And the winners are…
Sunmin Kim, piano; Yoonseo Lee, violin; Candide Quartet
Congratulations also to our Alternate Winners:
Szuyu Su, piano; Colin Crake, saxophone; and Nightshade Quartet
Browse the 2026 Frances Walton Competition Program
Read about all the talented musicians and check out Saturday’s schedule in the digital program below:
Register for the FREE Winners Concert Today!
The 2026 Frances Walton Competition Finalists (full list below) will perform all day at Seattle Opera’s Tagney Jones Hall on May 30th, from 8:30am to 4:35pm. Two solo winners and one chamber ensemble winner will be announced at 5:30pm, and winners will perform a free concert at 6pm. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is limited at the Winners’ Concert so please RSVP for your free ticket(s) here!
Ladies Musical Club Announces 2026 Frances Walton Competition Finalists
SEATTLE, Wash. // May 1st, 2026 – The Ladies Musical Club of Seattle is thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2026 National Frances Walton Competition. This year, there are 12 solo finalists and 4 chamber ensemble finalists:
| Solo Finalists | Instrument | City, ST | Finals Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Zhao | Piano | New Haven, CT | 9:25 AM |
| Bradley Greathouse | French Horn | Lincoln, NE | 12:50 PM |
| Colin Crake | Saxophone | Boulder, CO | 1:15 PM |
| David Lee | Marimba | Los Angeles, CA | 11:25 AM |
| Kelsey Payne | Violin | King George, VA | 10:35 AM |
| Kimberly Alexandra Adam | Soprano | Kunkletown, PA | 1:40 PM |
| Ori Marcu | Mezzo-soprano | Portland, OR | 2:05 PM |
| Rachael Kim | Violin | Los Angeles, CA | 11:50 AM |
| Sheena Hui | Piano | Rochester, NY | 9:00 AM |
| Sunmin Kim | Piano | Boston, MA | 9:50 AM |
| Szuyu Su | Piano | Houston, TX | 8:35 AM |
| Yoonseo Lee | Violin | Boston, MA | 11:00 AM |
| Chamber Ensemble Finalists | Group Members | Finals Time |
|---|---|---|
| Candide Quartet (NY) | Henry Rogers, violin; Chili Ekman, violin; Amelia Krinke, viola; Vanny Hu, cello | 3:25 PM |
| New Horizon Brass (CT) | Jacob Rose, trumpet; Jon-Michael Taylor, trumpet; Aidan Lewis, french horn; William Roberts, trombone; Mikal Martin, tuba | 4:15 PM |
| Nightshade Quartet (CA, IL) | Lucas Wiese Ibarra, soprano sax; Cole Moorhead, alto sax; Nick Scuderi, tenor sax; Charles Lane, baritone sax | 3:50 PM |
| Trio Animoso (FL, CT, MA) | Sophia Jean, flute; Julian Seney, viola; Subin Lee, harp | 3:00 PM |
The Finals will be held on Saturday, May 30th from 8:30am to 4:35pm at Seattle Opera’s Tagney Jones Hall. Each finalist performs for 20 minutes. There will be a reception in the lobby from 4:30 – 5:30pm. Winners are announced at 5:30pm and perform a free concert at 6pm that evening.
The 2026 Frances Walton Competition will be held at Tagney Jones Hall @ Seattle Opera on Saturday, May 30th.
Applications for the 2026 Frances Walton Competition open on November 1st, 2025 and close on March 1st, 2026.
Review Guidelines and Apply Here via Acceptd: https://bit.ly/apply-FWC
Important Dates:
- November 1, 2025 = Applications open
- December 31, 2025 = Early Bird Bonus ends (applicants who apply by 12/31 and are accepted into and attend the finals will receive an additional $100 travel voucher plus the standard $250 finalist award)
- March 1, 2026 = Applications close
- April 7-15, 2026 = All applicants notified via Acceptd and/or email of their application status
- May 1, 2026 = Finalists announced
- May 30, 2026 = 2026 Frances Walton Competition Finals & Winners Concert (Seattle, WA)
- September 11-18, 2026 = Chamber Music Ensemble Winners’ Tour (Washington State)
- September 18-25, 2026 = Solo Winners’ Tour (Washington State)
Information about the 2026 Frances Walton Competition:
For forty 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 will be held at Seattle Opera’s Tagney Jones Hall at 363 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98109.
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, 2026
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 on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
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 2026, including outreach performances to public schools K-12 and public concerts
- Chamber Music Ensemble winners tour: September 11-18, 2026
- Solo winners tour: September 18-25, 2026
- Live performance on Classical KING 98.1, the Pacific Northwest’s premier Classical radio station.
Click the links to get FWC Finals Information and the FWC Tour Information.
