The San Francisco International Innovative Music Competition (SFIIMC) is an online-only competition.
March 30, 2025
Application due March 25, 2025
The competition is open for piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, vocal participants, and chamber ensembles in the following categories (you may choose to participate in more than one category):
- Solo Baroque
- Solo Classical
- Solo Romantic/Impressionistic
- Solo Contemporary
- Chamber ensemble*
- Pop music (Solo and ensemble)*
- *For all details please contact us via email programs.bama@gmail.com
We hold three competitions annually:
- Spring – March 30, 2025 | Application due March 25, 2025
- Summer – June 30, 2025 | Application due June 25, 2025
- Fall – October 30, 2025 | Application due October 25, 2025
Video recordings of participants winning first, second, and third places will be published on our Facebook page.
The Honorable Diploma will be presented to the teachers with first, second, and third place winners.
Divisions
Age groups, time limit, and application fees:
Age cut date – 3 months before Competition date.
| Division | Age | Time Limit | Application Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 6-8 | 4 minutes | $65 |
| Intermediate | 9-11 | 7 minutes | $70 |
| Junior | 12-14 | 9 minutes | $75 |
| Advanced | 15+ | 12 minutes | $80 |
| Amateur Adults | 25+ | 14 minutes | $85 |
Chamber Ensemble application fee:
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-
- $30 per participant (6 minutes or less)
- $35 per participant (7 minutes or more)
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- US participants can pay by money order or online payment such as PayPal, credit, or debit card
- International participants should use only online payment options
Requirements
For piano contestants:
- Baroque –
- One piece by a Baroque composer
- Little Preludes, Inventions, Sinfonias, Preludes & Fugues will be considered as one piece
- Few parts of a Suite can be performed by the contestant’s choice
- Classical –
- One piece or one part of a Sonata or Sonatina (Allegro or Presto) by a Classical composer
- Romantic –
- One piece by a Romantic composer
- Contemporary –
- One piece by a Contemporary composer
For strings and woodwinds contestants:
- Baroque –
- One piece by a Baroque composer
- Little Preludes, Inventions, Sinfonias, Preludes & Fugues will be considered as one piece
- Classical –
- One piece or one part of a Sonata or Sonatina (Allegro or Presto) by a Classical composer
- Romantic –
- One piece by a Romantic composer
- Contemporary –
- One piece by a Contemporary composer
For voice contestants
- Baroque –
- One aria by a Baroque composer
- Classical –
- One aria by a Classical composer
- Romantic –
- One aria or song by a Romantic composer
- Contemporary –
- One aria or song by a Contemporary composer
How to Apply
- Complete the online application form. Make sure to include the link to your YouTube video recording.
Video Guidelines
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- All videos have to be recorded horizontally.(no videos with wide dark fields will be published)
- The hands and face of the participant should be visible during the entire recording, as well as the keyboard and pedal (for Piano contestants)
- Participants should be dressed in an appropriate manner.
- All pieces have to be memorized.
- Cutting and merging multiple takes is not allowed
- The video should be posted on YouTube with the following title: San Francisco International Music Innovative Competition
- Participant name, age, instrument (for ensemble only), City, and Country must be in the description field. Please also list the title, key, and composer of the piece
All recordings will be checked by Jury members affiliated with Bay Area Music Association. Judges will choose the best performers per age category. The final score is derived as the sum of the arithmetic average of the scores of all the judges on a 50 points scale: First (45-50 points) Second (40-44 points) and Third places (35-39 points). Videos of the First and Second Place winners will be announced and posted on the Competition’s Facebook page.
The jury has the right to award an unlimited number of prizes in each category. The jury’s decision is final.