Natalie L. Haslam College of Music

Tennessee Cello Workshop Competitions

January 31-February 2, 2025

Wesley Baldwin congratulating a competition prizewinner

Overview

The TCW hosts four different cello competitions. Many TCW participants will not enter the competition. This is only a part of the weekend, and isn’t meant to distract from, or discourage any from attending any of the other events at the TCW. You must be registered for the full 3-day TCW to enter one of the TCW Cello Competitions.

The TCW Cello Competitions are meant to provide inspiration, stimulation, enjoyment, and encouragement to all who enter and all who attend the finalists’ performances, and to recognize outstanding achievement to TCW competition prizewinners. Working hard to prepare for a competition yields all kinds of rewards in itself. The opportunity to have a chance to perform and get written feedback from members of the TCW faculty can also be enormously helpful for participants. The finalists’ concert on Sunday provides performers and audience members alike wonderful opportunities for shared musical experiences. Finally, for those who receive awards, the competitions provide tangible assistance in the winners’ journeys with cello playing and music making, as well as public validation and encouragement for the excellence they have achieved in these areas.

For all divisions of the TCW competitions, the preliminary rounds Friday are without accompaniment. For the final rounds, TCW staff pianists will be provided for all finalists.

There is a required entry fee for participation in any of the four TCW Cello Competitions, in addition to the regular TCW registration. This is $30 for the Junior, High School, and Uncompetitions, and $60 for the Collegiate Competition.

Categories

The four categories for the TCW Cello Competitions are based on the contestant’s age on February 2, 2025. Previous first prize-winners (or co-first prize-winners) may not reenter in the same category in which they won a top prize in subsequent years’ TCW cello competitions. Entrants may elect to enter a competition for an older age group than they are eligible for. The literature for the competition division entered, however, will be the required literature.

  1. Junior Division: cellists age 14 and younger.
  2. Senior High School Division: cellists age 15 through 18, and not yet graduated from high school.
  3. Collegiate / Young Professional Division: age 17 through 25.
  4. UN-competition category: any age or level.
    • This division is for anyone–from adult amateur to young cellist–who would like the experience of preparing for the competition, and performing for the panel of faculty jurors, without the competition element in the equation. Cellists participating in the “un-competition” will still get written comments from the evaluators, and will have the chance to put themselves “on the line” for this private performance.

Preliminary Round

  • All competition entrants will play a preliminary audition on Friday, January 31, 2025. This round will be held without piano accompaniment. Preliminary rounds begin at 9 am.
  • Written comments on all performances will be provided to all who perform in the preliminary round. TCW guest artists and faculty will be listening and evaluating these performances.
  • Up to 3 finalists in each division will be selected to perform in the Competition Finals, which will be held as public recitals on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
  • Memorization is only required as noted in the repertoire lists.
  • Abusive or disrespectful treatment of staff pianists or jurors by competitors, their teachers or parents will result in dismissal from the competition. A finalist’s parent/s may attend but not participate in, or comment or coach during the rehearsal with their child’s TCW accompanist in preparation for the competition finals. No one other than a parent or guardian may attend this rehearsal.
  • Any of the four divisions’ competitions may be canceled, if the number of applicants in that division is insufficient for a meaningful competition. In this situation, entrants will have the option of performing Friday in the un-competition or having their entry fees reimbursed.
  • In the event that co-prize winners are selected, the prize monies for those prize winners will be altered by that split. For example, if there are co-first prize winners, those winners will split the prize money for the 1st and 2nd prizes in their division.
  • The TCW will not be responsible for any tax obligations that prize winners’ entail.

Competition Prizes

The jury may elect to award only some of these prizes. Not all prizes are guaranteed to be awarded.
Prizes:

Collegiate Competition

  1. All finalists: recital performance on final day of the 2025 Tennessee Cello Workshop.
  2. All finalists: $100 Scholarship towards the 2026 Tennessee Cello Workshop.
  3. Junior High School division prizes
    • First prize $500, Second prize $300, Third prize $200
  4. High School Division
    • First prize $750, Second prize $500, Third prize $250
    • First prize winner also receives a one-year loan of an excellent modern American cello. Prize donated by Brobst Violin Shop.
  5. Collegiate/Young Professional Division:
    • First prize $3000, Second prize $1500, Third prize $750
    • First prize winner also receives a one-year loan of an excellent modern American cello. Prize donated by Brobst Violin Shop.
  6. Special prizes
    • A master Cello bow by master bow maker Sarah Bystrom.
      • Bow maker Sarah Bystrom is graciously sponsoring the special prize: a professional cello bow made exclusively for this competition, to be awarded to a finalist from one of the three divisions, based on both demonstrated artistic excellence and need for a more excellent cello bow. This prize is meant to provide a young cellist a needed tool to aid them in their instrumental and musical growth. As a special prize, it will go to one of the prize winners in either the High School or Collegiate Competitions, but not necessarily the highest prize winner in either division.
    •  TCW Scholarship for study at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville
      • This prize of a $1000 annual scholarship for attendance at the UTK College of Music may be awarded to an outstanding prizewinner in either the High School or Collegiate competitions for study beginning in the fall of 2025.
  7. Un-competition: great personal satisfaction
  8. The competition prizewinners will be announced at the final awards presentation and cello orchestra concert on February 2, 2025.

2025 TCW Competition Literature

Collegiate Division
  1. J.S. Bach 6 Suites for Cello: Prelude and Gigue from any Suite (memorized)
  2. Andrea Casarrubios: Seven (available at https://www.andreacasarrubios.com)
  3. An etude by Popper from the High School of Cello Playing, or a caprice by Alfredo Piatti (memorized)
  4. Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations (Fitzhagen version): Theme, Variations 1,2, 3, and 7 (memorized)
High School Division (15-18, still in HS)
  1. J.S. Bach 6 Suites for Cello: Prelude and Gigue from any Suite (memorized)
  2. Bia ke borem ba Mazar for solo cello, Afghan Folk Song, arr. Allcott (available through JW Pepper)
  3. One of the following (memorized):
    • Haydn Concerto in C: Moderato
    • Romberg Opus 50 Theme and Variations (beginning at the Theme, pick up to bar 26)
    • Davidoff Allegro de concert, Opus 11
    • CPE Bach concerto in A minor: Allegro Assai
Junior Division (up through age 14)
  1. J.S. Bach 6 Suites for Cello: Prelude from Suite 1, 2, or 3 (memorized)
  2. Dry Bones Spiritual, set by Margaret Bonds, Arr. Miller & Herndon. Click here to order. Note: if you are unable to order this music from this site, email wbaldwin@utk.edu for help getting this score.
  3. One of the following (memorized):
    • Bruch Kol Nidrei
    • Strauss Romanze
    • Goltermann Concerto No. 4: Andantino and Rondo
Un-competition
  1. A program of no more than 12 minutes of music of your own choosing

Deadlines and Entry Requirements

To enter the TCW cello competitions, one must:

  • Submit your online TCW registration form with your desire to participate in the competition indicated on that form.
  • At the payment/checkout page, make sure to include the competition fee along with the participation fee.
  • Proof of age will be required of all finalists on Friday night. Please bring appropriate documentation to confirm your age with you to the TCW.
  • Deadline for competition entries is 11:59 pm, January 20, 2025.