Peng began piano studies at age eight and quickly demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, followed by a Master’s degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at Michigan State University under the guidance of renowned pianist Eric Zuber. Peng’s artistry has earned him significant accolades, including the Distinguished Gold Medal at the 2023 Seattle International Piano Festival Classical Series and the Platinum Medal at the 2023 Quebec Music Competition. With his remarkable skill and deep musicality, Yifu Peng is emerging as a compelling presence on the global classical music stage.

< Back Previous Helen Wu Next Gala at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall November 24, 2024 WATCH VIDEO Helen Wu, 16, began studying piano at age six and has since earned numerous awards, including the MTAC Panel Honors Award, First Place in the USOMC Showcase Piano Concerto, Outstanding Gold Medalist with Scholarship for Master Class Winners in the USOMC, the Jack Price Award in the colOrchestra Competition, and the Platinum Award in the Canadian International Music Competition. Helen has performed internationally at Carnegie Hall (New York), Solitaire Mozarteum (Salzburg), and Petit Palau (Barcelona). She enjoys chamber music and participated in the Masterworks Music Festival in 2023 and in C’est Bon Chamber Music Academy. Outside of music, Helen is passionate about photography, reading, swimming, and traveling with her family.

< Back Andrew Krimm Violist Learn More Videos About Andrew Krimm began studying viola at the age of 7 in Dallas, Texas. In 2006, he began Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying with Erika Eckert and Geraldine Walther. In 2011, Mr. Krimm returned to Dallas to pursue a Performer’s Diploma at Southern Methodist University where he studied with Ellen Rose. While in attendance, Andrew co-founded the award-winning string quartet, Altius Quartet. During their residency at SMU, Altius Quartet won first prize at the Coltman Chamber Music Competition, first prize at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, and was awarded the Silver Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In the Fall of 2015, Mr. Krimm moved to Boulder to study with the world renowned Takacs Quartet. The Altius Quartet was awarded a three-year residency at CU-Boulder to guide the quartet through the creative and business aspects of having a successful career as a string quartet. In 2016 with the Altius Quartet, Mr. Krimm made his Carnegie Hall debut in NYC. The Altius Quartet recently completed two albums. The first was released in April 2017 featuring a mash up of many different genres including Haydn, Bolcom, a-ha, and Dave Brubeck. The second, to be released in October 2017, features Shostakovich's “Personal Quartets” Nos. 7, 8, and, 9. Both discs are being released by PARMA Recordings. After serving as Board President for the Western Slope Concert Series, Andrew became the Executive Director in 2018. In 2020 Andrew was also named the Executive Director of the Boulder Symphony. An organization committed to connecting with and profoundly affecting the human spirit. Boulder Symphony envisions a community that is informed, connected and inspired by the arts. Currently Andrew lives in Longmont, Colorado with his wife, violist Stephanie Mientka and their cat, Gus. Andrew is the most outrageous, most obsessive, and at times the most heart-broken Dallas Cowboys fan in the world. Previous Next

Learn how to apply, what to expect, when are the dealines, who can compete, what to play, how to submit a video, categories, age groups, requirements Welcome to Sound Espressivo 2021 Prelims are here! Choose Your Date April 24-25 May 29-30 June 26-27 July 24-25 August 28-29 September 25-26 October 23-24 November 27-28 (check deadlines below) Age Groups Under 10 11-14 15-18 19-25 Adult (26+) Time limit for Prelims - 10 min Repertory - free choice Medium Piano S tring Instruments Wind Instruments Guitar Harp Percussion Instruments Baroque Instruments Chamber Groups and Ensembles Voice Dance Traditional Instruments Sign Up Choose Live Performance or Pre-recorded video submission Competitive or Non-competitive Artistic Category Style/period: Baroque, Classical, Contemporary , Jazz Details Sound Espressivo Semi-Final and Final Rounds: December 2021 Repertory - free choice Time limit - 10 minutes More details below DATES AND DEADLINES Application deadline April 15 May 1 June 1 July 1 August 1 September 1 October 1 November 1 Performance date April 24-25 May 29-30 June 26-27 July 24-25 August 28-29 September 25-26 October 23-24 November 27-28 MEDIUM Instruments Piano All S tring Instruments All Wind Instruments Guitar Harp All Percussion Instruments All Baroque Instruments Other performance medium Chamber Groups and Ensembles Voice Dance Traditional Instruments CHOOSE LIVE PERFORMANCE Application fee: $80 What is it? You will perform live through Internet-TV public broadcast VCHS Producers will help you with your tech You don't need to download or learn any software This is not Zoom, you will look and sound great! What do I get? Your live performance will be professionally recorded by broadcasting engineers Recording of your performance will be available on SEC YouTube and other channels for replays You can request a copy of your individual performance video ($75 fee applies) Group instruction on streaming live performance Individual tech check CHOOSE VIDEO SUBMISSION OF YOUR RECORDING Application fee: $55 How do I submit? You can upload an MP4 video file or You can submit a YouTube link What do I get? You video will be premiered on YouTube, website, Facebook, and other channels Your video will be featured in a video Gallery on SEC website Your video will be available for replays after the Premiere You can still choose "Competitive" and be considered for Sound Espressivo Semifinals CHOOSE COMPETITIVE What to do? Apply to receive judges' comments (written for video submissions, or live if you choose to perform live) Apply to be considered for Sound Espressivo Competition Semifinals in December 2021 What do I get? Certificate Judges' comments (written for video submissions; live onscreen for live performances) May be selected to compete in Sound Espressivo Semifinals in December 2021 Winners of Prelims are awarded full scholarships to participate in masterclasses with Judges Winners of Prelims receive full scholarships for VCHS Broadcasting Seminar CHOOSE NON-COMPETITIVE What is it? A low-pressure opportunity to share your art and talent You will not be judged What do I get? Certificate Your family and friends can watch your live performance and cheer in real time Your performance will be recorded and your friends will be able to see it after the date You will receive a free pass to observe masterclasses with Judges If you choose to submit a video, it will be premiered on our channels and available for replays REPERTORY AND TIME LIMITS Repertory You are free to choose any repertory, pick what represents you best as a musician! Check below for Artistic Categories. If you do choose one, then pick your pieces to reflect that Category Time limits For all Prelims time limit is 10 min. Same limit for videos and live performances You will not be disqualified for shorter performances If you choose one composition which is longer than 10 min., you will not be disqualified for overtime Semi-Final and Final Rounds- no time limit AGE GROUPS AND ARTISTIC CATEGORIES Age Groups Under 10 11-14 15-18 19-25 Adult (26+) Artistic Categories You can choose one Category, or None Program Virtuosity Miniature Lyrical Profound Swift Innovative Academic Ambassador None MUSIC PERIODS AND STYLES Choose where you thrive! Classical through mid-20th Century Baroque (Period instruments) Contemporary Jazz Music from around the world For Singers Opera Broadway Song

