Baylor/Waco Piano Competition

Saturday, February 15, 2025

The 2025 Baylor/Waco Piano Competition will take place on Saturday, February 15 in the Glennis McCrary Music Building and the Waco Hall Complex on the Baylor University campus. The contest will begin at 8:00 AM, with winners announced at the afternoon Awards Ceremony at approximately 2:00 PM. Please see below for contest rules and guidelines and the application form. We look forward to seeing you on the Baylor campus in February!

Download the Brochure

General Information

• Register online using the QR code below before January 8, 2025. The entry fee is $40. Entry fees are non-refundable once a contestant has been accepted.
• Entrants must be willing to perform as early as 8 a.m. Scheduling will not permit consideration of distance from Waco. Practice rooms will be available in the McCrary Music Building on February 14. No advance practice will be allowed on contest pianos; however, contestants may try the instrument briefly before performing.
• Entrants should report to the registration desk 30 minutes prior to their assigned time.
• Awards will be presented at approximately 2:30 p.m. in Meadows Recital Hall for all divisions. Entrants will receive critique sheets from the judges.
• Contestants are required to enter the division which includes their present school grade. Former first place winners may not compete in the same division, but may enter into the next higher division than their current grade.
• Contestants are required to provide physical copies of their scores. All music must be published and copyrighted and will be checked at the registration desk. Names of students,
  teachers, and any other identifying marks must have been removed from the music and measures should be numbered at the beginning of each system. Handwritten manuscripts, photocopies, or computer-generated manuscripts of any kind including transposition or unpublished transcripts are not acceptable without written permission from both the publisher and the copyright holder. Such permission should be visibly attached to the music.
• Contestants are allotted 15-minute slots which will allow between 10 and 12 minutes of performance time.

Piano Solo Competition Rules

• Junior and senior high school students in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico are eligible.
• Division I, grades 11-12, below the age of 19 on contest day
• Division II, grades 9-10, below the age of 17 on contest day
• Division III, grades 7-8, below the age of 15 on contest day
• For each division, the first or last movement of a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert must be prepared. A contrasting piece from any other style period is also required. Both selections will be performed and must be performed from memory.

Awards

• Solo Division I Awards: $250, 1st place; $150, 2nd place
• Solo Division II Awards: $150, 1st place; $100, 2nd place
• Solo Division III Awards: $150, 1st place; $100, 2nd place

Entry Form and Payment

Entry forms should be submitted on or before Janurary 8, 2025.

Entry Form and Payment

Acceptance will be limited to fifteen students in each division. Contestants must be in Waco and prepared to perform by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the competition.

For further information, contact: keyboard@baylor.edu

Baylor/Waco Competition Results: February 2025

Solo Division I

• First place: Annie Reale, Dripping Springs, TX; Teacher, Shearon Horton
• Second place: Matthew Chien, Austin, TX; Teacher, Shearon Horton
• Honorable mention: Iris Zhang, Plano, TX; Teacher, Louise Liu

Solo Division II

• First place: Chris Hao, Spring, TX; Teacher, John Weems
• Second place: Kiana Sharp, Plano, TX; Teachers, Alex and Marcy McDonald
• Honorable mention: Lucas Pei, Dallas, TX ; Teachers, Alex and Marcy McDonald
• Honorable mention: Minyang Xu, Allen, TX; Teacher, Louise Liu
• Honorable mention: Suya Yang, Pearland, TX; Teacher, John Weems

Solo Division III

• First place: Carl Rubly, Houston, TX; Teacher, John Weems
• Second place: Amelia Bauernschmitt, Dallas, TX; Teacher, Violette Zharkova
• Honorable mention: Brandon Joe, Prosper, TX; Teacher, Cheryl Chen
• Honorable mention: Sophia Wang, Austin, TX; Teacher, Ming Ge

Baylor/Waco Competition Results: February 2024

Solo I

• First place: Aaron Zhu, Katy, TX; Teacher, John Weems
• Second place: Daniel Robbins, The Woodlands, TX; Teacher, Sergei Kuznetsov
• Honorable Mention: Ethan Huey, Austin, TX; Teacher, Shearon Horton
• Honorable Mention: Timothy Guan, Austin, TX ; Teacher, Shearon Horton
• Honorable Mention: Matthew Chien, Austin, TX ; Teacher, Shearon Horton

Solo II

• First place: Chanya Methaprayoon, Houston, TX; Teacher, John Weems
• Second place: Josephine Chow, Austin, TX; Teacher, Connie Lam
• Honorable Mention: Ashley Kim, Austin, TX ; Teacher, Shearon Horton
• Honorable Mention: Kevin Ho, Dallas, TX ; Teacher, Yifan Liu
• Honorable Mention: David Li, Bellaire, TX ; Teacher, John Weems

Solo III

• First place: Andrew Nan, Sugar Land, TX; Teacher, John Weems
• Second place: Lillian Bai, Houston, TX; Teacher, Ying Zhang
• Honorable Mention: Zoey Dong, Katy, TX; Teacher, Chong Zou
• Honorable Mention: Asa Velasquez, Keller, TX; Teacher, Sara Alexander
• Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Kim, Austin, TX; Teacher, Susan Groves

Concerto I

• First place: Christine Choi, Grapevine, TX; Teacher, Alex McDonald
• Second place: Emma Oba, McKinney, TX; Teacher, Alex McDonald
• Honorable Mention: Joshua Henselman, Austin, TX; Teacher, Jeannie DeArmond-Henselman

Concerto II

• First place: Lucas Pei, Plano, TX; Teachers, Alex and Marcy McDonald
• Second place: Chris Hao, Spring, TX; Teacher, John Weems
• Honorable Mention: Joe Brandon, Prosper, TX; Teacher, Cheryl Chen