Participate

The Concours musical international de Montréal – Piano 2027 is an elite-level international competition open to classical pianists of all nationalities, ready to launch a professional performance career.

Competitors must be at least 18 years old and no older than 30 years old at the start of the Concours 2027. Pianists’ date of birth must fall no earlier than April 25, 1996, and no later than April 24, 2009.

Finalists from previous piano editions are not eligible to compete in Concours 2027.

All selected competitors are required to be free of all professional engagements and available to be present in Montréal between April 23 and May 5, 2027, inclusive.

• September 3, 2026: Applications open
• October 31, 2026: Applications close at 23:59 Montréal time (EDT)
• December 18, 2026: All applicants are informed of their status
• December 22, 2026: Deadline for invited competitors to confirm their participation
• January 18, 2027: Confirmation of final programs for all rounds
• February 4, 2027: Announcement of the Concours 2027 competitors
• April 22, 2027: Arrival of all competitors in Montréal
• April 23, 2027: Welcome event and Concours media launch
• April 24 – 26, 2027: First Round
• April 28 – 29, 2027: Semifinal 
• April 30, 2027: Chamber Music
• May 4, 2027: Final with orchestra – First evening
• May 5, 2027: Final with orchestra – Second evening and Closing Award Ceremony

Applications must be submitted online via the site Muvac​.com by 23:59 Montréal time (EDT) on October 31, 2026.

A complete application comprises the following

• A completed online application form
• A non-refundable application fee of $200 Canadian Dollars
• Two high-resolution colour photos, including one headshot, suitable for promotional use
• Contact information (name, title, email address, and phone number) for two musical references willing to provide upon request by the Concours only a recommendation in support of the applicant
• A list of proposed repertoire for all rounds of the competition* (except the required Canadian work for the Semifinal)
• Four audition videos (one video per work):

1. A prelude and fugue by J.S. Bach
2. A complete sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert
3. A virtuoso étude
4. A work in a contrasting musical style (a single movement of a work is permitted) 

* Invited competitors must confirm their final program no later than January 18, 2027, including the definitive order of performance for each round and the respective timing of each work. 

Notes on audition videos

• Videos must be of high-quality video and audio and shot from one angle with a single fixed camera (no zooming, tilting, or panning). 
• Recordings must be performed and recorded in a single continuous take. Each work must be submitted as a separate video (one video per work). Videos must not be edited or modified in any way to enhance the musical performance. Any candidate who has submitted such a video will be automatically disqualified from consideration. 
• Live videos that have been recorded from multiple angles at other competitions, who are members of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) may be accepted, at the discretion of the Concours. Please write to candidates@​concoursmontreal.​ca to verify such a video before submitting.
• All videos must have been recorded after July 1, 2025.

Additional Information

For any questions regarding submitting an application, please contact: candidates@​concoursmontreal.​ca.

Review 

The Concours administration will review all applications to ensure they are eligible, complete, and meet the required technical standards. The Concours reserves the right to disqualify any candidates who have failed to fulfill all the application requirements.

Preselection

A preliminary jury is appointed by the Concours management to review the audition videos and evaluate the pianists’ performances. 

The names of the jury members are confidential during the preselection stage and will be revealed at a later date.

Each candidate’s application will be reviewed by a minimum of three and a maximum of six members of the preliminary jury.

The members of the preliminary jury do not have access to information such as the applicant’s name, age, nationality, biography, or professors.

The pianists who receive the highest rankings will advance to a second preselection round. Following this round, the competitors are selected.

Invitation

All applicants will be notified of the results of the preliminary selection by December 18, 2026. Invited competitors are required to confirm their participation by December 22, 2026.

From this preselection process, 24 pianists will be invited to compete in Montréal. One laureate of the 2026 OSM competition will be invited as a 25^th competitor for the Concours 2027.

By completing the online application form of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2027, candidates agree to comply with the Concours’ Rules, Information and Conditions of Participation, and with the jury’s decisions.

Failure to comply with the rules and conditions as stated in the present document may result in a candidate’s disqualification, without right of appeal.

The International Jury consists of a minimum of seven internationally recognized music professionals. 

All jury decisions are final and binding. 

Jury President

A Jury President is appointed by the Concours management. This person is bound by a duty of discretion and neutrality to ensure the impartiality of the results, the smooth operation of voting procedures, and the integrity of the competition.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the vote of the Jury President is not counted. It is sealed and used only in specific cases, as described in The Jury Handbook of rules and voting procedures.

The Jury President for the Concours 2027 will be Canadian pianist Angela Cheng. 

Note: The Jury Handbook of rules and voting procedures will be available for consultation by April 1, 2027.

Voting Procedure

The Concours employs an approval voting system. At the end of each round, jury members indicate which competitors they would like to advance to the next round.

Special prizes and the three Concours laureates are determined by majority vote.

