Information and Rules
INFORMATION AND RULES
The Concours musical international de Montréal – Piano 2027 will take place
from April 24 through May 5, 2027.
Important: The following is a summary only. Please download the Rules document for detailed information.
RULES - 2027
ELIGIBILITY
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.
IMPORTANT DATES
2026
- September 3: Applications open
- October 31: Applications close at 23:59 Montréal time (EDT)
- December 18: All applicants are informed of their status
- December 22: Deadline for invited competitors to confirm their participation
2027
- January 18: Confirmation of final programs for all rounds
- February 4: Announcement of the Concours 2027 competitors
- April 22: Arrival of all competitors in Montréal
- April 23: Welcome event and Concours media launch
- April 24-26: First Round
- April 28-29: Semifinal
- April 30: Chamber Music
- May 4: Final with orchestra – First evening
- May 5: Final with orchestra – Second evening and Closing Award Ceremony
APPLICATION PROCESS
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
SELECTION PROCESS
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 in February of 2027 following the announcement of the competitors of the Concours 2027.
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.
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 25th competitor for the Piano 2027 edition.
INTERNATIONAL JURY
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. The Jury President’s vote in each stage of the competition remains sealed and is only counted when a tie-break is required.
The Jury President for the Concours 2027 will be Canadian pianist Angela Cheng.
The members of the jury will be announced in September 2026.
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.
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.
Note: The Jury Handbook of rules and voting procedures will be available for consultation by April 1, 2027.
OFFICIAL ORCHESTRA
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 Maison symphonique de Montréal.
TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMMODATION OFFERED BY THE CMIM
The Concours provides an economy-class round-trip flight or the equivalent to Montréal as well as free accommodation with a host family in the Montreal area for all Concours 2027 competitors.
(See the detailed Rules document for conditions.)
COMPETITION ROUNDS
The International Jury will consider the technical difficulty and artistic merit of the competitor’s programs 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.
First Round – April 24, 25 and 26
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.
Semifinal – April 28 and 29
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 contemporary Canadian composer. (A list of admissible Canadian works will be provided by the Concours to the selected competitors by the end of December 2026.)
- Another work of the competitor’s choice
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.
Chamber Music – April 30
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 E-flat 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 by memory. Scores for the selected edition will be provided by the Concours.
Final – May 4 and 5
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 on pages 10 and 11 of the Rules document.
INFORMATION
For any questions regarding submitting an application, please contact: candidates@concoursmontreal.ca
