2025 Frances Walton Competition Applications are now open!

Applications for the 2025 Frances Walton Competition open on November 1st, 2024 and close on March 1st, 2025.

Apply here via Acceptd: https://bit.ly/apply-FWC

Important Dates:

November 1, 2024 = Applications open
December 31, 2024 = Early Bird Bonus ends (applicants who apply by 12/31 and are accepted into and attend the finals will receive an additional $50 travel voucher plus the standard $250 finalist award)
March 1, 2025 = Applications close
April 7, 2025 = Finalists notified
May 1, 2025 = Finalists announced
May 31, 2025 = 2025 Frances Walton Competition Finals (Seattle, WA)
June 1, 2025 = 2025 Frances Walton Competition Winners Concert (Seattle, WA)
September 4-11, 2025 = Chamber Music Ensemble Winners’ Tour (Washington State)
September 19-26, 2025 = Solo Winners’ Tour (Washington State)

Information about the 2025 Frances Walton Competition:

For more than thirty years, the Frances Walton Competition has provided a unique opportunity for Classical musicians ages 20 to 35 to audition for an award package including finalist awards and $3500 to each winning musician and ensemble member; a live performance on Classical KING-FM 98.1, one of the premier Classical music stations in the U.S.; and a residency outreach and recital tour of locations throughout the State of Washington. The finals weekend will be held at Seattle Opera’s Tagney Jones Hall.

2025 Frances Walton Competition
For Classical Musicians

Application Deadline
March 1, 2025
A maximum of 200 applications to the 2025 FWC will be accepted.
Soloist Application Fee: $125 (non-refundable)
Chamber Music Ensemble Application Fee: $250 (non-refundable)

Early Bird Special!
Applicants who apply by December 31, 2024 and are selected as finalists will receive an additional $50 travel voucher each upon attendance at the finals in Seattle, WA.

Finalists will be invited to:

Frances Walton Competition Finals
Saturday, May 31, 2025

AND

Frances Walton Competition Winners Concert
Sunday, June 1, 2025
At Seattle Opera’s Tagney Jones Hall in Seattle, WA

Award Package

Finalists receive:

A Finalist Award of $250 for EACH musician, including each member of ensembles
Professional photography and video of their competition performance
Winners (two solo and one ensemble) receive:
- $3,500 for each solo winner
- $3,500 for EACH member of the winning ensemble ($7000 for duos; $10,500 for trios; $14,000 for quartets; $17,500 for quintets)
- Professional photography and video of the Winners’ Concert
- Week-long residency tours to be held in Washington State in September 2025,including outreach performances to public schools K-12 and public concerts
  - Chamber Music Ensemble winners tour: September 4-11, 2025
  - Solo winners tour: September 19-26, 2025
- Live performance on Classical KING-FM 98.1, the Pacific Northwest’s premier Classical radio station.

Special Thanks to Our Partners:

This project is supported in part by Creative West (formerly Western States Arts Federation or WESTAF) the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.