MARCH 11-13, 2027
The internationally recognized YTA music competition is open to classical artists, ages 18-30 (20-32 for Voice division), who are Texas residents or are enrolled in Texas music schools.
- Those enrolled in a Texas college, university, or music school, or
- Permanent residents of Texas enrolled in any college, university, or music school, or
- Current Texas residents. (“Texas residents” are persons holding a Texas driver’s license, ID card, Military ID with Texas address listed, or Texas voter registration card.)
- Previous grand prize winners and students of current judges are not eligible.
All materials must be received by December 31st, 2026, 11:59 PM CST for consideration by the selection committee.
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Young Texas Artists reserves the right to disqualify contestants who do not exhibit the standards of accountability, responsibility, and behavior as dictated by professional decorum.
Contact Information
Dr. Emelyne Bingham
artdir@youngtexasartists.org
(832) 617-2344
Competition Location
Crighton Theatre
234 N Main St
Conroe, TX 77301
Competition Dates: March 11-13, 2027
Preliminary rounds are free and open to the public. Tickets must be purchased for the Finalists’ Concert & Awards. Preliminary round dates for the divisions may be changed. Please check back as the competition nears for the most recent information.
- Thursday, March 11: Strings Division Preliminary Round
- Friday morning, March 12: Winds, Brass, Percussion, Harp & Guitar Division Preliminary Round
- Friday afternoon, March 12: Voice Division Preliminary Round
- Saturday morning, March 13: Piano Division Preliminary Round
- Saturday evening, March 13, 7:30 PM: Finalists’ Concert & Awards
Awards
Piano Division
Gold Medal: $5,000
Silver Medal: $3,000
Strings Division
Gold Medal: $5,000
Silver Medal: $3,000
Voice Division
Gold Medal: $5,000
Silver Medal: $3,000
Winds, Brass, Percussion, Harp & Guitar Division
Gold Medal: $5,000
Silver Medal: $3,000
- Grand Prize Winner receives an extra $5,000
- Audience Choice Winner receives an extra $3,000
- Finalists will receive professional photos of their performances, courtesy of Dave Clements of DWC Photography
Audition Requirements
Each candidate will be judged by the highest artistic standards in regard to musicianship, technical proficiency, repertoire selection, stage presence, and artistry. Formal attire is required only for the finals. All selections must be performed from memory for each live round.
Candidates must provide TWO original scores for each selection: one original score of each selection for the panel, and an additional original score must be on stage while the contestant is performing. Scores for judges must have clearly numbered measures but should be unmarked otherwise. Illegal photocopies will not be permitted. Legal, purchased photocopies are allowed with express written permission from the publisher if the work is currently protected by U.S. copyright. Scores must not be labeled with the names of candidates or teachers. If you have questions about your scores, please contact Dr. Emelyne Bingham, Artistic Director, BEFORE the competition to discuss at artdir@youngtexasartists.org
More detailed instructions regarding scores can be found on the FAQ Page.
The judges will choose which excerpts of your repertoire they would like to hear, including repertoire for the final round of competition.
Timeline
Thursday through Saturday afternoon: Preliminary rounds. Two finalists from each division will be selected to compete in the Finalists’ Concert.
Saturday Evening: Finalists’ Concert held in concert format. Final judging will take place during the concert. Judges will select repertoire and order for each contestant. Formal attire is required for the final round.
The judges will determine each finalist’s selection. The Competition Committee also reserves the right to withhold granting a division prize should there be a lack of suitable candidates.
Final Round
Final performances are limited to 12 minutes, meaning candidates will need to edit their longer pieces to fit within the time constraints of Saturday evening’s concert. One movement of a concerto or other work may be edited for the finals, although the entire work must be prepared for the preliminary rounds.
Formal attire is required for the final round of the competition. Examples include:
- A well-fitting tuxedo (preferred), or dark suit (pants and jacket) with a crisp dress shirt and tie or bow tie
- A formal, floor-length gown or equivalent
- Culturally significant or traditional garments welcome. Please reach out to the Artistic Director for final approval.
- Dress shoes required. Athletic-type shoes or casual sneakers prohibited.
- In the rare occasion that your repertoire selection requires a costume, please reach out to the Artistic Director for final approval.
Repertoire Requirements
Please read through the FAQ Page BEFORE you begin your application. Candidates will compete in one of four divisions:
Piano
Please prepare each of the following to be performed from memory:
- A complete concerto or other major work for solo piano and orchestra.
