Rules & Awards

Why Join YSIMC?

YSIMC offers musicians from all backgrounds an opportunity to showcase their musical talents in a fair and straightforward competition. This event brings together young musicians from around the globe to foster their growth by:

- Providing a fun challenge to prepare for and conquer
- Helping musicians set musical goals and expand their knowledge
- Celebrating progress and achievements with unique certificates and awards
- Boosting self-confidence and encouraging personal growth
- Recognizing and honoring student successes on their musical journeys

Musicians who participate in these events enjoy a range of benefits, both in their daily lives and musical pursuits by

- Getting a chance to win prizes and awards within their home state through YSIMC
- Engaging in a fair event where every participant receives special certificates for taking part, as well as placement awards (Grand, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, honorable, and merit awards)
- Being more committed to their instrument and practice more regularly when participating

YSIMC's achievements are a wonderful addition to any resume, showcasing musical accomplishments, creativity, goal-setting abilities, and a commitment to overcoming challenges. YSIMC encourages all musicians to join our annual music competitions, offering a chance to challenge themselves, and boost confidence, dedication, determination, and success!

Application Procedure

The Young Soloist International Music Competition is an annual event that seeks to identify and celebrate exceptional young classical music performers worldwide. It is open to instrumentalists across various categories, including keyboard, strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, as well as vocalists. The competition is open to participants of all nationalities aged 30 and below who possess a high level of proficiency in their chosen instrument or vocal style.

The competition provides a platform for aspiring young musicians to showcase their skills and talent to a global audience. It is a prestigious event that emphasizes excellence in classical music performance, and participants are expected to adhere to the highest standards of professionalism and artistry. The competition's aim is to discover and promote the next generation of classical music stars.  

  - Keyboard : Piano

  - Strings : Violin, Viola, Cello, Double bass, Guitar, Harp

  - Woodwinds : Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Saxophone

  - Brass : Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba, Euphonium

  - Percussion : Marimba mallets

  - Voice : Classical, Broadway, Musical, Opera, Folk.

To apply, please go to the online application page and provide your personal information and repertoire materials. Remember that we only accept online applications, and your application will only be approved if you pay the application fee successfully and provide all necessary information. Please note that all fees are non-refundable and in US dollars. The competition will not have a live audition; instead, we will evaluate your performance video.

Deadline and Fee

* Early entry by : July 15th, 2024

* Early entry fee : $160

* Late entry by :  July 29th, 2024

* Late entry fee : $180

Please take note that all deadlines must be met by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Any applications received after the stated late entry deadline will not be considered. The only acceptable method of application submission is through the Online Application on our website.

Online Application

Divisions

* Division I : Ages 10 and below

* Division II : Ages 11 to 13

* Division III : Ages 14 to 16

* Division IV : Ages 17 to 19

* Division V : Ages 20 to 30

We kindly remind you that it is against our policies to provide false age information. In the event of any suspicion, we may request you to provide a valid proof of age document. Failure to respond to our request may result in the disqualification of your application. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Prize Level and Award Criteria

* Grand Prize

* Finalist

* 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize of each division and instrument category.

* Honorable Mention

* Merit Award

We are pleased to inform you that the Grand Prize winners of each age category will be awarded a $500 scholarship, a Certificate of Achievement, and an advertisement on our website. We would like to kindly remind you that all previous winners are welcome to participate in future competitions, except for past Grand Prize winners who may only reapply when their age falls within a higher division.

Please note that all other winners will receive a Certificate of Achievement award. However, to be eligible for the Grand Prize, candidates must attain a score of 92 or above in their respective division. If there are no candidates who meet this criterion, a Grand Prize winner may not be selected for that particular division.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all participants for their dedication and hard work. We will announce the winners a week after closing the application, and we welcome you to request an E-certificate as soon as they are announced via email. E-certificates will be sent out within one week of your request. For US candidates, the paper certificates will be mailed out approximately 30 days after the announcement, and for non-US candidates, the certificates will be mailed out approximately 40 days after the announcement.

To ensure that you receive your certificate in a timely and accurate manner, please ensure that your mailing address is correct, including your floor and apartment number if applicable. If we are required to resend your certificate due to an incorrect mailing address, we regret to inform you that a penalty fee of $20 (for US candidates) or $30 (for non-US candidates) will be charged. For non-US candidates, please provide your address in your local language.

Repertoire

 1) Instrumental: Any piece by your choice from the standard repertoire. One movement or multiple movements of a concerto, sonata, or any virtuoso piece is allowed.

 2) Percussionist: Any piece by your choice with 2 or 4 Marimba mallets.

 3) Voice: any one song from opera aria, classical repertoire, folk/traditional and musical, broadway.

We kindly request that you limit your performance to a maximum of 30 minutes, with no minimum duration required. Please note that changes to the repertoire are not permitted after the online application has been submitted. If you wish to request a change to your repertoire, kindly send us an email before the application is closed.

Recording Requirements

1) Memorization and accompaniment are not mandatory requirements, but they are recommended for the performance.

2) The Youtube video must be made public or unlisted for evaluation purposes.

3) The performer's full name, title, and composer of the piece should be included in the Youtube video.

4) Both home and studio recordings are acceptable as long as the video and audio recording is of sufficient clarity for evaluation.

5) The performance must have been recorded within a year of submitting the application.

6) The use of electric instruments is prohibited, except for the purpose of accompaniment.

7) The application will be disqualified if pitch correction is detected.

8) The performer's face, instrument, hands, and pedals must be recorded clearly in the video for evaluation purposes.

9) The jury's decision is absolute, and appeals will not be entertained.

Jury

The evaluation process for the competition involves a distinguished panel of professional musicians from diverse backgrounds and locations across the globe. These esteemed judges will meticulously review and grade the video submissions in accordance with the competition guidelines.

Furthermore, a group of expert Jurors will be tasked with selecting the winners of the competition. The President of the Jury and the other panel members are highly qualified and knowledgeable individuals, and their judgments will be considered final.

It is important to note that the judges and jurors will not be obliged to provide any additional explanations regarding the rationale for their decisions. Therefore, it is essential that all participants follow the rules and guidelines of the competition carefully to ensure that their submissions are evaluated fairly and objectively.

The criteria for evaluation will include various aspects of the musical performance such as tone quality, precision of intonation and rhythms, rhythmic pulse, phrasing, vocal tone quality, technical proficiency, breath control, use of pedal, expression, musical interpretation, lyrical content, stage presence, level of difficulty of the piece, and overall mastery.