KMTA Bluegrass Competitions

Competition Information

You can find general information on the Bluegrass Competitions below. For quicker access to the specific categories, use the following links:

• General Competition Information
• Bluegrass Eligibility Information
• Bluegrass Competition Applications

Repertoire Requirements

• Brass Requirements
• Chamber Music Requirements
• Musical Theater Voice Requirements
• Organ Requirements
• Piano (Solo) Competition Requirements
• Piano (Ensemble) Requirements
• String Requirements
• Voice Requirements
• Woodwind Requirements

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General Information

• KMTA Bluegrass Competitions follow “Rules and Procedures Applicable to All MTNA Student Competitions” found in the MTNA Student Competitions section.
• The KMTA Bluegrass Competition will be held at Campbellsville University on October 31 and November 1, 2026.
• The deadline for applications and entry fees is Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 3:00 pm Eastern Time. No deadline extensions are permitted.
• Teachers’ state and national dues must be paid by the deadline as indicated on the MTNA’s website under Competition Guidelines.
• All KMTA members, except student members, may enter students in the KMTA Bluegrass Competitions. Non-member teachers must pay a teacher entry fee of $75 which allows them to enter one or more students in the KMTA Bluegrass Competitions.
• Decisions of the judges will be final. A winner will be declared in each area of the competition.
• Student repertoire programs have no minimum time requirement. Programs submitted may be longer than the category time limit; however, program time may not exceed ten (10) minutes over the maximum time allowed. The adjudicator will hear at least a portion of each composition.
• Repertoire cannot be changed once the application is submitted.
• A Winner’s Recital will be held late afternoon on Saturday, October 31st. First-place winners are encouraged to stay to perform.

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Entrant Eligibility:

• Elementary: ages 5-10 as of January 1, 2027
• Junior: ages 11-14 as of January 1, 2027
• Senior: ages 15-18 as of January 1, 2027
• Young Artist: currently enrolled college students or high school graduates who are studying their instrument or voice, ages 19-26 as of January 1, 2027

Accompanists:

• Entrants must provide their own accompanists.
• Entrants may be accompanied by their own teacher or coach.
• Accompaniment is required, except for pieces intended by the composer to be unaccompanied.
• Taped accompaniments are not permitted.

Additional Information:

• Cuts in solo parts are not permitted. Repeats are left to the discretion of the entrant.
• Cuts in the piano part (tutti) of instrumental concerto movements are permitted.
• Individual movements of large works that can be performed as musical units complete in themselves are permitted.
• Repertoire timings must be accurate.
• Solo performers/ensembles must provide the adjudicator with one published edition of each piece submitted on the application form.  If the work has piano accompaniment, the score must include both the solo and piano parts. 
• Follow MTNA guidelines in the area of Competition Music.

MTNA/Bluegrass Competition Chair

Naomi J. Oliphant
(502) 594-3265 (cell)
naomi.oliphant@louisville.edu

Solo and Ensemble Entry Forms:

Non-refundable entry fees for performance competitions are as follows:

Elementary: $20
Junior: $25
Senior: $30
Young Artist: $40

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Bluegrass Brass Competitions

Note for all Bluegrass Brass Competition Levels:

• All programs must include selections from at least two contrasting style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or Contemporary.
• Memorization is not required.

Junior

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.

Senior

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.
• Doubling is permitted as follows:
  • Trumpet: B-flat, C, D, E-flat, piccolo trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn
  • Trombone: one work on alto or bass trombone
  • French Horn, Euphonium, and Tuba: none

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed twenty-five (25) minutes of performance time.
• Doubling is permitted as indicated above under Senior.

Bluegrass Chamber Music Competitions

Note for all Bluegrass Chamber Music Competition Levels:

• Ensembles may be any combination of piano, string, wind, and percussion instruments of at least two (2) but no more than six (6) performers. There is a separate competition for four-hand piano ensembles.
• Instrumentation of each ensemble must remain the same for all repertoire performed.
• The program must include selections from at least two contrasting style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, and Contemporary. Individual movements of larger works are acceptable.
• The piano (if included) must be an equal partner in the ensemble.
• The program may include arrangements only if sufficient original works are not available in that style period. The arrangements may not be simplified, cut, or abridged in any way from the original work.
• The performance must be without a conductor.

Senior

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.
• Ensembles should include only senior entrants but may include junior entrants if the number of senior entrants is equal or greater.

