Olga Kern International Piano Competition

The 2025 Olga Kern International Piano Competition will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, from October 13 to October 20, 2025. The Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities who will be between the ages of 18 and 32 on October 20, 2025. Participation in the Competition is conditional on a candidate submitting the required documents for consideration by June 2nd, 2025. 

APPLICATION FEE: $220, plus a $35 application fee, for a total of $255 (if submitted by 11:59 p.m., EST, June 2nd, 2025)

APPLICATION REVIEW
Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Submitted materials will not be returned. Candidates’ documents and recordings will be assessed by the Screening Jury. The Screening Jury will admit 20 contestants to compete in the First Round, which will be held in person starting October 13 2025 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The list of invited candidates will be announced and made public by July 15, 2025.

AUDITION VIDEO RECORDING REQUIREMENTS

An unedited recording of the applicant must be submitted as follows:

• The recording must be of excellent technical quality and preferably recorded professionally.
• The applicant’s face and hands must be clearly visible throughout the recording.
• The recording must have been made within 12 months of the submission of the application.
• Minimum duration is 40 minutes. Maximum duration is 50 minutes.
• Only solo piano works will be accepted.
• The recording must be unedited. Postproduction handling that affects the acoustic quality of the recording (such as bias, equalization, and noise reduction) is permitted, but must be stated.
• The recording must be clearly and visibly labeled showing the applicant’s full name and the details of where and when it was made.
• You may include recordings from public performances or a recording studio.
• Each individual work must be recorded in one unedited take. The works, however, may have been recorded on different dates.
• Do not include titles, fade-outs, or video transitions.

Required Repertoire

• One Bach Prelude and Fugue from Books I or II of The Well-Tempered Clavier
• One etude by the following: Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin
• One of the sonatas by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven
• One piece of the contestant’s choice

Each composition should be performed in full. No individual movements will be permitted.