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International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A.

Fort Collins, Colorado, 80522, United States

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Welcome Pianists!

2025
International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A. 
Solo Semifinal Rounds,  August 4, 2025 - Solo Final Rounds, August 5, 2025
Concerto Semifinal Rounds, August 7 - Concerto Final Rounds, August 8

Odyssiad® Festival: August 4 – August 8, 2025

Preliminary Round Applications Open March 1

 

Announcing the 2025 International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A., taking place at the foothills of the majestic and colorful Rocky Mountains of Colorado, featuring an international competition and festival for pianists of all nationalities. The Semifinal Rounds for Solo Levels A, B, and C will take place all day on Monday, Aug. 4. The Final Rounds for Solo Levels A, B, and C take place on Aug. 5.  The Concerto Division Semifinal Rounds take place on Thursday, Aug. 7.  The Final Concerto Rounds take place on Friday, Aug. 8.  All events take place at the University Center for the Arts, Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colorado (1400 Remington Street). Fort Collins is located approximately one hour north of Denver and within a one-hour’s drive of the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park.

The ODYSSIAD®, "A Journey to the Performance of a Lifetime," is an international competition for pianists with both Solo and Concerto Divisions. A panel of judges rates each performer separately for Technical Merit and Artistic Merit in an Olympic-styled judging format before a live audience. Judges then conference together to determine the top three medalists in each age level and division.

The 5-day Odyssiad® Festival includes the LIVE Semifinal and Final Rounds of the Odyssiad® Solo and Concerto Competitions (free and open to the public); Special Group Masterclasses for Odyssiad® Finalists with Top Master Teachers; Young Artist Development Sessions with Festival Judges for Odyssiad® Alternates, an integral learning and educational component of the 2025 festival; and riveting evening concerts by international piano competition prize-winners and world-renowned concert artists.

The Preliminary Round of the Odyssiad® is held online and judged by professionals around the United States. Applications open on March 1, and pianists must submit their application materials ONLINE by the deadline of June 9, 2025. Preliminary Round judges will select the Odyssiad® competitors that advance to the Semifinal Round in Fort Collins, Colorado on Monday, August 4. The Odyssiad® competition will accept up to 12 Semifinalists in each solo age level and each concerto division. 

The Solo Division is open to three age levels:  Level A (13 and under), Level B (14-18), and Level C (19-35).  The Concerto Division is open to two age levels: Junior Young Artist Complete Concerto Division (18 and under - NEW in 2025) and Professional Young Artist Complete Concerto Division (19-35).  The Final Rounds of the Odyssiad® take place during the 2025 International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A. (August 4 - August 8, 2025).  Up to three (3) finalists will advance to the Final Round in Solo Levels A and B, and up to six (6) fInalists will advance to the Final Rounds of Solo Level C, the Junior Young Artist Complete Concerto Division, and the Professional Young Artist Complete Concerto Division.

The 2025 Odyssiad® will introduce three (3) NEW components to keep the Odyssiad® fresh and newly invigorated:

1. A New Education Component: Master Teachers will conduct group masterclasses for the three to six Odyssiad® Finalists in each Solo Division Age Level, and Young Artist Development Sessions with festival judges will be offered to Odyssiad® Alternates as an integral learning and educational component of the 2025 festival.

2. A New Junior Complete Concerto Division: Junior Young Artist Complete Concerto Division (18 and under).  The winner will be featured in a performance of a complete concerto with the Fort Collins Health and Wellness Community Orchestra (the previous Single-Movement Concerto Division has been discontinued).

3. A New Piano and Chamber Music Component: The 2025 Odyssiad® will feature Guest Artists, Zuill Bailey (Grammy Award-winning Cellist), Bryan Wallick, Pianist (Horowitz Gold Medalist), and Violinist Yi-Jia Hou.

The Odyssiad® Competition:
The Solo Division offers Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, cash awards, and special prizes to the winners in three age levels:
All Ages as of June 9, 2025.

I. Level A (Ages 13 and younger).
  • $500 (Gold), $300 (Silver), $200 (Bronze)
II. Level B (Ages 14-18)
  • $1,000 (Gold), $500 (Silver), and $250 (Bronze)  
III. Level C Professional Young Artist (Ages 19-35)
  • $5,000 (Gold), $2,000 (Silver), and $1,000 (Bronze)
The Complete Concerto Division offers Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, cash awards, and special prizes to the winners in two age levels:
All Ages as of June 9, 2025.

I. Junior Young Artist Complete Concerto Division (Ages 18 and under) - * NEW THIS YEAR
  • $1,000 (Bobbie and Paul Mielke Gold Medal), plus a performance with the Fort Collins Health and Wellness Community Orchestra
  • $500 (Silver)
  • $250 (Bronze)
II. Professional Young Artist Complete Concerto Division (Ages 19-35)
  • $3,000 (Gold), plus a performance with the Boulder Symphony in Boulder, Colorado, Devin Patrick Hughes conducting
  • $2,000 (Silver)
  • $1,000 (Bronze)
The Linda Leirfallom Brewer Award for “Best Performance of Chopin” ($500) is also presented to one of the Semifinalists in the Solo or the Concerto Division.

Guest Artists for the 2025 Odyssiad® Festival include Cellist Zuill Bailey (Grammy Award-Winning Cellist) with Bryan Wallick, Pianist (Horowitz Gold Medalist & Professor, Colorado State University) and Violinist Yi-Jia Hou; the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Silver Medalist (to be determined in Fort Worth, TX in May/June of 2025); Yaron Kohlberg, Concert Pianist, President of Piano/Cleveland and the Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC); Charlotte Hu, Concert Pianist, Boston Conservatory Professor, and Founder/Director of the Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA); and Dongni Xie, Gold Medalist, 2017 Odyssiad® Gold Medalist.

Additional Master Teachers, Guest Artists, and Judges during the daily festival events include the legendary Russian pianist and teacher, Mikhail Voskresensky, former Head of the Piano Faculty at the Moscow Conservatory, described by London's Royal College of Music as "a Colossus who bestrides the Royal College of Music!"; Charlotte Hu, Concert Pianist and Founder/Director of the Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA); Yaron Kohlberg, Concert Pianist, President of Piano/Cleveland and CIPC; Official Odyssiad® Staff Accompanists, Mikhail Berestnev, Daria Kiseleva, and Jooyeon Chang; Devin Patrick Hughes (Conductor, Boulder Symphony and Symphony of the Rockies); Odyssiad® Competition Masters of Ceremonies (TBD); and many other piano aficionados and judges. 

For complete Solo and Concerto Division Preliminary Round Guidelines, including repertoire requirements, please select "Odyssiad® Competition Application" as the program under "Start an Application" on the left side of this page. If you have any questions once you have started your application, please contact Odyssiad® Competition Directors, Dr. Cindy Lindeen-Martin and Dr. Iris Zhang, through the Acceptd site.
     
Dr. Cindy Lindeen-Martin and Dr. Iris Zhang
Competition Co-Directors
International Keyboard Odyssiad® and Festival, U.S.A.

For technical assistance please check out the Acceptd Applicant Support Help Desk!