The 43rd Annual Fischoff Competition, the largest chamber music competition in the country, will be held May 6 to 8 (Friday to Sunday) at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame.
Sponsored by the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association and hosted annually by Notre Dame over the course of three days, talented young musicians from around the world compete in three divisions: juniors, senior strings and senior winds. Ensembles may include brass quintets, string quartets, woodwind quintets, piano trios, saxophone quartets, string sextets, percussion ensembles, wind trios and an eclectic mix of winds and strings.
The grand prize concert on Sunday (May 8) features two senior division gold medalists competing to become the 2016 Fischoff grand prize winner. The concert will also feature a performance by the junior division gold medal winner. The awards ceremony and concert recognize the achievements of nine ensembles that have successfully competed against 49 chamber music ensembles. More than $34,000 will be awarded in prize money, and the grand prize winner will perform a Midwest tour in the fall followed by performances at the 2017 Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy.
Established in South Bend in 1973, the Fischoff Competition is one of the most prestigious classical music prizes achievable today. This year’s competition received 142 applications from ensembles nationwide to enter the competition and 49 were accepted, representing musicians from 28 states and 31 countries. By the competition’s end, there will be 104 performances over the course of five rounds.
The competition events will be streamed live from the Fischoff website. Last year more than 6,000 viewers from 60 countries watched the competition online. All events except for the awards and grand prize concert are free and open to the public, and a schedule is available here.
Tickets for the awards and grand prize concert can be purchased at the DeBartolo Box Office or by calling 574-631-2800.
Contact: Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, 574-631-0984, fischoff@fischoff.org