Jazz Competition 2026

Registration:

Due Date: Sunday. January 22, 2026

General Information:

• All questions/comments should come from teachers only
  • Email competition@azmusicfest.org
• Parents and students are not allowed to contact Musicfest staff to discuss any portion of the competition.

Teachers should take time to review all of the current Guidelines, and go over these Guidelines with the participating students and their parents.

• Performers must complete the application and submit the registration fee in order to perform. Early application is advised. It is possible that all available slots for performers will be filled before application deadline.
  • The application must include the complete and accurate titles of the pieces to be performed, along with the full composer names.
  • Performers may sign up as a Combo and/or as a Soloist.
• Performers must be Arizona residents.
• Performers must be in grades 9 through 12, no younger than 14 (acceptable if student is turning 14 within the school year) and no older than 18 years of age.
• Schedule conflicts may be submitted in the application form’s comments section, but Arizona Musicfest does not guarantee that we will be able to accommodate all conflicts. No conflicts will be accepted after the application deadline.
• To edit your application information after submission, please return to the original confirmation email you received and follow the instructions in that email. No changes are allowed after the application deadline.
• No application refunds will be given in the event of performer withdrawal.
• Each teacher and performer must abide by all requirements and deadlines stated herein. Non-compliance will result in disqualification.

Date & Time:

The Competition will be held on the afternoon of Feb 8, 2026 between 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm

• Exact performance timeslots will be emailed out the week following the application due date.
• All performance times shall not exceed 12 minutes.

Music:

• Music chosen for the competition should be 2 contrasting standard tunes by composers of renown, such as those from the “Great American Songbook” (Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, etc.) and/or the bebop and post-bop eras (Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea, etc.). Acceptable performance styles are ballads (performed in-tempo), moderate to up-tempo jazz standards, rhythm changes, straight-eighth (e.g. bossa nova) tunes, blues, and bebop. While original compositions are not permitted, creative arrangements of standard tunes are encouraged.
  • COMBO SLOT: All members of the ensemble must perform at minimum a one chorus solo on at least one of the tunes. For ballads, a half chorus solo is acceptable.
  • SOLO SLOT: Chordal instruments (piano, guitar, etc.) must perform unaccompanied. Singers and all other instrumentalists competing as a Soloist must have live accompaniment consisting of a single chordal instrument. No backing tracks will be allowed.
  • Individual performers may compete in both a combo and as a stand-alone soloist.
  • If the performer’s tune(s) exceed the length of the allotted competition time, please note the judges may stop a performance in order to stay on schedule, with no penalty to the performer.
• Memorization is required.
• Performers must provide three total copies of their music in lead sheet form:
  • Lead sheets should not have markings that would indicate the performer or teacher’s identities.
  • Lead sheets must have measures numbered and cuts marked (if any) so the judges can use them as a reference during the performance.
  • Lead sheets will be checked at the Welcome Table for the above requirements and will be returned directly after the performance.
• One Steinway piano will be provided.
• DRUMMERS: A house kit will be provided; please bring your own cymbals.
• Please dress in appropriate concert attire.

Location:

• The competition will be held at Arizona Musicfest: 7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy. Scottsdale, AZ 85255 (Map)

Prizes:

• Up to three combos or soloists will be awarded will be awarded cash prizes:
  • First Prize: $450/person
  • Second Prize: $350/person
  • Third Prize: $200/person
• NOTE: As combos and soloists compete together, there is the possibility a combo could win first prize, a soloist win second prize, etc.
• Awarded performers may be invited to perform in the Young Musicians Concert Series in the MIM Music Theater.
• Awarded performers may receive additional performance opportunities as they become available.

Adjudication:

• Judges will stop performers if their performance exceeds the competition time limits. There is no penalty if an ensemble needs to be stopped for this reason.
• Prizes are awarded at the end of the competition to combos/soloists who display the highest level of artistic excellence.
• Judges may elect to award Honorable Mentions to combos/soloists demonstrating high levels of artistry in their performances.
• Judges have the option to withhold prizes.
• All teachers will receive judges’ comments within a week of the adjudication date.
• Musicfest’s competitions do not have a prescribed scoring system, and thus require that all judges hear all the competition participants to allow for proper verbal deliberation and a fair outcome. Since selective recusal is not allowed, by agreeing to be on this jury panel, the judges agree that they will not submit their own students as competitors. Furthermore, performers are ineligible to participate if they or their principal teacher have a familial relationship with a judge.
• The judges have full discretion over awarding decisions, which are final and cannot be challenged.