Rules and Regulations

66th ANNUAL YOUNG MUSICIANS CONCERTO COMPETITION RULES AND REGULATIONS

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The 66th Annual Young Musicians Concerto Competition will be on January 3-4, 2026 at Mesa Community College.

UPLOAD SIGNED FORMS by DECEMBER 15, 2025

Junior Division

• 66th Annual Young Musicians Competition 2026 Rules and Regulations (PDF)
• The Rules and Regulations PDF page must be printed, signed (by both competitor AND private lesson teacher), scan or take a photo, and uploaded by December 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM MST.
• Junior Division Document Upload Page

Senior Division

• 66th Annual Young Musicians Competition 2026 Rules and Regulations (PDF)
• SENIOR DIVISION ONLY: 66th Annual Young Musicians Competition 2026 Senior Division Scholarship Round Rules and Regulations (PDF)
• The Rules and Regulations PDF page must be printed, signed (by both competitor AND private lesson teacher), scan or take a photo, and uploaded. The Senior Division Scholarship Round Rules and Regulations PDF must be signed by the competitor. Senior Division upload BOTH documents by December 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM MST.
• Senior Division Document Upload Page (includes both document uploads)

IMPORTANT DATES

Important Dates: Senior Division

• First Round of the competition will be held in person on Saturday, January 3, 2026 (in person).
  • Location: Mesa Community College, Performing Arts Center. 1520 South Longmore, Mesa, AZ 85202.
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for the full day.
    * Time frames will be sent closer to the date. The full span of day for our judges will be 8:30 AM to 5 PM. A first draft of competition time assignments is anticipated to be sent by Friday, December 19, 2025. Any necessary adjustments will take place in subsequent weeks. Competitors should plan on being available for the entire day(s) on which they are competing. Factors that may affect scheduling include: Accompanists working with multiple musicians, musicians auditioning on multiple instruments, and unavoidable time conflicts. If a musician has a time conflict, it must be identified at the time of application.
• Finalists will be directly notified of their advancement by the end of the day on January 3, 2026. A general announcement of finalists will also be made by the end of the day on Saturday, January 3, 2026 via email.
• Finals will be held in person on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
  • Location: Mesa Community College, Performing Arts Center. 1520 South Longmore Mesa, AZ 85202
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for full day.
    * Time frames will be sent closer to the date. Time slots will be sent out Saturday, January 3, 2026.

Important Dates: Junior Division

• Competition will be held in person on Saturday, January 3, 2026 (in person).
  • Location: Mesa Community College, Performing Arts Center. 1520 South Longmore, Mesa, AZ 85202.
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for the full day.
    * Time frames will be sent closer to the date. The full span of day for our judges will be 8:30 AM to 5 PM. A first draft of competition time assignments is anticipated to be sent by Friday, December 19, 2025. Any necessary adjustments will take place in subsequent weeks. Competitors should plan on being available for the entire day(s) on which they are competing. Factors that may affect scheduling include: Accompanists working with multiple musicians, musicians auditioning on multiple instruments, and unavoidable time conflicts. If a musician has a time conflict, it must be identified at the time of application.
  • Winners will be notified at the Award Ceremony on Sunday January 4, 2026, at the Mesa community College Performing Arts Center as well as via email.

For Both Divisions: 

Application Open: November 10, 2025

Application Due: December 8, 2025 (by 11:59 pm MST)

Late Application Due: December 15, 2025 (by 11:59 pm MST)

Upload Signed Rules and Regulations Documents: By 11:59 pm MST December 15, 2025.

Main Contact:

Ryan Murphy, Operations Manager

Complete the Contact form on our Contact page and choose “Competitions”.

ELIGIBILITY

The Competition will have two divisions: a Senior Division and a Junior Division. The Junior Division is open to all non-professional music students who reside in the state of Arizona and who are in grades 6 through 8 on the dates of competition. The Senior Division for the 2026 YMC will be open only to current members of PYSO grades 9-12 at the time of the application deadline. The music student must be recommended by his/her private teacher, which is confirmed by his/her signature on the 2026 YMC Rules and Regulations document. Applicants must complete both the online application and the YMC Rules and Regulations signature page and upload it.

