International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Announces 2026 Dates and Details
On Monday the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI) announced that its 12th Quadrennial Competition will take place Sept. 17 – Oct. 4, 2026.
Applications will open in October 2025 for violinists ages 16 through 29 at the time of the competition. Selected applicants will then submit videos between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2026. A comprehensive repertoire list has been posted on the IVCI website, along with all rules and regulations; click here for more information.
"The Indianapolis is proud of its extraordinary list of distinguished laureates spanning the last four decades and looks forward to adding six new discoveries to the list after the 12th Quadrennial," said IVCI Executive Director Glen Kwok. "The Indianapolis is far more than a competition; it is a career-launching opportunity with significant post-competition career management and mentorship."
Founded in 1982 by Indiana University Professor of Violin Josef Gingold, the IVCI last took place in 2022, with Sirena Huang winning the gold medal, followed by Julian Rhee with the silver and Minami Yoshida with the bronze.
IVCI 2022 Laureates: Sirena Huang (Gold), Julian Rhee (Silver), Minami Yoshida (Bronze), Claire Wells, SooBeen Lee, and Joshua Brown. Photo by Denis Ryan Kelly Jr.
Over the course of its 40+ years, the IVCI has helped launch the careers of a prestigious group of violinists, with laureates including some of the most renowned soloists, concertmasters and pedagogues of our day: Augustin Hadelich, Leonidas Kavakos, Andrés Cárdenes, Tessa Lark, Richard Lin, David Kim, Martin Beaver, the late Jaakko Kuusisto, Soovin Kim, Frank Huang, Clara Jumi-Kang, Benjamin Beilman, Jinjoo Cho, Mihaela Martin, Ida Kavafian, Yuval Yaron and many more. (For a complete list of laureates please click here.)
Prizes for the upcoming IVCI are valued at more than $350,000, including four-year access to a violin from the IVCI collection, which includes the 1683 "ex-Gingold" Stradivari violin. The top three Laureates also will receive career management and international concert engagements for four years. In addition, the Gold Medalist will receive a Carnegie Hall recital debut, website development and maintenance for four years, and a recording contract. The cash prizes for the top six Finalists are: Gold Medalist ($75,000), Silver Medalist ($30,000), Bronze Medalist ($15,000), Fourth Place Laureate ($10,000), Fifth Place Laureate ($8,000) and Sixth Place Laureate ($6,000).
Participants in the 2026 IVCI will be required perform a new work by Grammy Award-winning composer, violinist and educator Jessie Montgomery. A graduate of The Juilliard School and New York University, Montgomery served as Mead Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2021 to 2024 and currently serves on the faculty of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.
"I am absolutely thrilled to be composing a new work for the Indianapolis Violin Competition Semi-Finals this year," Montgomery said. "It is an honor to continue the legacy of impactful composers in service of our country’s most outstanding showcase of talented violinists. I take on this work with profound admiration for competitors of the past, present and future, and look forward to hearing the music come alive through various interpretations.”
Former commissioned composers for The Indianapolis include William Bolcom, Richard Danielpour, John Harbison, Leon Kirchner, Joonas Kokkonen, Witold Lutoslawski, George Rochberg, Ned Rorem, Bright Sheng, Joan Tower and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
During the final round, participants will have the opportunity to perform with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and conductor Leonard Slatkin.
For more information about the 2026 IVCI, please visit .
You might also like:
- Violinist.com Interview with Composer Jessie Montgomery
- Violinist.com Interview with Sirena Huang, Winner of the 2022 Indianapolis Violin Competition
- Violinist.com Interview with Richard Lin, Winner of the 2018 Indianapolis Violin Competition
- Current and previous stories about the International Competition of Indianapolis
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Replies
Doesn’t do the Bach-lovers in the audience any good, but they do have to play some solo Bach for the audition to compete…
Yes, I believe they must play two contrasting movements from a Bach solo piece. In my household we will still find time to listen to some Bach!
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July 15, 2025 at 12:52 AM · I just looked at the 2026 Repertoire for the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and was very surprised to see that the Bach solo pieces have been dropped from the first round. They are replaced by the Ysaye sonatas 2-6. Maybe this was to build on the legacy of Josef Gingold? I am looking forward to hearing more Ysaye, but I will miss the Bach!