- One movement from a Beethoven Sonata. If the candidate chooses to play one of the Beethoven concerti to fulfill the concerto requirement, a sonata of contrasting style, period, and composer should be chosen.
Strings
Please prepare each of the following to be performed from memory:
- A complete concerto or other major work for solo instrument and orchestra.
- A movement of solo Bach.
Voice
- Three (3) selections of contrasting style in their original keys, selected from standard opera, oratorio, cantata, or songs with orchestral accompaniment. Two (2) selections must be in the original language. A third selection of the candidate’s choice may be performed.
- All selections must be performed from memory.
Winds, Brass, Percussion, Harp & Guitar
- A complete concerto or other major work for solo instrument and orchestra performed from memory.
Collaborative Pianists
YTA has several talented collaborative pianists on staff, but due to the volume of contestants using them, it is imperative that they get adequate time to prepare. Therefore, the following rules have been put in place:
- The fee to use a YTA staff collaborative pianist is $150.
- If you are a Rice student and intend to play with Eliza Ching, Neal Kurz, or Shannon Hesse, you must pay their accompanist fee when you apply for the competition, as they are official YTA staff collaborative pianists.
- This fee is non-refundable after February 11, 2027. Contestants not selected to participate in live rounds will have this fee refunded upon notification of preliminary results.
- The fee to use a collaborative pianist if requested after December 31, 2026, is $175.
- Change in repertoire after February 5, 2027, will result in a $50 repertoire change fee. This fee applies to changes in solo repertoire as well.
- The absolute last day to change your repertoire is Friday, February 26, 2027.
- The fee to use a collaborative pianist if requested after February 13, 2027 is $225.
- Staff collaborative pianists reserve the right to decline performing unpublished works.
Application
The Submission Deadline for all materials is December 31, 2026, 11:59 PM CST
Before you begin your application, assemble the following information:
- $80.00 APPLICATION FEE. This fee is non-refundable and must be paid via credit or debit card. You can get $20 off of this fee if you fill out this survey for our Career Development Program.
- $150 COLLABORATIVE PIANIST FEE if you will be using a YTA staff collaborative pianist. This fee is refundable if you do not advance and must be paid with a credit or debit card.
- CURRICULUM VITAE in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Be sure to list major teachers as references and include their contact information in your curriculum vitae. Please note that a CV is not written in narrative (paragraph) form. Click HERE for help in writing and formatting your CV.
- HIGH-QUALITY HEADSHOT in .jpg or .jpeg format.
- RECENT (within the past two years) AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING(S). Please submit a minimum of 15 minutes of music containing works of contrasting styles and periods. The repertoire on your recording does not need to be the same repertoire you intend to use in the live round.
- REPERTOIRE LIST. Your Repertoire List should only contain the pieces you plan to play if you advance to the live rounds of the competition. Please DO NOT include the repertoire you submit for your video/audio prescreening or a list of every piece you’ve ever played. The list must be “program ready,” in other words, listed exactly the way you would find it printed in a recital program, and must contain the following information:
- Composer’s full name and dates (Ex: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), not J.S. Bach)
- The complete title of each piece, including catalog number (Schmieder, Hoboken, Köchel, etc.) and opus number where applicable. Be sure to include the instrument in your concerto title. (Ex. Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major, K. 191)
- The proper name of each movement with movement numbers included (usually tempo marking, but not always) where applicable (Ex. I. Allegro con brio, II. Andante, etc.)
- The EXACT timing of each piece as you play it
- The EXACT timing of each movement as you play it
- Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
- All applications, curriculum vitae, and photos will become the property of the Young Texas Artists Music Competition and may be used for promotion.
2026 Judges
Jeremy Benson, Jacksonville State University
Derek Hartman, Blair School of Music
Bradley Mansell, Vanderbilt University
Roger Pines, Bienen School of Music
Maria Schleuning, Dallas Symphony
2026 Winners
GRAND PRIZE
Cirdan Vonnahme, cello
AUDIENCE CHOICE
Heechang Byun, baritone
GOLD
Sean Yang, piano
Cirdan Vonnahme, cello
Heechang Byun, soprano
Hunter O’Brien, flute
SILVER
Huiqun Wu, piano
Mona Endo, cello
Elizabeth Marlow, soprano
Diego Jaquez, tuba
HONORABLE MENTION
Byeol Kim, violin
Sofia Rohlman, soprano
Najee Greenlee, clarinet