< Back Yael Weiss Piano Learn More Videos About A captivating presence on the concert scene, award-winning Israeli-American pianist Yael Weiss has been hailed by many of today's greatest musicians and critics for visionary interpretations of surpassing depth, immediacy and communicative power. Following a recent recital, the Washington Post portrayed her as “a pianist who delves deeply and tellingly into that cloudy area where fantasy morphs into improvisation, inventiveness being common to both.” Ms. Weiss has performed across the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and South America at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Benaroya Hall, Moscow’s Bolshoi Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall. Her New York recital debut, presented by the Metropolitan Museum, was acclaimed by the New York Times as, "remarkably powerful and intense . . . fine technique and musicianship in the service of an arresting array of music." Ms. Weiss has appeared as soloist with many international orchestras, including the Prague Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and the Brazil National Symphony, to name a few. She is also in demand at international music festivals, such as Marlboro, Ravinia, City of London, Banff, Parry Sound, Caramoor, Hornby Island Festival, Changwon International Festival, and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival. A significant part of Ms. Weiss’s current touring schedule is devoted to her international commissioning and performance project, “ 32 Bright Clouds: Beethoven Conversations Around the World ” . This groundbreaking endeavor brings together composers from 32 countries of conflict and unrest throughout the world, joined together in sending a message of oneness and peace. Each new composition is inspired by one of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas, and the entire cycle of new works is unified by a single “peace motif” from Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. Ms. Weiss has presented “32 Bright Clouds” recitals in Korea, Cuba, Austria, Canada and in venues throughout the US, performing programs that combine Beethoven with new works from around the world. Her 2020 recital for the Smithsonian Institution was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and was attended by audiences internationally via YouTube Premiere. An advocate for the power of music in the service of peace, Yael Weiss has been interviewed on the WWFM Classical Network’s “A Tempo” and “Between the Keys” shows. She has also been a frequent guest on American Public Media’s Performance Today and St. Paul Sunday, on the BBC in London, and on New York’s WQXR and WNYC. Her 2016 recital from the National Gallery was selected for broadcast on WETA’s “Front Row Washington”. She has appeared numerous times on Israeli television, and presented a recital filmed live for NHK television in Japan. Weiss’s discography encompasses piano works by over a dozen composers, with such releases as “Robert Schumann: Piano Works” and “88 Keys to Joy”, on the Koch International Classics label. In 2021, Toccata Classics released her premiere recording of Aviv : Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, written for her by composer Joel Feigin. Ms. Weiss is also devoted to chamber music, and tours worldwide with violinist Mark Kaplan and cellist Peter Stumpf as the Weiss-Kaplan-Stumpf Trio . Their recordings of complete Beethoven Piano Trios will be released in 2023 on Bridge Records. The Trio’s discography also includes CDs of Brahms, Smetana, Chihara, Lansky and Lerdahl trios, as well as a new-music release, “An American Tour”, featuring world premiere recordings of compositions by American composers Schoenfield, Chen Yi, Auerbach and Newman. Ms. Weiss has been honored with distinguished prizes from the Naumburg International Piano Competition and the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition. She is a recipient of the Presser Award as well as grants from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. She studied with Richard Goode and Edward Aldwell at the Mannes College of Music and with Leon Fleisher and Ellen Mack at the Peabody Conservatory. Yael Weiss has presented master-classes for top institutions worldwide and served on the faculties of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, UC Santa Barbara and the Heifetz Institute. Away from the piano, Yael Weiss is an avid runner, regularly taking part in marathons and other long-distance races. Born in Israel, she currently makes her home in New York City. Previous Next