Youth string competitions with video auditions
The major youth and young-artist string competitions screen applicants by recorded video before any live round, usually a continuous, unedited take. That makes the prescreen something you can rehearse exactly: record your excerpt, score it on the same five dimensions a jury listens for, and fix the weakest one before you submit. Pick a competition below for how it screens, then practice the take.
String competitions
Frequently asked
Which youth string competitions use a video audition?
Most major ones screen by recorded video. Stulberg, Cooper (Oberlin), Sphinx, Menuhin, Johansen, the MTNA division round, and Fischoff (chamber) all use a video round. The Klein competition screens by recording too, though its prelim is audio.
What do video prescreens usually require?
Typically one continuous take per piece with no editing, often a concerto movement plus contrasting works, and frequently the applicant visible on screen. The exact repertoire and length vary by competition and cycle.
How is a competition prescreen scored?
Screening juries weigh intonation, rhythm, tone, tempo control, and musical shaping, then advance a small field to live rounds. Recording the take lets you check those same dimensions and fix the weakest one first.
How do I practice my competition prescreen recording?
Record your prescreen excerpt on Orchestra Kingdom and get an Advance, Callback, or Not Yet verdict with scores on tone, intonation, rhythm, tempo, and musicality, the same dimensions a panel weighs, before you submit. Your first take is free, no signup.
Explore more guides
- Audition prep by typeStep-by-step prep for conservatory, youth orchestra, all-state, and more.
- Repertoire guidesTempo, difficulty, and the hard passages in standard audition pieces.
- Etude guidesWhat each Kreutzer, Wohlfahrt, and Popper study actually trains.
- Technique guidesHow to do spiccato, vibrato, shifting, sautille, and more.
- Scale guidesMajor scales for violin, viola, cello, and bass, key by key.
- Conservatory auditionsRequirements for Juilliard, Curtis, NEC, Colburn, and more.
- Youth orchestra auditionsRecorded-audition requirements, orchestra by orchestra.
- Graded exams (ABRSM & RCM)Grade-by-grade requirements and mark schemes for strings.
- Best audition appsHow the audition-feedback apps actually compare.