Chamber Music Competition

Chamber Music Competition and Awards Concert

The Franklin Pond Chamber Music Competition is an annual event open to middle and high school ensembles throughout the state of Georgia.  The competition’s preliminary round is held in April via video upload, and the live final round takes place Memorial Day weekend at Spivey Hall on the campus of Clayton State University. Finalists perform on stage before an independent panel of distinguished judges. Winners receive cash prizes as well the opportunity to perform before a live audience at the Awards Concert.

There are two primary divisions of the competition—High School and Middle School.  There is also a School Prize, awarded to a middle or high school ensemble whose members all attend the same school.  It is possible for an ensemble to win a Division Prize as well as the School Prize.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

• April 15: Preliminary round videos, entry form, and fee due
• May 1: finalists announced
• Memorial Day weekend (last weekend in May)
  • Saturday: rehearsals at Spivey Hall for all finalists ensembles
  • Sunday morning: High School Division live final round at Spivey Hall
  • Sunday early afternoon: Middle School Division live final round at Spivey Hall
  • Sunday 4pm: Awards Concert and post-concert reception

PRIZES

High School Grand Prize: $2000

High School Second Place: $1200

Middle School Grand Prize: $1000

Middle School Second Place: $500

School Prize:$1000 ($500 to the ensemble and $500 to the school orchestra booster association)

JUDGES

2023 Judges, the Ciompi Quartet

For the Competition's live final round, an independent panel of judges is selected each year from among the nation's most recognized performers and teachers. Many of the judges are affiliated with music colleges across the nation, and students competing in the finals have the opportunity to meet and connect with them after the Competition.

Since its founding in 1965 by the renowned Italian violinist Giorgio Ciompi, the Ciompi Quartet of Duke University has delighted audiences and impressed critics around the world. All its members are professors at Duke, where they teach instrumental lessons, coordinate and coach chamber music, and perform across campus in concert halls, libraries, dormitories and classrooms. In a career that spans five continents and includes many hundreds of concerts, the Ciompi Quartet has developed a reputation for performances of real intelligence and musical sophistication, with a warm, unified sound that allows each player’s individual voice to emerge.
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Click here to see the list of all past judges.

ATTENDING THE EVENT

Both the Competition and the Awards Concert are free, family-friendly, and open to the public. Tickets are required to attend the Awards Concert.  Click here for more information.