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.

Review Guidelines and 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.

Solo Division Categories: Brass, Marimba, Piano, Recorder, Strings, Voice, Woodwinds

Chamber Ensemble Division: Groups of 2 to 5 musicians that include any combination of piano, voice, strings, marimba, winds, recorders, and brass except: duos consisting of piano and another instrument or voice (these should enter the Solo Division); 2-piano ensembles (4-hands piano duo is acceptable); ensembles with more than one large instrument (large instruments include piano, marimba, harp, and string bass).

All specific guidelines can be found on Acceptd by selecting a category in the drop-down menu on the left:

 

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)

Finalists will be invited to Finals and Winners Concert at Seattle Opera’s Tagney Jones Hall:

Frances Walton Competition Finals – Saturday, May 31, 2025
Frances Walton Competition Winners Concert – Sunday, June 1, 2025

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:

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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.