How to Apply: 

Entries open November 3, 2025.  Entries must be submitted by 11:59PM EST/8:59PM PST on January 31, 2026. There is a non-refundable entry fee of $140 payable online by credit card at the time of application, unless you apply for the fee waiver on your submission. 

Please note that fee waivers are VERY limited and will be reviewed first-come, first-serve and are awarded to eligible applicants, so please apply early to allow us time to review your application. We have historically awarded all of our fee waivers by early January. In the event that you do not qualify for a fee waiver, you must pay the $140 fee before January 31 2026 at 11:59pm EST if you wish for your application to still be considered by the jury.

Note that to receive email notification of the status of your application, you must opt-in under your account settings.

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 8, 2002 (no more than 23 years of age at the time of the competition) and on or before June 5, 2011 (no less than 15 years of age at the time of the competition) to be eligible to apply.

Your Application Should Include:

1. A high-quality, AUDIO recording of three contrasting selections in ONE file to upload. Have clock timings for each selection ready, which you will input into your application: once you upload your recording, a form for timings will appear on the application.

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

3. $140 application fee at time of application via Submittable - our a fee waiver application (please see our website for eligibility and required materials) 

Recording Requirements

Your recording must have 3 separate works recorded within the last 12 months, represented in one audio file. Please ensure the file name of your audio file contains no identifying information (name, etc.) and order your works as following. 

Please note that submitted recordings which do not meet these time requirements will still be considered by the jury, although the jury will take the shortness of recording under consideration and penalize you.

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 be disqualified. 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 (at least 5 minutes will be accepted but we prefer at least 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.
• 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 once you upload your audio recording.
• 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.