See below for Peabody-sponsored competitions and selected competitions in the Mid-Atlantic Region. You can also research competitions worldwide via LAUNCHPad’s Competition Search Resources. Students are encouraged to consult with LAUNCHPad staff when preparing competition applications.

Students who win competition prizes should know that the U.S. government considers such awards to be taxable income. A prize will not reduce a student’s Peabody-funded scholarship unless the prize is a full-tuition scholarship. However, if a prize alters a student’s demonstrated financial need, then federally funded need-based aid may be affected.

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Peabody-Sponsored Competitions

Yale Gordon Concerto Competition

First prize: $1,500, a performance with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, and a recital presented by the Shriver Hall Concert Series. Second prize: $750; third prize: $500. This competition rotates annually in the areas of strings, piano, and orchestral instruments. Any Peabody student enrolled in a degree, certificate, or diploma program during the academic year is eligible.

The Marbury Competition for Undergraduate Violinists

First prize: $1,000 and a major public recital. Second prize: $500. Any undergraduate violin major enrolled in a degree or certificate program for the current academic year is eligible to enter this competition upon the major teacher’s recommendation.

Harrison Winter Piano Competition

The Harrison L. Winter Piano Competition was established in 1990 in honor of a former chairman of Peabody’s Board of Trustees. It is scheduled on a two-years-on, one-year-off basis. First prize: $1,000 and a performance with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra. Second prize: $500.

Sylvia Green Biennial Voice Competition

The Sylvia Green Voice Competition is held every two years for junior, senior, or graduate-level voice students. Doctoral students are eligible if they are enrolled in major lessons. Contestants perform vocal repertoire with orchestral accompaniment (full or chamber), typically 10-20 minutes in length (shorter or longer pieces may be approved). Excerpts from opera or oratorio are not acceptable. First prize: $1,500 and a performance with a large Peabody instrumental ensemble. Second prize: $750.

Art Song Competition

Interested singers should present a list of classical songs—4 songs for undergraduates and 6 songs for graduates. These songs should represent a variety of languages applicable to the singer’s class level requirement. Only non-orchestral, non-operatic, and non-chamber works are permitted, and graduate competitors must include at least one song composed after 1950. All songs must be memorized.

Macht Orchestral Composition Competition

The Macht Orchestral Composition Competition is held annually for composition majors and designed to provide premiere performances of new works for orchestra. Entries must be written for a standard symphonic orchestra or chamber orchestra during the student’s period of enrollment at Peabody. Entries must also be played through in a Peabody orchestral reading session, and the composer must be enrolled for major lessons during the year. First prize: $1,000 and a performance of the winning work at a Peabody public concert.

DeLillo Composition Competition

The DeLillo Composition Competition is offered biannually to any Conservatory composition major enrolled for lessons. Entrants submit one composition of any style, length, or instrumentation. First prize: $1,000 and a performance of the winning work at a public Peabody concert, if feasible. Second prize: $500.

Prix d’Été Competition

Endowed by Walter Summer in 1994, this annual competition was established to encourage composition and computer music majors to compose chamber works exploring dimensions in performance, instrumentation, and multimedia. Entries must demonstrate significant use of music technology. First prize: $1,000 and a performance of the winning work.

Nina Simone Piano Competition

The Nina Simone Piano Competition will take place in the summer of 2023. Collaborators on this new project are the Art of the Piano Festival + Foundation, the Sphinx Organization, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts

The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts is a University-wide, $1,500 prize offered for excellence in performance, execution, or composition in one of the arts as an avocational activity. Peabody seniors may compete in any artistic area except music (e.g., writing, visual arts, dance, film).

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Competitions Beyond Peabody

The following competitions have been curated by LAUNCHPad staff members and should not be treated as a comprehensive list. Please check the boxes below to view the competitions that most interest you!

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Competition Search Resources

 

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