APPLICATION and FEE DEADLINE

The $100 non-refundable fee for Senior Division and $75 non-refundable fee for Junior Division and application must be completed online by December 8, 2025 at 11:59 PM MST. After December 8, applications will be $125 for Senior Division and $100 for Junior Division. No applications will be accepted after 11:59 PM MST on December 15, 2025.

* All rules, regulations, and prizes are subject to change with or without notice.

COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS

1. Each contestant shall be required to perform one movement of a standard concerto, or a composition for solo instrument and orchestra, from memory.
2. Contestants in the Junior and Senior Divisions should select from the Repertoire List: https://pysorchestras.org/ymc/repertoire/
3. Contestants may select a concerto or solo with available orchestral accompaniment that is not on the list, but only with the recommendation of his/her private teacher AND with approval by PYSO’s Artistic Director.
4. To request a concerto or solo not on the repertoire list, send your request to Ryan Murphy by December 15, 2025. PYSO reserves the right to deny any requests made after this date.
5. No student shall perform a composition which he/she performed in any previous Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras Young Musicians Competition.
6. An accompanist is required for each division and round of the competition. Each contestant must provide his/her own accompanist. Percussionists are exempt from having an accompanist if their piece does not have an orchestral accompaniment. If this is the case, they will not be eligible to perform with The Phoenix Symphony.
7. Maximum playing time will be ten (10) minutes and must include the cadenza (if applicable). It is highly recommended you consult your private teacher on any necessary cuts. All contestants will be stopped at ten (10) minutes, in both rounds of competition, without exception.
8. Any change(s) to a contestant’s repertoire must be reported to Ryan Murphy by December 15, 2025.
9. Piano contestants will be given one additional minute to become familiar with the piano on stage prior to beginning their audition. Junior Division and existing PYSO Students competing in Senior division are the only applicants able to compete on piano.
10. For the finals, contestants will be scheduled in a manner that will allow them 30 minutes of warm-up time prior to performing.
11. For the Junior Division and Senior Division first round, each contestant must provide five (5) hard copies of their music (with all cuts clearly indicated) for the judge’s consideration.
12. For the finals (Senior Division Only), contestants must provide three (3) copies of the solo to be performed for the judges’ use. The copies must not contain any marks identifying the contestant or teacher. The copies must have all measures numbered and any cuts should be clearly marked.

AWARDS

Up to 5 (five) judges will be selected for the Junior Division and Senior Division First Round. The judges will select the Junior Division Winners and Senior Division Finalists. The judges’ decisions will be considered final.

JUNIOR DIVISION – GRADES 6 THROUGH 8
The first-place winner in each category of upper strings, lower strings, woodwinds, brass/percussion, and piano will receive a $500 cash prize.

SENIOR DIVISION – GRADES 9 THROUGH 12
Up to twelve finalists will be selected to perform in the final round on Sunday January 5, 2025. Up to 3 (three) judges will be selected for the Senior Division Finals. The judges will rank the finalists and the judges’ decision will be considered final. The top two winners will receive the opportunity to perform their concerto with The Phoenix Symphony at Symphony Hall on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 6:30 pm. In order to perform with The Phoenix Symphony, the winner must be available for all scheduled rehearsals: Saturday, March 14 at 10:00 am, and Tuesday, March 17 at 6:30pm. All rehearsal times and dates are subject to change.

All finalists will win a scholarship to a camp or festival, selecting from a list in order of their final ranking. For additional information, please see Scholarship Rules. The Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras require the top five finalists to perform at the Competition Winners Luncheon – Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 11:30 am, Paradise Valley Country Club. (time and date
subject to change).

PRIMARY CONTACT: Ryan Murphy – Operations Manager ryanmurphy@pysorchestras.org

* All rules, regulations, and prizes are subject to change with or without notice

Apply Now!

An accompanist is required for each division and round of the competition. Each contestant must provide his/her own accompanist. Percussionists are exempt from having an accompanist if their piece does not have an orchestral accompaniment. If this is the case, they will not be eligible to perform with The Phoenix Symphony.

A list of potentially available accompanists for competitors in the Young Musicians Competition conducted by the Phoenix Youth Symphony is provided as a public service to those inquiring. The Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras does not endorse or recommend any particular accompanist or make any representation as to their abilities or affordability for this purpose.  Please contact the Operations Manager if you desire the list. Visit our Contact page and choose “Competitions”.

* Rules and details subject to change.