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed twenty-five (25) minutes of performance time.

Bluegrass Musical Theater Vocal Competitions

Note for all Bluegrass Musical Theater Vocal Competition Levels

• Memorization is required

Junior

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include at least two contrasting selections of the entrant’s choice from the musical theater repertoire. Selections may include movie musicals.

Senior

• Entrants will be allowed twelve (12) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include at least three (3) selections of the entrant’s choice from the musical theater repertoire and may include movie musicals.
• Selections must include at least one pre-1970 selection.

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include at least four (4) selections from the musical theater repertoire and may include movie musicals.
• Selections must include pre-1970, 70’s to 2000, and post-2000.

Bluegrass Organ Competition

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes for setting pistons and thirty (30) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include selections from at least two contrasting style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or Contemporary.
• Memorization is not required.
• A page turner may be used; a registrant may assist if the organ has no combination pistons.

Bluegrass Piano Competitions

Note for all Bluegrass Piano Competition Levels

• The program must include selections from at least two contrasting style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or Contemporary. Only works for solo piano will be allowed.
• Memorization is required.

Elementary

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.

Junior

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.
• The KMTA Keyboard Festival repertoire list should be used as a guideline.

Senior

• Entrants will be allowed twenty (20) minutes of performance time.
• Compositions for prepared piano are not allowed.

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed twenty-five (25) minutes of performance time.
• Compositions for prepared piano are not allowed.

Bluegrass Piano Ensemble Competitions

Note for all Bluegrass Piano Ensemble Competition Levels

• Ensembles may have from two (2) to three (3) performers, but not more than one (1) piano.
• The program must include selections from at least two contrasting style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or Contemporary.
• Memorization is not required.

Junior and Senior

• Junior piano ensemble will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.
• Senior piano ensemble will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.
• Junior age entrants perform in the Junior level competition, and senior age entrants in the Senior level. If an ensemble includes students of junior and senior age, it must be placed in the level to which the majority of the students belong. If the number of students from each level is equal, the ensemble must be placed in the higher level.

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed twenty-five (25) minutes of performance time.

Bluegrass String Competition

Note for all Bluegrass String Competition Levels

• The program must include selections from at least two contrasting style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or Contemporary.
• Memorization is not required.

Elementary

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.

Junior

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.

Senior

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed twenty-five (25) minutes of performance time.

Bluegrass Voice Competitions

Note for all Bluegrass Voice Competition Levels

• Memorization is required

Elementary

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include two songs of contrasting style. Selections must include songs from art song and folk song categories and may include one selection from musical theater repertoire. The National Federation of Music Clubs Festival Bulletin list may be used as a guideline.

Junior

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include two art songs from contrasting style periods. The National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival Bulletin list of vocal solo art songs in the Junior division may be used as a guideline for appropriate repertoire.

Senior

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include three selections of the entrant’s choice, including one non-English art song, one English art song, and one song of the entrant’s choice. Difficult arias are discouraged. The National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival Bulletin list of vocal solo art songs in the Senior division should be used as a guideline for appropriate repertoire.

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed twenty (20) minutes of performance time.
• The program must include repertoire in the original language from each of the following categories: (1) Aria from opera or oratorio repertoire, sung in the original key, (2) German Lied, (3) French Melodie, and (4) Art song in English written after 1900. Additional song(s) or aria(s) of the entrant’s choice in the original language or in English translation may then be added.
• The repertoire program submitted must be grouped according to the classifications above and include (1) the name of the oratorio, opera, or other identifying work from which an aria is taken, (2) the performance time for each selection, and (3) the composer’s full name.

Bluegrass Woodwind Competition

Note for all Bluegrass Woodwind Competition Levels

• The program must include selections from at least two contrasting style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or Contemporary.
• Memorization is not required.

Junior

• Entrants will be allowed ten (10) minutes of performance time.

Senior

• Entrants will be allowed fifteen (15) minutes of performance time.
• Doubling is permitted as follows:
  • Flute: one work on piccolo or alto flute
  • Oboe: one work on English horn
  • Clarinet: B-flat and A
  • Bassoon: none
  • Alto Saxophone: one work on soprano or tenor

Young Artist

• Entrants will be allowed twenty-five (25) minutes of performance time.
• A classification may be represented by a published transcription.
• Doubling is permitted as indicated above under Senior.