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Krannert Debut Artist - School of Music
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Krannert Debut Artist

Salon

Krannert Debut Artist

Eligibility: Open to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students in instrumental or vocal performance.

Competition Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026, beginning at 1:30 pm in Foellinger Great Hall

 

 

Application Process: Finalists are nominated by their respective areas (voice, woodwind/brass/percussion, strings, and keyboard).

Nomination Form will open here on Monday, December 8, 2025.

Please be aware that, unless otherwise noted, monetary awards will be applied directly to your student account, which could cause adjustments to your financial aid package. If you are concerned about this, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at 217-333-0100 prior to applying for an Award or Scholarship.

Competition Timeline:

  • Fall semester, each area conducts their own nomination or preliminary round.
  • Monday, December 15, 2025 (Monday of Finals Week): nominations due.
  • Friday, January 9, 2026: Finalists submit their program to the Music Admissions office (upload link forthcoming)
  • Monday, January 26, 2026: finalists will have time to rehearse in the Great Hall
  • Tuesday, January 27, 2026: Final Round – 1:30-5:00 PM with possible call-backs.
  • Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 3:00PM: Krannert Debut Artist performance in Foellinger Great Hall.

Competition Rules:

The Krannert Debut Artist award and concert is a professional engagement with the Krannert Center as part of their Sunday Salon Series for emerging artists. In addition to a professionally produced performance on the Great Hall stage, this award includes an honorarium for the performer.

SELECTION PROCESS AND ELIGIBILITY

  1. Faculty make nominations to Division Chairs of students who meet the following qualifications:
    • Currently registered and actively pursuing a degree in the School of Music (undergraduate and graduate students are eligible) and who will be enrolled in the School of Music at the time of the auditions;
    • Considered to be at the point of career entry as professional artists;
    • Capable of preparing and presenting a full-length recital of professional quality on the designated date that is appropriate to the intimate Salon Series format (audience seated on stage).
    • Only individuals may be nominated. Chamber music groups are not acceptable for this competition and chamber music should not be included in the audition program. This rule does not apply in the case of the nomination of an accompanying student.  See below.
    • The audition repertoire must be made up exclusively of appropriate classical recital repertoire. This specifically excludes opera and oratorio arias and concertos.
    • Accompanying students may be nominated, and their programs must include performances in varied configurations with other performers (in other words, an accompanying finalist should collaborate with more than one performer during his/her audition).
  2. Each division is responsible for determining their own finalists.
  3. Division Chairs should confirm availability for specified dates with each nominee.
  4. Nominees allowed per Area (as of 2025-2026)
    • Keyboard – 4
    • Voice – 3
    • Strings – 2
    • Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion – 5
  5. If your division feels strongly that an additional slot is necessary to avoid an injustice, then you may petition the Director’s office.
  6. Area are permitted to nominate alternates should a nominee of theirs withdraw before January 9, 2026.
  7. A panel of judges will audition the finalists and select the winner. Finalists will be required to submit a program of approximately 60 minutes of music along with a program statement (approximately 250 – 300 words) that should include a title for your concert, descriptions of the works in your program, and an explanation of why you have chosen to present them together. This program and program statement should be representative of an entire recital on the KCPA Sunday Salon Series. Finalists must be prepared to perform any of the selections, in whole or part, from that 60 minutes. The panel may stop the finalist at any time and may ask for excerpts from other selections on the program. Since the audition grants 15 minutes per person, no one will get to perform everything, but the panel does try to hear at least a representative sampling of each piece. If the judges recommend that no finalist is ready for presentation under professional auspices of the Krannert Center, they reserve the right to cancel the recital and not present the award.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR NOMINEES

  1. You are asked to prepare and submit a full concert program of at least 60 minutes of music along with your program statement. Please keep in mind the Salon format of the concert.
  2. Plan to have two (2) copies of your musical selections as the judges may ask to see your music during the performance. Photocopies are acceptable.
  3. You will choose your starting selection, and the judges will request repertory from your list thereafter. Each piece should be accurately timed so that the judges can choose exactly what they wish to hear.
  4. Please submit your typed repertoire list, including the exact timing of each piece and the name of your accompanist (if you are using one), clean digital scans of your scores, along with your program statement to the upload link provided in January.
  5. The Great Hall will be available for each finalist to rehearse, usually the day before the final round.
  6. Finals will be scheduled in 15-minute slots beginning at 1:30 PM.
  7. The winner will be showcased in the Krannert Debut Artist Recital which is scheduled in the Foellinger Great Hall.
  8. Congratulations on being selected as a nominee!
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