Arthur Fraser Piano Competition

Arthur Fraser Piano Competition is sponsored by the Symphony League of the South Carolina Philharmonic.

Awards

FIRST PRIZE:

$5,000
Sponsored by Rice Music House-Steinway Pianos

SECOND PRIZE:

$2,500
Sponsored by Alan and Charlotte Kahn

THIRD PRIZE:

$1,500
Sponsored by Robert and Lisa Wilcox, in memory of Madge Palmer

First Prize Winner will perform a complete concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic in Masterworks concert series during the 2027/2028 season. Second and Third Prize Winners will have opportunities to perform with the SC Philharmonic and SC Youth Orchestra at the discretion of the SC Philharmonic Music Director. Other engagement opportunities for all prizewinners are at the discretion of the Artistic Director of the Southeastern Piano Festival.

SEPF winners

Award for the best performance of a contemporary work written since 1990:

$500
Sponsored by The Marwell Family

Discretionary Awards:

Three awards of $300 each

Young Jury Award:

$500
Sponsored by The Marwell Family

Best Performance of a Solo Work Award:

$500
Sponsored by Jeff and Bobbi McKeever

USC School of Music Scholarships:

Contingent upon acceptance to the University and the School of Music, all competition prize-winners will be offered USC music scholarships.

 

Competition Jury

  • To be announced

 

Young Jury

  • To be announced

 

Symphony League of the South Carolina Philharmonic, founder and sponsor of the Arthur Fraser Piano Competition, is dedicated to fostering, promoting and increasing musical knowledge and appreciation of the performing arts in the community. Comprised of about 200 men and women, Symphony League members volunteer many hours to support the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Arthur Fraser Piano Competition and music education and appreciation in the Midlands. We invite you to join the Symphony League and to share in the work of the organization. No musical knowledge is necessary – just a desire to promote and support some of the most important cultural resources in our community.

Repertoire Requirements

At the competition, all participants must perform the following:

  • a movement of a standard concerto for piano and orchestra (no slow movements, complete concerto in case of one movements works)
  • a work for solo piano contrasting in style and period (individual movements of larger works are allowed)

All performances must be from memory. A contestant may be interrupted during the performance to accommodate the maximum allotted time of 22 minutes. All winners of the competition are required to participate in the winners’ recital. All judges’ decisions are final.

ELIGIBILITY: All contestants must be U.S. citizens. All prizewinners are required to participate in the Winners’ Recital. Past winners of the Arthur Fraser Piano Competition who have performed with the South Carolina Philharmonic are not eligible to compete for the top three prizes; however, they are eligible to compete for all other awards. Pianists currently studying with members of the Arthur Fraser Piano Competition jury are not eligible for the competition.

ACCOMPANIST: All contestants must use the official festival accompanist. We are pleased to announce that INĀRA ZANDMANE, a staff accompanist at University of North Carolina in Greensboro and official accompanist for the national finals of the MTNA competition, has joined the Southeastern Piano Festival, as the official accompanist for the Arthur Fraser Piano Competition.

Competition Program Fees

 

Participate in both the USC Piano Institute and Arthur Fraser Piano Competition as a COMPETITOR Fees (June 7-14)

Application Fee – $100
(non refundable)

Late Application Fee – $135
(if postmarked after the deadline date; non refundable)

Program Fees – $1,400
(includes double occupancy housing for up to 8 nights/7 days and three meals a day, daily private lessons with USC piano faculty, masterclasses, specialty class (TBD, such as music theory), tickets to 4 evening concerts, on-campus shuttle, 2 camp counselors, accompanist fee for Inara Zandmane, media pack (recording of competition), rehearsal with Inara, performance opportunities in masterclass with guest artists, Winners Recital, feedback session with competition judges, rehearsal time and practice room for competition portion of program)