Concerto and Aria Competition Prize

OVERVIEW

This prize will be awarded to the best performer of a concerto or aria based on competition.

AWARD

The winner of the final round will be deemed the “2026 Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance Concerto and Aria Competition Winner” and will be awarded a monetary prize of $1000. The winner may also be offered the opportunity to perform their chosen work as part of the 2026 Monash Academy Orchestra season.

ELIGIBILITY

The 2026 Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance Concerto and Aria Competition is open to all students of the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance enrolled in 2026.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Candidates are invited to submit a complete concertante work, for one or more soloists. There is no specific time limit, however, works between 20 - 40 minutes in duration are preferred. For the first round you can record a selection of movements rather than the full concerto. This recording should contain at least 15 minutes of music, and should consist of full movements - do not record only part of a movement.
  • It is the responsibility of the candidate to consult with their teacher in selecting a work that is appropriate to perform with the Monash Academy Orchestra. Instrumentation and the level of difficulty of the chosen work are factors that should be considered by the candidate.
  • The candidate should ensure that the score and parts are reasonable to source.
  • Voice students must choose works that have been originally written for voice and orchestra, i.e. from opera, oratorio, cantata, orchestral song cycle/tone poem. Students may wish to present a complete song cycle etc.
  • If you are submitting more than one concerto for the competition, each work must be on a separate entry form.

All applications must be completed using THIS form. 

Piano accompaniment will be provided for the final round of the competition. Preliminary round recordings can be unaccompanied.

All students participating in this competition must be available for all rounds for which they have been selected.

Past winners are not eligible.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

Entries close Sunday, week 6.
The competition will be held in two stages. Preliminary round video recordings are due Sunday week 6, with the final round being held in week 11.

SELECTION CRITERIA

A small number of students will be chosen to proceed to the final round.

The winner will be judged against the following criteria

  1. Technical proficiency
  2. Artistic expression
  3. Suitability of the work to be performed with the Monash Academy Orchestra.

IMPORTANT DATES

Applications due: Sunday, week 6, semester 2.

Notification of application outcome: Week 7, semester 2.

ENQUIRIES  

Enquiries should be directed to Aaron Wyatt by email: aaron.wyatt@monash.edu.