Chesapeake Music is delighted to announce the application opening for the 12th Biennial Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition for Young Professionals, which celebrates emerging, world-class chamber ensembles with $20,000 in cash prizes as well as concert performance opportunities. This year’s competition application opens on September 1, 2025 and closes December 15, 2025. Finalist Ensembles will be announced in mid-January and will be invited to a live final round on April 11, 2026, held at The Ebenezer Theater at Prager Family Center for the Arts in Easton, Maryland. The finals will be open to the public and live streamed.
“This competition is a truly incredible opportunity for emerging ensembles, offering substantial cash prizes and significant exposure, all supported by our very generous donors who are keen to support chamber music’s rising stars of tomorrow,” says Executive Director David Faleris. Competition prizes include:
- Lerman Gold Prize Winner | $10,000 plus paid performance at the 41st Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival in June 2026
- Silver Prize Winner | $5,000
- Awards to remaining Finalists | $1,000 per ensemble
- Audience Choice Prize | $1,000
All finalists receive critical feedback from seven renowned judges, led by Marcy Rosen and Catherine Cho, who serve as Chesapeake Music’s Artistic Directors. Additionally, finalists have the opportunity to gain new audiences through the live, public, final round, which will also be available through Chesapeake Music’s live stream and broadcast by The Violin Channel. The day after the final round, on April 12, 2026, each finalist ensemble will present a 60-minute program of their own choosing at another venue for a nearby community as arranged by Chesapeake Music, sponsored in part by Talbot Arts.
To be eligible to participate, ensembles must consist of 3–5 members and at the application deadline (December 15, 2025), the average age of ensemble members must be less than 30 years, 11 months, and 30 days. Visit ChesapeakeMusic.org for full competition details and the online application.
Recent gold prize winners have included international ensembles, including those based in New York City (Amara Trio 2024), Austria, Switzerland (Trio Colores 2022), and Los Angeles (Zelter String Quartet 2021).
Based in Easton, Maryland, and celebrating its 40th Anniversary Year, Chesapeake Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s. Learn more at ChesapeakeMusic.org.