The International Jury is required to award first, second, and third prizes to three distinct laureates. Prizes may not be shared ex aequo between competitors.

Conflicts of Interest 

The Jury President and all Jury members are required to disclose any current or pre-existing conflict of interest with competitors and to sign a document declaring a conflict of interest. The procedure for tabulating the votes of jury members with conflicts of interest are outlined in The Jury Handbook.

A conflict of interest arises when a juror has a past or present spousal, familial, teaching, or professional relationship with a competitor. Masterclasses do not constitute a teaching relationship for this purpose. When doubt exists about whether a conflict of interest is present, the Artistic Director shall make the final determination.

More than $200,000 CAD in prizes and grants will be awarded to the laureates and winners of the Concours 2027.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) is the official orchestra of the Concours musical international de Montréal. The OSM accompanies the six finalists for the two evenings of the Final, on May 4 and 5, 2027, at the Maison symphonique de Montréal.

The Concours provides an economy-class round-trip flight or the equivalent to Montréal for all Concours 2027 competitors.

The Concours will provide free accommodation for all competitors with a host family in the Montréal area. Competitors who wish to make alternative accommodations may do so at their own expense.

The International Jury will consider the technical difficulty and artistic merit of the competitor’s program for each round.

Repertoire selected for the competition may include works recorded for the audition videos. No other duplication of repertoire is permitted during the competition rounds. 

The Concours will validate the respective timing of each work to be sure that it conforms with the total required timing for each round. 

The competitors’ musical program for each of the rounds, including the definitive order of performance, must be confirmed no later than January 18, 2027. Any changes after this date are at the discretion of the Artistic Director. Programs performed in competition out of prescribed order and without the prior approval of the Concours, will be penalized by the International Jury.

The twenty-five competitors must each present a program of 25 to 28 minutes of music for solo piano. 

The repertoire for the First Round must comprise a minimum of three works representing at least three musical periods. The inclusion of a single movement of a work is permitted.

All works in the First Round must be performed from memory.

Pianists are not permitted to exit the stage during the First Round.

Twelve pianists will be selected by the International Jury to advance to the Semifinal.

The twelve semifinalists must each perform a program of 50 to 55 minutes of music for solo piano. 

The repertoire for the Semifinal round must comprise a minimum of three works, including the following elements:

• A complete sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert
• A work by a Canadian composer*
• Another work of the competitor’s choice

* A list of admissible Canadian works will be provided by the Concours to the selected competitors by the end of December 2026.

Works in the Semifinal must be performed from memory, with the exception of the required Canadian work.

Pianists may choose to exit the stage one time only during the Semifinal. 

Six pianists will be selected by the International Jury to advance to the Chamber Music round and Final with orchestra.

The six finalists must perform a piano concerto by W.A. Mozart arranged for piano and string quartet, from the following four options: 

• Piano Concerto No. 11 in F major, K. 413
• Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414
• Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major, K. 415
• Piano Concerto No. 14 in E‑flat major, K. 449

The concerto is to be performed from memory. Scores for the selected edition will be provided by the Concours.

The six finalists present a major concerto for piano and orchestra with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. The choice of concerto must be selected from the list list indicated Rules document.

Pianists of all nationalities, between 18 and 30 years old, who are ready to launch a career are invited to apply. You must be born between April 25, 1996, and April 24, 2009. Finalists from previous piano editions of the Concours are not eligible. 

You must submit your application on Muvac​.com between September 3 and October 31, 2026. For any technical difficulties with the platform, please contact https://​sup​port​.muvac​.com.

In some cases, recordings from other WFIMC competitions of the required audition repertoire may be accepted. Please contact candidates@​concoursmontreal.​ca to verify the video(s) that you would like to submit before uploading them to your application. 

Yes, you can submit just one movement of a longer work. 

No. Each audition video, including the Classical sonata, must be performed and recorded in a single continuous take.

The Concours requires that you upload a PDF document with the contact information for two musical references. You do not need to send reference letters. 

A preliminary jury will review the audition videos and evaluate the pianists’ performances. The members of this jury do not have access to an applicant’s name, age, nationality, biography, or professors. The names of the preliminary jury members will be revealed in February. 

Yes. You are required to submit a list of proposed repertoire for all of the competition rounds as part of your application (except the required Canadian work for the Semifinal). Invited pianists will then have the opportunity to make changes to their repertoire until January 18, 2027. 

The Concours provides an economy class round trip flight to Montréal for all invited competitors. 

The Concours offers free accommodation for all competitors with a host family in the Montréal area. Pianists who wish to make alternative accommodations may do so at their own expense. 

Citizens of certain countries require a visitor’s or tourist visa for entry to Canada. Find out if you need a visa to travel to Canada.

All applicants will be notified of the results of the preliminary selection by December 18, 2026.