2024–2025 Chamber Music Performance Competitions

National Coordinator:
Natalie Landowski


Registration is Closed!

***ATTENTION***

  • The MTNA Chamber Music Competitions will be a two-tiered competition: a Preliminary Round, by video submission only; (Click Here for Details) and a Final Round, live at the National Conference. In the event that the MTNA National Conference is cancelled, the finals will be a video round. Ensembles will compete without regard to the state or division in which they live or take lessons.
  • The age of each ensemble member must be 18–29 on January 1, 2025.
  • The ensemble must submit a GROUP photo and a GROUP bio (75-word maximum) at the time of the registration.
  • MTNA active membership dues must be paid before submission of the registration. A $150 nonmember teacher fee will be assessed if entrant's teacher has not paid active membership dues for the 2024–2025 membership year.
  • Primary communication is via email. The registration must have accurate email addresses for entrants, teacher/coach. Be sure to check spam/junk folders regularly for confirmations and other important information.
  • Registration available November 1, 2024 on Acceptd. Video deadline: Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. There will be no exceptions.

Registration Procedure

  • Entry Fee: $145 for each ensemble (includes $25 Acceptd fee). Registrations and all fees will be submitted on the Acceptd site and will be available Wednesday, November 1, 2024.
  • Video deadline: Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. There will be no exceptions.
  • Read Video Guidelines
  • Ensemble must submit a GROUP photo and a GROUP bio (75-word maximum) at the time of registration.

Entrant Eligibility

  • The age of each ensemble member must be 18–29 on January 1, 2025.
  • An ensemble member may enter in more than one ensemble.
  • An ensemble member may enter the Chamber Music and the solo performance competitions.

Competition Categories

String

(majority of instruments are string)
Award made possible by the Allen I. McHose Scholarship Fund

  • National Winning Ensemble: $3,000
  • National Second Place Ensemble: $2,000
  • National Third Place Ensemble: $1,000

Wind

(majority of instruments are wind)
Awards made possible by the Allen I. McHose Scholarship Fund

  • National Winning Ensemble: $3,000
  • National Second Place Ensemble: $2,000
  • National Third Place Ensemble: $1,000

NOTE: Piano will be considered a string instrument.

National Awards

  • To receive a monetary award, national performance competition winners are required to perform on the Winners Concert, which takes place from 3:30–5:30 p.m. on the day following the competition at the MTNA National Conference, March 15–19, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Ensemble Requirements

  • The ensemble must consist of at least three (3) performers and may have no more than six (6) performers.
  • During the course of a performance, the "core" ensemble (trio, quartet, quintet, sextet) so named on the competition registration may temporarily change in size through the addition or subtraction of personnel, but the named core ensemble must perform in the majority of the submitted competition repertoire. (For example, a woodwind quintet might add a piano and become a sextet, a string quartet might be reduced to a string trio, a trio might add a performer and become a quartet, or voice might be added to the ensemble.)
  • Ensembles may be any combination of the following instruments: Brass (Trumpet, Horn, Euphonium, Trombone, Tuba), Piano, String (Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass) Voice (maximum of two vocalists in an ensemble with instruments) and Woodwind (Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Saxophone). Ensembles with piano only and voice only are not permitted.
  • No changes in ensemble personnel may be made following submission of the registration.
  • The performance is without conductor.

Guidelines

  • Decisions of competition judges are final.
  • A national first-place MTNA Chamber Music ensemble may not enter again with the same personnel.
  • Facilities permitting, competition performances (including Winners Concert) are open to the public. Competition rehearsals are closed to the public.
  • Audio or video recording and photography of the competitions and winners concerts are strongly discouraged.
  • It is the responsibility of the entrant to be available for the Final Round at the national conference.
  • The assigned rehearsal and performance times are final and cannot be changed.

