Guidelines 2027
The Primrose International Viola Competition® 2027 is open to violists who are ready to embark on an international solo career. Eligible applicants must be 30 years old or younger on October 31, 2027. The Competition welcomes applicants of all nationalities, ethnic origins, religions, and genders. Applicants must be current members in good standing of the American Viola Society and must submit a nonrefundable application fee of $150 USD.
Repertoire Guidelines & Procedures
Competitors must perform a different selection of works in each round, including the Pre-Screening Round. No substitutions are allowed for required works. Repeats are permitted but not encouraged. The cutting of lengthy tutti sections (except in the Final Round) is left to the discretion of the competitor.
All works originally written for viola and orchestra, and all works for solo viola must be performed from memory, with the exception of the commissioned work by Sungji Hong. Competitors may perform the commissioned work with or without score. The transcribed work (either by William Primrose or by the competitor) must be performed from memory.
Competitors are free to decide their performance order for each round, but those who do not abide by the time limits may be stopped by the jury.
- Competitors will indicate their choice of one transcribed work (either self-transcribed or by William Primrose) to compete for the Transcriptions Prize.
- The Illumination Prize will be awarded for the best performance of the newly commissioned solo viola work by Sungji Hong, as determined by the jury.
- The Competition is not open to laureates of any previous edition of the Primrose International Viola Competition.
- The jury will have the discretion to decide the final number of competitors for each round.
- All prizes will be awarded, and the decisions of the jury will be final.
Pre-Screening/Video Round
Maximum length of total combined performance of all three works: 20 minutes
Competitors will perform works that fulfill all of the following criteria. Each video recording must be made from start to finish without cuts or splices, and each work must be uploaded separately. Because the review process is blind, do not include your name or identifying information in the videos or in the titles of your video files.
Required Repertoire
- Virtuosic solo piece of choice: examples include, but are not limited to, Paganini’s 24 Caprices or Penderecki’s Cadenza for Solo Viola.
- Solo movement by J.S. Bach: the Prelude from a Bach Cello Suite, the Preludio from Partita No. 3 in E Major, or the first movement of a Bach Violin Sonata, transcribed for viola.
- First movement of a Classical-period viola concerto: Carl Stamitz’s Viola Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 1 or Hoffmeister’s Viola Concerto in D Major, both including cadenzas.
Quarter-Final Round
Maximum length of total combined performance of all three works: 25 minutes
The 12 competitors in the Quarter-Final Round will perform works that fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Any two contrasting movements of a solo work by Johann Sebastian Bach.
- One movement may be the same as the movement played in the Pre-Screening Round.
- The commissioned work for solo viola by composer Sungji Hong for the 2027 Primrose International Viola Competition, lasting 5-7 minutes.
- All live-round competitors will have access to the score by June 2027.
- A contrasting work for solo viola of their choice that was not used in the Pre-Screening Round. Competitors may perform one or more complete movements to fit within the time limit; partial movements are not acceptable.
Semi-Final Round
Maximum length of performance: 50 minutes
The six competitors in the Semi-Final Round will perform works that fulfill all of the following requirements:
- Movements II (Menuetto) and III (Rondeaux: Allegretto) from Mozart’s Trio in E-flat Major, K. 498 (“Kegelstatt”), with repeats at the discretion of the performers.
- Any major sonata for viola and piano from the 19th, 20th, or 21st century.
- Transcribed piece for viola. The transcription may be the competitor’s own or a transcription by William Primrose. For reference, several Primrose transcriptions are listed in the PDF called Primrose Transcriptions below.
Note: Competitors who choose to perform Weber’s Andante e Rondo Ungarese must use the Primrose transcription.
Final Round
Each of the three finalists will perform Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher for Viola and Orchestra (1935) in its entirety.
Prizes
1ST PRIZE *
$8,000
2ND PRIZE
$5,000
3RD PRIZE
$3,000
TRANSCRIPTIONS PRIZE
$1,000
ILLUMINATION PRIZE**
$1,000
* The First Prize winner will also receive:
- An invitation to perform a Featured Signature Artist Recital at the 2028 AVS Festival.
