A key part of our Mission, for the last 30 years Musicfest has identified, supported, and promoted numerous aspiring Young Musicians from around the Valley of the Sun and Tucson area.
Through our highly-regarded Competitions, each year Musicfest supports Young Musicians with commentary, praise, and critique from some of the area’s finest musicians. Standout participants earn prizes and performance opportunities through our Young Musicians Concerts in the MIM Music Theater. These extraordinary students are also invited to Masterclasses and Private Lessons with some of our featured Festival Performers. As students transition their studies to the collegiate level, Musicfest proudly sponsors two first-year and four continuing students pursuing undergraduate studies through the Musicfest Scholarship Program.
Select from the tabs on the left to find out more!
Young Musicians CompetitionsThe Young Musicians Competition recognizes the outstanding talents of young musicians, provides a space where young competitors can perform for and receive evaluations from respected judges, and distributes monetary awards to winners who may also earn opportunities to perform as part of the Arizona Musicfest concert series.
Click below for competition details, rules, and applications:
Arizona Musicfest ScholarshipSince 2011, the Arizona Musicfest Scholarship Program has generously awarded over ninety thousand dollars to Arizona students pursuing college degrees in music.
Arizona Musicfest Scholarship recipients are currently pursuing or have recently earned degrees from the following distinguished institutions:The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, The Cleveland Institute of Music, USC’s Thornton School of Music, Biola University, Arizona State University, The Eastman School of Music, Vanderbilt University, and Curtis Institute of Music.
Learn about past recipients and find application information through the link below!
During the 2022-2023 season, Arizona Musicfest will produce a series of three Young Musicians Concerts at the MIM Music Theater in Phoenix. Join us and experience virtuosity from the start! Follow the links below to purchase tickets:
Join our introduction to West-African Handdrumming!
Free drum circles led by Frank Thompson
The Solution to "Lonely Pianist Syndrome!"
Children, six months to three years, will grow, learn and connect through music in this engaging music series. Utilizing developmental music therapy techniques, Music Makers and Shakers aims to increase children’s social-emotional, motor and cognitive skills. Miss Emily, a board-certified music therapist, will engage young minds and bodies with live acoustic accompaniment and a range of musical instruments for young ones and their caregivers to explore. This will be an inclusive class where children of all abilities are welcome including neuro-divergent children, children with developmental delays and typically developing children. Please note that baby siblings younger than 6 months can come but are not counted as part of the class.
Stay cool with us this summer with Musicfest at the Movies! We explore the evolution of musical films, starting from the 1930s into the 21st century, with each film representing an important contribution to the art form. After a brief introduction on the film’s music, we will view the film in its entirety and conclude with a brief discussion. Popcorn and soda are provided! The idea for Dreamgirls originated in 1975 as an idea by playwright Tom Eyen and composer Harry Krieger to craft a musical centered around black back-up singers. Both were little-known writers focused on creating experimental theatre off-off-Broadway in the late 60s and early 70s. Thanks to the interest of Broadway producer/director/choreographer Michael Bennett, the show come to fruition, eventually making its way to Broadway in 1981 and running for 1,521 performances until mid-1985. The song "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," performed by Jennifer Holliday in the show, found its way to #1 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1982. The story follows the history and evolution of American R&B music during the 1960s and 1970s through the eyes of a Detroit girl group known as "The Dreams" and their manipulative record executive. Though a work of fiction is based on the amalgamation of the history of the Motown record label and the girl groups that performed for them, most notably The Supremes. Though there were many attempts to adapt Dreamgirls for the screen in the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn't until 2005 that the film was greenlit - and was to be the most expensive film with an all-black cast in cinema history. Krieger wrote four new songs for the film. The film rearranges the original score of the musical to combine the R&B-style score to better reflect both its original 1960s inspiration combined with R&B aesthetics from the early 2000s. In the same way that Jennifer Holliday was a relative unknown at ...
Listen Up: Seminars on Music is a weekly gathering of music lovers every Wednesday morning, hosted by AZMF’s Resident Artist, Josh Condon. Each session combines music history, analysis, active listening, and discussion, designed to enhance your listening experience and overall music appreciation. Listen Up covers all genres, emphasizing our common humanity across all musical styles! Coffee and refreshments provided.
Access to Artistry provides a unique opportunity for music students to learn from nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. Taught by Dr. Silvan Negrutiu, Associate Professor and Director of Piano Studies at Northern Arizona University. Program: Jessica Frolov, Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ("Appassionata" ), Op. 57, Mvt.I Kyle Gu, Zhao: Numa Ame Nathan Spencer, Mozart: 12 Variations in C Major, K. 265 Yoobin Cha, Schubert: Fantasie in C Major, ("Wanderer Fantasy"), Op. 15
Listen Up: Seminars on Music is a weekly gathering of music lovers every Wednesday morning, hosted by AZMF’s Resident Artist, Josh Condon. Each session combines music history, analysis, active listening, and discussion, designed to enhance your listening experience and overall music appreciation. Listen Up covers all genres, emphasizing our common humanity across all musical styles! Coffee and refreshments provided.
