High School Competition for Strings

in memory of Gustave E. Johansen, Jr.

Application Deadline

• Application Deadline: November 1, 2025, at 11:59pm
• Video and Score Submission Deadline (via email): November 8, 2025, at 11:59pm

Competition Details

Our 2025 competition will be virtual. A $35 nonrefundable application fee is required, using a credit card. All participants should submit a video and score (PDF) to serve as their entry to be judged. Participants must apply by November 1, 2025, at 11:59pm, and then email their video and score to Jeongseon Choi, Strings Competition Chair, at highschoolstrings@fmmc.org. Please see below for all video requirements.

Winners will be announced no later than November 16, 2024.

Eligibility

Students currently enrolled in Grades 9-12 who play violin, viola, cello, or bass within a 50-mile radius of the DC metropolitan area.

Awards

• First Prize: $1,500
• Second Prize: $1,000
• Third Prize: $700

The winners have opportunities to perform in the FMMC Student Recitals throughout the season at various venues and receive a membership for the full 2025-26 season.

Repertoire

Choose three works, each from a different period:

• A fast movement from a standard concerto.
• One work in a challenging, contemporary idiom (see suggested examples), 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 obviously 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. Please email highschoolstrings@fmmc.org to confirm your repertoire selection.

Video Requirements

• Your video must be submitted via email as a link, uploaded to YouTube (unlisted). Please send it to Jeongseon Choi, Strings Competition Chair, at highschoolstrings@fmmc.org. It must be received by November 11, 2023 at 11:59pm.
• The video should be one full recording of all three works without breaks in-between. Introduce yourself at the beginning, and before playing each piece, please state the title of the work and the composer. Do this for the start of each piece.
• You can record these videos at home using your own setup or at a recording studio.

Contact

Jeongseon Choi, Strings Competition Chair
301-461-2176
highschoolstrings@fmmc.org

2024 Winners

• First Prize: Yixuan Li, violin
• Second Prize: Caleb Fan, cello
• Third Prize: Daisy Wang, violin
• Honorable Mention: Eleanor Marx, violin