Competition Overview  

Artist Presentation Society Concerto/Aria Competition
Saturday March 13, 2027

Community Music School,
Webster University, 535 Garden Ave.

Applications open Tuesday, December 1, 2026

Deadline for applications: Midnight on Wednesday, January 20, 2027

The Artist Presentation Society has been and always will be committed to the complete inclusion of all races, genders, religions, and identities and will continue to promote talented and qualified musicians from all backgrounds.  

We partner with Acceptd for the application process. All applications will be done through the Acceptd platform. Please visit our Competition Application Page to learn more and begin an application.

COMPETITION OVERVIEW

The objective of Artist Presentation Society is to identify emerging classical music artists of the highest caliber and to promote their careers by public performance opportunities. The Society’s annual competition utilizes a panel of professional musicians to evaluate Competitors’ performance, musicianship, level and variety of repertoire, interpretive and communicative abilities and overall readiness to engage in a viable concert career.

Two winners will be chosen by a panel of judges and the announcement will be made at the end of the day. All competitors are required to be present for the announcement of winners. Those winners are presented in a concert with a St. Louis orchestra within the ensuing concert season and receive a cash award of $4,000 as well as a $500 travel stipend.

COMPETITION CATEGORIES

SOLO ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS
PIANO
CLASSICAL GUITAR
VOICE

COMPETITION ELIGIBILITY

AGE ELIGIBILITY - Instrumentalists: No older than 30 on the day of auditions, March 13, 2027. 
AGE ELIGIBILITY - Singers: No older than 35 on the day of auditions, March 13, 2027.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT - Applicants must be residing or studying in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, or Ohio. Applicants who no longer reside in these states but whose previous domicile was within the defined area are also eligible.

RECITAL REQUIREMENT - Applicants must have performed at least one full-length program within the past two years. Acceptable equivalencies for one program are:
- SINGERS - the performance of a major operatic or oratorio role.
- INSTRUMENTALISTS - a complete concerto with orchestra.

Past winners and full-time music faculty are not eligible to apply.