Rules and Regulations

67th ANNUAL YOUNG MUSICIANS CONCERTO COMPETITION RULES AND REGULATIONS

Application Page

The 67th Annual Young Musicians Concerto Competition is on January 9-10, 2027 at Mountain View High School.

UPLOAD SIGNED FORMS by DECEMBER 15, 2026

Junior Division

• 67th Annual Young Musicians Competition 2027 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, 2026 at 11:59 PM MST.
• Junior Division Document Upload Page

Senior Division

• 67th Annual Young Musicians Competition 2027 Rules and Regulations (PDF)
• SENIOR DIVISION ONLY: 67th Annual Young Musicians Competition 2027 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, 2026 at 11:59 PM MST.
• Senior Division Document Upload Page (includes both document uploads and private lesson teacher recommendation upload)

IMPORTANT DATES

Important Dates: Senior Division

• First Round of the competition will be held in person on Saturday, January 9, 2027 (in person).
  • Location: Mountain View High School 2700 E Brown Road Mesa, AZ 85213
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for the full day.
    * The competition is anticipated to take place no earlier than 8:30am on Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday. A first draft of competition time assignments is anticipated to be sent by Friday, December 18th, 2026 by 5pm MST. Any necessary adjustments will take place in subsequent weeks. Competitors should plan on being available for the entire day(s) in which they are competing. Factors that may affect scheduling include but are not limited to: 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. Any conflicts sent after the time of application will not be considered. We will do our best to accommodate all conflicts sent at the time of application.
• Finalists will be directly notified of their advancement by the end of the day on January 9, 2027. A general announcement of finalists will also be made by the end of the day on Saturday, January 9, 2027 via email.
• Finals will be held in person on Sunday, January 10, 2027.
  • Location: Mountain View High School 2700 E Brown Road Mesa, AZ 85213
  • 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 9, 2027.

Important Dates: Junior Division

• Competition will be held in person on Saturday, January 9, 2027 (in person).
  • Location: Mountain View High School 2700 E Brown Road Mesa, AZ 85213
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for the full day.
    * The competition is anticipated to take place no earlier than 8:30am on Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday. A first draft of competition time assignments is anticipated to be sent by Friday, December 18th, 2026 by 5pm MST. Any necessary adjustments will take place in subsequent weeks. Competitors should plan on being available for the entire day(s) in which they are competing. Factors that may affect scheduling include but are not limited to: 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. Any conflicts sent after the time of application will not be considered. We will do our best to accommodate all conflicts sent at the time of application.
  • Competition winners for both the junior and senior division will be announced at an awards ceremony that will take place no earlier than 30 minutes after the final competitor performs on Sunday, January 10th, 2027.

For Both Divisions: 

Application Open: November 12, 2026

Application Due: December 1, 2026 (by 11:59 pm MST)

Late Application Due: December 15, 2026 (by 11:59 pm MST)

Upload Signed Rules and Regulations Documents: By 11:59 pm MST December 15, 2026.

Complete Accompanist Information Form: By 11:59 pm MST December 15, 2026.

Main Contact:

Nicole Eklund, 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 2027 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 2027 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 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM MST. After December 15, 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, 2026.

* 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 both the Junior and Senior Divisions should select from this repertoire list: https://pysorchestras.org/ymc/repertoire/
3. Contestants may select a concerto or solo with available orchestral accompaniment that is not on the above list, but only with the written recommendation of both their private teacher and by PYSO’s Artistic and General Director by December 15th, 2026 at 11:59pm MST. To do so, please complete the repertoire request form.
4. No contestant shall perform a composition which they have performed in the final round of any previous Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras Young Musicians Competition.
5. An accompanist is required for each round and division of the competition. Each contestant must provide their own accompanist. Percussionists are exempt from having an accompanist if their piece does not have an orchestral accompaniment. In this case, they will not be eligible to perform with The Phoenix Symphony. All applicants must complete the Accompanist Information Form by December 15, 2026 at 11:15 PM MST.
6. Maximum playing time will be ten minutes and must include the cadenza (if applicable). It is highly recommended the contestant consult with their private instructor for any necessary cuts. All contestants will be stopped at ten minutes in both rounds of competition without exception. If selected to play with The Phoenix Symphony, the entire movement of the piece will be performed sans cuts.
7. Any changes to repertoire must be submitted in writing to Nicole Ecklund, Operations Manager, with accompanied private instructor recommendation by no later than December 15th, 2026 at 11:59pm MST.
8. Piano contestants will be given one extra minute on stage to become familiar with the piano on stage prior to their audition.
9. For the final round, contestants will be scheduled in a manner that allows for 30 minutes of warm-up time prior to performing.
10. For the Junior Division and Senior Division first round, each contestant must provide five hard copies of all their music (with all cuts clearly marked) for the judges’ consideration.
11. For the Senior Division final round, contestants must provide three hard copies of their music for the judges’ use. The copies must have all measures numbered and any cuts must be clearly marked.

AWARDS

The judges will select the Junior Division winners and Senior Division finalists. The judges’ decisions are considered final.

JUNIOR DIVISION – GRADES 6 THROUGH 8
The first place winner in each category (upper strings, lower strings, woodwinds/brass, percussion/piano/harp) will receive a $1000 cash prize in the form of a check.

SENIOR DIVISION – GRADES 9 THROUGH 12
Up to twelve finalists will be selected to perform in the final round on Sunday, January 10th, 2027.

The judges will rank the finalists and the judges’ decisions are considered final. The top two winners will receive the opportunity to perform with The Phoenix Symphony at Symphony Hall. In order to perform with The Phoenix Symphony, the winner must be available for all scheduled rehearsals. All rehearsal times 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 the Scholarship Rules. The Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras require five of the finalists to perform at the Competition Winners Luncheon at the Paradise Valley Country Club.

PRIMARY CONTACT: Nicole Ecklund – Operations Manager. Visit our Contact page and choose “Competitions“.

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

Application Page

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”.

All applicants must complete the Accompanist Information Form by December 15, 2026 at 11:15 PM MST.

* Rules and details subject to change.

67th Young Musicians Competition