Register for the 2024 MFHC Chamber Competition here
Eligibility: Non-professional chamber ensembles of any instrument combination, ages 25 and younger (duos acceptable). All ensemble members must meet the age requirement.
Please note: Age eligibility for all divisions is determined by the contestant’s age as of September 28, the birthday of Confucius.
Age categories, performance times, and scholarship amounts
| Category | Age | Performance Times | Prize |
| Pre-college | Ages 18 and under | Complete work or movement | $400 |
| Grand Prize: The Virginia Geyser Behrendt Scholarship | Ages 25 and under | Complete work or movement | $1,000 |
About the Virginia Geyser Behrendt Scholarship
The Grand Prize commemorates the life of Mrs. Virginia Behrendt and is generously sponsored by the Virginia Geyser Behrendt Foundation.
Repertoire requirements: 1 piece, collection of pieces, or movement of a work composed by a composer of the Chinese diaspora. Selections may be traditional or contemporary, no more than 10 minutes in length. Arrangements and transcriptions allowed, so long as the original work is by an ethnically Chinese composer.
Applicants 18 years of age and younger will be considered for both the Virginia Geyser Behrendt Scholarship and Pre-college Scholarship, and can be awarded both should the judges decide to do so.
Memorization is not required.
Suggested repertoire
If you are not familiar with Chinese music or Chinese-American composers, below are some suggestions to help you get started.
String Quartet
Saxophone Quartet
- Works from the Prism Quartet’s CD Music from China
Brass Quintet
- Huang Ruo Three Tenses for Brass Quintet
- Candian Brass Arrangements from their Great Wall CD
Piano Trio
- Chen Yi “Tibetan Tunes“
Piano, Clarinet, Violin
- Bright Sheng “Tibetan Dance“
Feel free to contact the CFAS Office for more suggestions!