The Pasadena Conservatory of Music’s chamber music program has long been home to many of the country’s top student ensembles, with recent groups like Incendium Quartet, Callisto Trio, Chimera Quartet, Cantando Piano Quartet, and Judadii Trio winning medals at elite national competitions.

Now, PCM has launched its own competition, and with an all-star panel of judges, and over $10,000 in prizes, it’s one of the biggest, pre-collegiate, chamber music competitions in the world.

“California groups have always traveled east to participate in the larger national competitions,” said Andrew Cook, PCM’s Chamber Music Department Chair and Artistic Director of the PCM Chamber Music Competition. “With such a vibrant, classical music community on the west coast, we felt there was a need to launch a strong competition here. I’m proud that PCM is able to present it. I’ve always believed that, for highly-committed students, participating in high level competitions is an essential part of a student’s professional development. It isn’t about the winning or losing, it’s about engaging in a process that prepares them for a world of auditions and stressful, rewarding performances that mark the lives of every professional musician.”

The PCM Chamber Music Competition will be held Friday, March 24th to Sunday, March 26th 2017 in Barrett Hall, on PCM’s campus.

A complete list of competition guidelines, rules, and awards is available on the official competition website:

compete.pasadenaconservatory.org