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 15, 2025.

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. In addition, the prizewinners and those awarded honorable mentions receive free FMMC Student Membership for 5 years. Prize money amounts may be altered or withheld at the discretion of the judges.

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