March 2, 2025
Grades 7 through 12
Registration: $35
Registration Ends: February 16, 2025
Registration:
Due Date: February 16, 2025
- Performers must complete the application and submit the registration fee in order to perform.
- Performers must be Arizona residents.
- Performers must be in grades seven through twelve, no younger than 13 and no older than 18 years of age.
- Early application is advised. It is possible that all available slots for performers will be filled before the end of the application submission period. If all slots are filled before the end of the application submission process, please email competition@azmusicfest.org to be placed on a waiting list.
- No refunds will be given in the event of performer withdrawal.
Date & Time:
- The Competition will be held on Sunday, March 2 from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm.
- We ask families to please reserve the entire duration of the competition until performers receive their exact timeslot.
- The competition may begin earlier or later depending on the number of performers.
- Performers will be notified of their exact timeslot the week following the application due date.
- Performers will be assigned an arrival time that is before their scheduled warm-up time.
Divisions:
- Divisions are determined by grade level.
- Performers may only perform during their division.
| Division | Number of Pieces | Warm-Up Duration | Performance Duration |
| I (Grades 7, 8, 9) | 1 or 2 | 10 minutes | 12 minutes |
| II (Grades 10, 11, 12) | 1 or 2 | 10 minutes | 12 minutes |
Location:
- The competition will be held at Arizona Musicfest: 7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy. Scottsdale, AZ 85255. (Map)
Music:
- Music must be standard literature chosen from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, or Contemporary periods.
- Simplified versions & transcriptions are not accepted.
- Multiple movements from a work may be entered as one selection, so long as the total program does not exceed the allotted time for the respective division (see above).
- Memorization is not required.
- Accompanied pieces must be performed with an accompanist.
- Performers are responsible for arranging their own accompanist. If assistance finding an accompanist is needed, please email competition@azmusicfest.org.
- Performers must provide three total copies of their score(s):
- Scores should not have markings that would indicate the performer or teacher’s identities.
- Score(s) must have measures numbered and cuts marked (if any) so the judges can use them as a reference during the performance.
- Scores will be checked at the Welcome Table for the above requirements and will be returned directly after the performance.
Prizes:
- Standout performers from each Division may be awarded cash prizes in the amounts detailed below.
- 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 are announced.
| Division | First Prize | Second Prize | Third Prize |
| I (Grades 7, 8 & 9) | $350 | $200 | $100 |
| II (Grades 10, 11 & 12) | $450 | $350 | $200 |
Adjudication:
- Judges will stop performers if their performance exceeds the competition time limits. There is no penalty if a performer needs to be stopped for this reason.
- Judges may elect to award Honorable Mentions to students demonstrating high levels of artistry in their performances. Ratings will only be awarded with unanimous recommendation from the committee.
- Judges have the option to withhold prizes.
- All teachers will receive judges’ comments within a week of the adjudication date.
Questions? Email competition@azmusicfest.org
Getting Here
Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Directions
7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy
7950 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, USA
Adjudication Panel
Brandon Dicks
Brandon Dicks is a Trumpeter, Composer, and Teacher, in the Tempe, Arizona region. Brandon Dicks has many job titles including Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Northern Arizona University, the Co-Director of the Trumpeter’s Multi-Track Competition and Seminar, and Program Director of Rhode Island Recording Ensemble. Alongside his career as a musician and manager, he also runs his own YouTube channel called BDicksmusic which has over 1K subscribers and over 100K channel views.
Brandon is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Trumpet Performance at Arizona State University while being a former Teaching Assistant to Joe Burgstaller. Brandon received his Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance and Music Composition at the University of Hartford where he studied with trumpeter Phil Snedecor and composition with Robert Carl, David Macbride, and Gilda Lyons. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Columbus State University where he studied with Robert Murray.
Dr. Elizabeth Buck
Elizabeth Buck is Professor of Flute at Arizona State University. Previous appointments include Visiting Associate Professor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and Principal Flute with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. As an orchestral musician, Elizabeth Buck has played Principal Flute with the Arizona MusicFest Orchestra and Pops Ensemble, Arizona Opera, AZ Bach Festival Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera National Company and the Nova Philharmonia Portuguesa in Lisbon, Portugal. International guest solo and teaching engagements include University of Cujo in Mendoza, Argentina; with past visits to Hainan University and Northwest MinZu University in China; University of the Arts (Bern), Lucerne University of Applied Arts and Sciences, and Winterthur Music Conservatory in Switzerland; Conservatory of Music in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and Yonsei University, Dankuk University, ChonNam University, and ChungNam University in South Korea. Dr. Buck holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rice University and Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School. She is an active and lifetime member of both the National Flute Association and the Arizona Flute Society.
Dr. Michael Compitello
Michael Compitello, percussion (March), is a dynamic, “fast rising” (WQXR) percussionist dedicated to music which explores the sonic and expressive possibilities of percussion instruments. Michael develops sustained collaborations with composers on new music while working to build community around the arts. His debut solo album Unsnared Drum—released 2021 on New Focus Recordings—seeks to reinvent the snare drum with “superb performances” (Classical Voice of North Carolina) and “brilliant technique” (An Earful) of new works by composers Nina C. Young, Hannah Lash, Amy Beth Kirsten, and Tonia Ko. With cellist Hannah Collins as the “remarkably inventive and resourceful” (Gramophone) New Morse Code, Michael has created a singular and personal repertoire through collaboration with some of America’s most esteemed young composers. Michael is also a member of Percussion Collective, an ensemble dedicated to refined performances of contemporary percussion repertoire. Michael is Associate Professor of Percussion at Arizona State University. He holds degrees from the Yale School of Music and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. For more, visit michaelcompitello.com.