Baylor/Waco Piano Competition

Saturday, February 14, 2026

The 2026 Baylor/Waco Piano Competition will take place on Saturday, February 14 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

Entry Form and Payment

Entry forms should be submitted on or before January 8, 2026.

The Entry Form opens on November 24^th and closes on January 9^th.

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

General Information

• Register online using the QR code below before January 8, 2026. 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 Handwritten manuscripts, photocopies, or computer-generated manuscripts of any kind including transposition or unpublished transcripts are not acceptable without written permission from both the publisher and the copyright holder.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

Baylor/Waco Competition Results: February 2026

Solo Division I

• 1^st place: Josephine Chow, Austin, TX; Teacher, Andrei Tcymbalistenko
• 2^nd place: Andrew Petrescu, Frisco, TX; TX; Teacher, Michael Bukhman
• HM: Emmett Freeman, Houston, TX; Teacher, Alicia Shirley
• HM: James Martel, League City, TX; Teacher, Steven Termini
• HM: Sebastien Cañete, Fort Worth, TX; Teacher, Tanya Karyagina

Solo Division II

• 1st place: Suya Yang, Houston, TX; Teacher, John Weems
• 2nd place: Zide Chen, Houston, TX; Teacher, Ying Zhang
• HM: Lillian Bai, Houston, TX; Teacher, Ying Zhang
• HM: Alice Zhong, Austin, TX; Teacher, Andrei Tcymbalistenko
• HM: Sophia Wang, Austin, TX; Teacher, Ming Ge

Solo Division III

• 1st place: Harvey Wu, Frisco, TX; Teacher, Lizhen Wu
• 2nd place: Jenna Tran, Allen, TX; Teacher, Alex McDonald
• HM: Mason Joe, Prosper, TX; Teacher, Cheryl Chen
• HM: Roger Wang, Dallas, TX; Teacher, Andrey Ponochevny
• HM: Luke Kang, Georgetown, TX; Teacher, Benjamin Wong