- A three-year loan of the AVS 18th-century Kloz family “Zanoli” Viola.
- A recital performance on the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago.
- A recital performance at Colburn.
** Awarded for the best performance of the commissioned work by Sungji Hong.
Competition Schedule
All live rounds of the Competition will be held in Thayer Hall and Zipper Hall at the Colburn School, 200 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012, United States.
APPLICATIONS OPEN
December 1, 2026
PRE-SCREENING / VIDEO ROUND
Online application due March 1, 2027
NOTIFICATION OF LIVE ROUND COMPETITORS (BY EMAIL)
May 3, 2027
DEADLINE FOR LIVE ROUND COMPETITORS TO SUBMIT REPERTOIRE
June 1, 2027
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF LIVE ROUND COMPETITORS
June 15, 2027
QUARTER-FINAL ROUND
October 28, 2027
SEMI-FINAL ROUND
October 30, 2027
FINAL ROUND AND AWARDS CEREMONY
October 31, 2027
The winning competitors should be ready to take full advantage of an international performing career and be devoted to maintaining the rich legacy of the viola, its literature, and advancing the careers of future violists. The winning competitor should have an abundance of technical skill and a unique artistic voice and expressive presence.
To ensure the integrity of the judging process, the Jury Chair may, at any time, remind the Jury of the Competition’s established criteria for selecting the winning competitors. The Jury Chair may also invite discussion at any time during voting sessions after secret ballots have been submitted. In the unlikely event that a juror votes in a fashion that compromises the integrity of the process, the Jury Chair may decide not to include some or all of that juror’s scores.
Jurors are required to attend all live rounds of the Competition and are also expected to attend the Jury Introduction meeting.
Any juror who has a familial, current or former teaching, and/or professional relationship with a competitor must notify the Jury Chair prior to the start of the Competition. The Jury Chair may determine that the juror is ineligible to vote for that competitor. In such cases:
- The competitor’s ranking is first determined without the recused juror’s score.
- The Official Mathematician then calculates a replacement score for the recused juror so that the competitor retains the same ranking when the full Jury is included in the ranking procedure.
This procedure preserves the integrity of the scoring and ranking process, both for the competitor concerned and for all other competing competitors.
Any direct personal contact between jurors and competitors is expressly forbidden while competitors are actively involved in the Competition. To avoid undue influence, jurors must not communicate their views of performances or participating competitors with anyone else, including other jurors, at any time during the Competition. The only time these opinions are to be shared is during jury discussions.
Jurors must refrain from interacting with media members, including bloggers and advocacy groups, during the course of the Competition. If jurors are approached by media representatives, they should refer them to the Colburn School Communications Department.
Quarter-Final and Semi-Final Rounds-
Ballots will be distributed at the conclusion of the Quarter-Final Round and the Semi-Final Round.
After voting is completed, all ballots will be submitted to the Jury Chair and voting administrators. The ballots will then be tabulated under the supervision of the Official Mathematician.
In the event of a tie, a second ballot will be held to select the number of competitors equivalent to the number of remaining slot(s). In the event of a further tie, discussion may take place to finalize the list of competitors advancing to the subsequent round.
Results will be announced by the Jury Chair in alphabetical order.
Transcriptions Prize and Illumination Prize
Ballots will be distributed at the conclusion of the Semi-Final Round to determine the winner of the Transcriptions Prize and Illumination Prize. Each juror shall submit the name of one competitor for each prize.
If a clear majority is not achieved, a second ballot shall be held between the two competitors receiving the most votes. In the event of a further tie, discussion may take place to determine the winner.
The winners of the Transcriptions Prize and Illumination Prize will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on October 31, 2027.
Audience Award
Members of the audience are welcome to vote for their favorite competitor in the Final Round. Voting will take place online, and audience members may access the voting portal via QR code. Each audience member may cast a single vote for a favorite competitor. The competitor receiving the most votes will receive the Audience Award at the Awards Ceremony on October 31, 2027.