FIMG String Competition will bring together young violinists, violists, and cellists in an international competition held as part of the Guadalajara International Music Festival.

Unlike competitions divided by instrument, participants from all three disciplines will compete against one another for the same prizes and awards.

A maximum of 16 semifinalists will be selected, with no predetermined number of violinists, violists, or cellists. Selection will be based exclusively on the artistic level of the applications received.

Being selected for the competition automatically means being selected as a participant in the FIMG. Therefore, competition participants must take part in the festival’s scheduled activities.

Selected competition participants must pay the festival registration fee within the same deadlines as the other festival participants. Please see the fees and deadlines in the HOW TO APPLY section. The only additional payment required is a $500 MXN application fee, which must be paid at the time of registration.

The FIMG will provide a collaborative pianist for all finalists at no additional cost.

The deadline to submit your application will be Saturday, October 31.

For the first-round video, applicants must record the following repertoire:

Violinists: Submit a video performing one movement from a sonata or partita by J. S. Bach, BWV 1001–1006, and the exposition of a concerto.

Violists: Submit a video performing one movement from any of the six suites by J. S. Bach, BWV 1007–1012, or from the sonatas or partitas BWV 1001–1006 transcribed for viola, as well as the exposition of a concerto.

Cellists: Submit a video performing one movement from any of the six suites by J. S. Bach, BWV 1007–1012, and the exposition of a concerto.

In all cases, both pieces must be recorded in a single video. Edited videos will not be accepted. Piano accompaniment is NOT required.

The semifinal will take place on Monday, March 22, 2027. The order of performance will be determined randomly one hour before the competition.

Each participant must perform either Program A or Program B, at their choice.

Violin:

A: Two contrasting movements from any Sonata or Partita by J. S. Bach.

B: One Caprice of the participant’s choice from N. Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin.

Viola:

A: Two movements from any Sonata or Partita by J. S. Bach, or the Prelude and two contrasting movements from any Suite by J. S. Bach.

B: One Caprice of the participant’s choice from N. Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin.

Cello:

A: Prelude and one contrasting movement from any Suite by J. S. Bach.

B: One Etude of the participant’s choice from Popper’s 40 Etudes, Op. 73, or one of A. Piatti’s 12 Caprices.

At the conclusion of the semifinal, the jury will select a maximum of 6 musicians to advance to the final round.

The results of the semifinal will be at the sole discretion of the jury members and shall be final and not subject to appeal.

The final round will take place on Sunday, March 28, 2027. The order of performance will be determined randomly one hour before the competition.

Each participant must perform one of the following works of their choice:

Violin:

– F. Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor, 1st movement.

– W. A. Mozart – Violin Concerto No. 5, 1st movement, with cadenza.

– P. I. Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D major, 1st movement.

– J. Brahms – Violin Concerto in D major, 1st movement.

– J. Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D minor, 1st movement.

Viola:

– B. Bartók – Viola Concerto, BB 128, 1st movement.

– C. P. Stamitz – Viola Concerto No. 1 in D major, 1st movement.

– W. Walton – Viola Concerto in A minor, 1st movement.

– F. A. Hoffmeister – Viola Concerto in D major, 1st movement.

– P. Hindemith – Der Schwanendreher, 1st movement.

Cello:

– J. Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major, 1st movement, with cadenza.

– A. Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor, 1st movement.

– P. I. Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme.

– E. Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, 1st or 4th movement.

– D. Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No. 1, 1st movement.

At the conclusion of the final round, the jury will announce the three winners of the competition.

The results of the competition will be at the sole discretion of the jury members and shall be final and not subject to appeal.

First Place – $1,200 USD in cash, a custom bow crafted and donated by Maestro Daniela Santoyo, a special performance opportunity at the Festival’s Closing Concert, and a certificate signed by the members of the jury.

Second Place – $800 USD in cash, a special performance opportunity at the Festival’s Closing Concert, and a certificate signed by the members of the jury.

Third Place – $500 USD in cash, a special performance opportunity at the Festival’s Closing Concert, and a certificate signed by the members of the jury.

The jury panel will be chaired by Maestro Sebastian Bohren and will include several of the festival’s international faculty members in violin, viola, and cello.

The competition application fee is $500 MXN. All participants accepted into the competition must also pay the festival registration fee. For applicants who are not accepted into the competition, the application fee is non-refundable.

For Mexican applicants: Payment may be made by bank transfer or deposit to the following account:

CLABE: 012 320 015110380603

Bank: BBVA

Account holder: Angel Hernández

For international applicants: The application fee may be paid via PayPal using the following email address:

festivaldemusicagdl@gmail.com

Applicants must attach proof of payment to the application form.

Participants who register for the festival as part of a chamber music group, but wish to participate individually in the competition, must submit a separate application and mention in their biography that they have also applied with their chamber group.

The Festival Registration Guidelines and Regulations apply equally to all competition applicants.

Participation in the competition is NOT possible without taking part in the festival’s activities.

Competition participants must pay the festival registration fee in full. If any selected participant wishes to attend the masterclasses but does not wish to participate in chamber music activities, they must notify the festival organizers in advance.