Repertoire Requirements

  • Ensembles are not required to program music from two different style periods of music.
  • Transcriptions are allowed only in ensemble repertoire without voice.
  • Questions concerning repertoire should be directed to the National Chamber Music Coordinator prior to submission of registration.
  • Individual movements of suites, sonatas or other groupings that can be performed as musical units are permitted.
  • Cuts in the music are not permitted.
  • Repeats are left to the discretion of the ensemble.
  • No changes in repertoire are allowed following submission of the registration. Repertoire must remain the same for both levels of the competition (Preliminary Round and National round).
  • All repertoire submitted with the registration must be prepared for both levels of the competition (Preliminary Round and national round).
  • Programs may be over or under the performance time limit. Programs over the time limit at any level of the competition will be cut at the judges’ discretion.
  • Repertoire must be chosen from works exhibiting equality among the individual ensemble players. Concerti with orchestral reductions or sonatas for soloist and continuo are not permitted.
  • Repertoire with voice must be chosen from the following list:
Dominic Argento To Be Sung Upon the Water for Soprano/Tenor, Clarinet and Piano
Seymour Barab Bits and Pieces for Soprano, Clarinet and Piano
Samuel Barber Dover Beach, Op. 3, for Baritone and String Quartet
Ludwig van Beethoven Twenty-five Scottish Songs, Op. 108, for Voices and Piano Trio
Henry Bishop Lo! Here the Gentle, Lark for Soprano, Flute, and Piano
William Bolcom Let Evening Come for Soprano, Viola, and Piano
Johannes Brahms Two Songs for Voice, Viola, and Piano, Op. 91
Emmanuel Chabrier L’Invitation au Voyage for Voice, Bassoon, and Piano
Ernest Chausson Chanson Perpetuelle for Voice and Piano Quintet, Op. 37
Arnold Cooke Nocturnes for Soprano, Horn, and Piano
Aaron Copland As it Fell Upon a Day for Voice, Flute, and Clarinet
Johann Kalliwoda Heimathlied, Op. 117, for Soprano, Clarinet, and Piano
Conrad Kreutzer Das Mühlrad for Soprano, Horn, and Piano
Charles Loeffler Four Poèms, Op. 5, for Voice, Viola, and Piano
Giacomo Meyerbeer Hirtenlied for Tenor/Soprano, Clarinet and Piano
Alexander Raskatov Five Fragments by Samuel Taylor Coleridge for Voice and String Trio
Maurice Ravel Chansons madécasses for Voice, Flute, Cello, and Piano
Maurice Ravel La flûte enchantée for Voice, Flute, and Piano
Ned Rorem Last Poems of Wallace Stevens for Soprano, Cello, and Piano
Camille Saint-Saëns Une flûte invisible for Voice, Flute, and Piano
Camille Saint-Saëns Violons dans le soir for Voice, Violin, and Piano
Franz Schubert Auf dem Strom for Voice, Horn, and Piano, Op. 119 (D. 943)
Franz Schubert Der Hirt auf dem Felsen for Voice, Clarinet, and Piano, Op. 129 (D. 965)
Louis Spohr Six German Songs for Voice, Clarinet, and Piano, Op. 103
Igor Stravinsky Berceuse du chat, for Voice and Three Clarinets
Lester Trimble Four Fragments from Canterbury Tales for Voice, Flute, Clarinet and Piano
Ralph Vaughn Williams On Wenlock Edge, for Tenor, String Quartet, and Piano

 

Competition Music

  • For the Final Round at the national conference, each ensemble must provide the judge(s) one score or one complete set of parts for each work listed on the registration. Miniature scores are strongly discouraged. Scores are not required for preliminary video round.
  • Performance time:
    • Maximum performance time: forty (40) minutes

Competition Performance Procedures

  • No minimum time limit.
  • Programmed music may exceed maximum time limit.
  • In the Final Round, the performance will be stopped when maximum time is reached.
  • In the Final Round, the entrant chooses first selection; judges determine remaining order of performance.
  • In the Final Round, a portion of all repertoire submitted on the registration will be heard.

Competition Agreement

  • All ensemble members and teacher/coach have read, understand and agree to the Guidelines for the 2024–2025 MTNA Competitions. Failure to abide by these rules and regulations will make the ensemble ineligible to receive recognition or awards.
  • Credit card holder has authorized use to complete the registration.
  • All entry fees are non-refundable.
  • Ensemble will abide by all copyright laws and has permission to use all music given to judges during the competitions as outlined here.
  • MTNA is not responsible for problems with internet services or phones.

 


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