How to Apply: 

Entries open November 4, 2024.  Entries must be submitted by 11:59PM EST January 31, 2025. There is a non-refundable entry fee of $130 payable online by credit card at the time of application. 

To complete the online application, sign up for a new submittable account or sign into your current account, and submit your application by 11:59PM EST on January 31, 2025. Note that to receive email notification of the status of your application, you must opt-in under your account settings.

A limited number of fee waivers are available for applicants whose adjusted household gross income is $60,000 or below.  While we do consider extenuating circumstances such as cost of living, medical expenses, dependents, etc., we do not encourage applicants with an annual household Adjusted Gross Income of over $100,000 to apply.

If applying for a fee waiver for the $130 application fee, please submit the following: 

Pre-College:
      1. for ALL students - copy of parents’ most recent tax filing
      2. Copy of needs-based award letter, if enrolled in a pre-college conservatory program, except for Curtis Institute and Colburn School students, who only need to submit parent tax filing.
   College:
      1. for ALL students except Curtis Institute and Colburn School - Copy of needs-based award letter - Curtis Institute and Colburn School students will need to submit a copy of parents’ most recent tax filing.

Eligibility: 

Please note that applicants under professional management (US or internationally-based) are not eligible to apply.

• You must be born on or after June 9, 2001 (no more than 23 years of age) and on or before June 7, 2010 (no less than 15 years of age) to be eligible to apply.

Your Application Should Include:

1. A high-quality, AUDIO recording of three contrasting selections of approximately 30 minutes total in ONE file to upload. Have clock timings for each one ready: you will input these on the application.   Please read complete guidelines below.

2. A photocopy of proof of age (scan of valid driver’s license, passport, or birth certificate)

3. $130 application fee at time of application via Submittable - or materials to apply for a fee waiver.

Recording Requirements

Your application is the Jury’s first opportunity to experience you as an artist. While conforming to the requirements, you should also strive to give those who will hear it a comprehensive picture of your musical personality, in addition to demonstrating technical mastery of your instrument. Your recording must have 3 separate works represented in ONE AUDIO file, appearing in this order (please include complete movements, even if they are longer than 10 minutes).  They may be recorded separately but must be combined into one file to upload:

TRACK 1: Unaccompanied Bach (at least 5 minutes). Choose ONE or more movements of unaccompanied Bach appropriate to your instrument.  Violists are welcome to choose from either the cello Suites or the violin Sonatas and Partitas. If you wish, you may submit movements from more than one work; be sure that this is clear when you submit the recording.

TRACK 2: ONE substantial movement of any Classical, Romantic, or major 20th-21st century concerto for your instrument with piano accompaniment only (approximately 10-15 minutes). Submissions of concertos with orchestral accompaniment will bedisqualified. Please note that if the movement you have chosen to submit is extremely short, you are welcome to submit an additional movement(s) from the concerto in order to substantially show your playing (i.e. for the Elgar Cello Concerto, you may submit the first and second movements together).  

TRACK 3: 20th-21st Century selection (approximately 10 minutes). This requirement is intended to demonstrate to the Jury how you handle the challenges presented by music of your own time, in a modern compositional language. Compositions by Debussy, Ravel, Ysaÿe, and Kreisler are specifically excluded and may not be used to fulfill this requirement. Additionally, works such as Franz Waxman’s Carmen Fantasie and the Sibelius Violin Concerto, while technically written after the beginning of the 20th century, do not meet the spirit of this requirement and are not acceptable.

If you have any questions as to the suitability of a particular work, you (or your teacher or other representative) may submit your question to info@kleincompetition.org and it will be passed on to the Jury anonymously for a determination. Movements from multiple 20th/21st C works are not acceptable; all movements must be from the same composition. Please review the repertoire list at the bottom of this page for guidance.
 

Other Recording Guidelines

• Each work may fulfill only one category requirement. A Prokofiev Concerto, for example, can fulfill the concerto requirement, or the 20th-21st century requirement, but not both. Do not include anything other than these 3 works on your recording.
• Your application will be best served by using the highest quality recording equipment, environment, and media that are available to you.
• We accept the following AUDIO formats: MP3, WAV, AAC, AIFF, M4A, OGG, FLAC OR WMA. Your file must be no larger than 400MB.
• You must include clock timings (e.g., 00:00 – 09:45) for each work or movement submitted. You will input these on the application form.
• All recordings submitted must have been made within the last 12 months. You may not perform on two instruments within a single application (e.g. both violin and viola).

Do not include:

• Works that do not fulfill one of the 3 specified requirements (e.g. encore pieces, sonata movements unless in fulfillment of the 20th-21st century requirement). The jury will not listen to them.
• Recordings with orchestral accompaniment. Your entry will be disqualified.
• Biographies, letters of recommendation, performance reviews, or photos.
• Any identification (name, etc) in your uploaded audio file names. Contestants must remain anonymous to the jury during the review process.