Local Student Competitions

Barbara Goff, Chair

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FMMC holds a number of competitions for students in the Washington, DC, area:

Three annual instrumental competitions for students currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12 who live within 50 miles of Washington, DC
An annual voice competition for high school and college students ages 17 to 22
A composition competition for high school students approximately every 3 years

Winners receive cash awards and one year’s free membership in the Club and appear in the FMMC student recital series. Winners of Honorable Mentions also receive a year’s free membership.

See below for information on this season's competitions for strings; composition; woodwinds, brass, and percussion; voice; and piano.

2009 High School Competition for Strings

This competition in memory of Gustave N. Johansen, Jr., took place on Monday (school holiday) November 2, 2009, from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM, at Sumner School, 1201 17th St., NW, Washington, DC. Contact: Suzanne Richardson, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click here for an entry form, suggested modern compositions, and judges' biographies.

Eligibility

Students currently enrolled in Grades 9 through 12 who play violin, viola, cello, or bass.

Awards

First Prize: $700
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: $300

The first-prize winner will perform in a concert on Friday, November 27, 2009, at 2 PM at the Mansion at Strathmore Arts Center, in Bethesda, MD. Other prizewinners will perform at FMMC concerts later in the year. Winners will receive a 1-year membership in the Student Division of the Friday Morning Music Club.

Repertoire

Choose three works, each from a different period:

A fast movement from a standard concerto.
One work in a challenging, contemporary idiom, employing such characteristic devices as atonality, polyrhythms, non-traditional notation, etc. No works drawn from film scores. The degree of the stylistic/aesthetic challenge of the work will be a factor in the judging. The work need not be memorized; though doing so will bviously increase the contestant’s score.
A composition in a style that contrasts with the other two works.

Requirements

All selections, except sonatas with piano, must be performed from memory. An exception may be made for a new piece in a contemporary idiom.
Only one sonata with piano may be included on your program.
Contestants must provide their own accompanist. Any music with accompaniment must be performed with an accompanist.
Repertoire must be approved by the Competition Committee prior to submitting application.
Each contestant will be allowed 10 minutes. Therefore, the judges may ask for portions of the compositions.

2010 Neva Greenwood Memorial Student Composition Competition

This competition, in memory of Neva Greenwood, will take place on Saturday, January 30, 2010, in Washington, DC. Applications must be received by December 4, 2009. Contact: Dr. Mark Handel, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Click here for a flyer announcing the Competition. Click here for more information and an entry form.

Eligibility

Entrants must be in grades 7–12 as of December 4, 2009, residing in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia.

Repertoire

Compositions may be up to 10 minutes in length, and scored for up to six performers of acoustic instruments or voice. There are no formal style requirements for the submitted work.

Awards

First Prize: $700
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: $300

Judging

Three distinguished judges will select finalists, based on the submitted materials. Winners will be chosen following the Finals Concert based on the judges’ evaluation of the works in performance, in addition to the submitted materials.

2010 Ross-Roberts Competition for High School Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion Players

This competition will be held on March 6, 2010, at the National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Applications must be postmarked no later than February 5, 2010. Contact: Edith Tatel, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click here for an application form.

Eligibility

Students currently enrolled in grades 9–12, who play woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments and live within 50 miles of Washington, DC.

Awards

First Prize: $700
Second Prize: $500
Judge’s Discretionary Award: $300

Repertoire

All contestants must use an official accompanist provided by the Friday Morning Music Club. There will be no advance rehearsals.

Woodwind and Brass: Choose three works, each from contrasting periods (transcriptions acceptable). One work must be from either the 20th or 21st century. One must be unaccompanied (2 to 5 minutes’ duration—an etude is acceptable). One must be a fast movement of a major concerto. One work must be memorized. All works must be currently published.

Percussion: Choose a 20-minute program demonstrating your best abilities. This may include a marimba solo using two or four mallets (original or transcribed); a timpani solo using four drums; or a snare drum or multiple percussion solo. Any selection written to be accompanied must be performed with the official accompanist. The performer must provide all percussion equipment.

2010 Sue Goetz Ross Student Competition for Voice

The Sue Goetz Ross Memorial Competition for voice students ages 17 to 22 will take place on April 17, 2010, at the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, 7611 Clarendon Road, Bethesda, MD. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 27, 2010. Contact: Mira Yang, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click here for an application form.
Awards

First Prize: $700
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: $300

Repertoire

Three selections of contrasting style and period, memorized:

Early Italian Art Song
Aria – Opera or Oratorio in original language
Contemporary English or American Art Song

2010 Stubbs-Henbest-Davis Competition for High School Pianists

This competition, in memory of Pearl Pate Stubbs, Fanny Ross Henbest, and Audrey Davis, will be held on April 24, 2010, at the National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Applications must be postmarked no later than Saturday, March 27, 2010. Contact: Lois Smith Jones, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click here for an application form.

Eligibility

Piano students who are currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12, living within a 50-mile radius of Washington, DC. First-place winners from previous years are ineligible.

Awards

First Prize: $700
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: $300

Winners were presented at a student concert later in the season. All winners received a one-year membership in the Student Division of the Friday Morning Music Club.

Repertoire

Students must be prepared to play works from each of the following four categories:

A prelude and fugue from either volume of the Well Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach, or two other comparable pieces from the Baroque Period
The first movement of a sonata by Beethoven (excluding Op. 49), Mozart (excluding K 545), Haydn (excluding early Divertimenti), or Schubert
A substantial work from the Romantic Period
An impressionist work or a work from the 20th or 21st century

Requirements

All selections must be performed from memory.
Repertoire must be approved by the competition chair.
Entrants must provide music for the judges. If the music is photocopied, the entrant will be disqualified.
All decisions made by the judges are final.
No changes in repertoire may be made after the application deadline.