The Simon-Fiset Suite of Competitions
The Simon-Fiset Competitions were established to encourage young students to continue the serious study of music by acknowledging their exceptional ability, application, and meritorious accomplishment by awarding monetary prizes in the areas of composition, piano, and strings. The legacy of these outstanding opportunities represents one of SMTA’s premier offerings for young musicians in the Seattle area. We hope to see you and your students at next season’s Simon-Fiset!
Click here to read about the history of these competitions.
Piano Division
The Simon-Fiset Piano Division is supported by a generous gift from Willard Schultz.
Chair: Thom Stuart
Event Dates: February 10 and 11, 2024
2024 Results: Click here to view
Guidelines: Click to download 2023 Guidelines
SMTA is excited to announce Simon-Fiset Piano 2024 will again be presented at the Seattle Chamber Music Society in downtown Seattle at Sixth and Union Streets. Performances will take place in the Dr. Kennan Hollingsworth Concert Salon, a beautiful performance space which seats approximately 60. One practice room is also available for performers.
Please read more about Seattle Chamber Music Society’s state-of-the-art Center and learn more about the organization at About the Center for Chamber Music | Seattle Chamber Music Society.
Please reach out with any questions to simonfisetpiano@gmail.com.
Performance space at Chamber Music Society
Venue: Seattle Chamber Music Society: Center for Chamber Music, 601 Union Street, Suite 220, Seattle 98101
2024 Adjudicators:
Rufus Choi: Founder of Salit Conservatory, Los Angeles, California
Kenneth Christensen: Montana State University
To read our esteemed adjudicators’ bios, click on their names.
Strings Division
Chair: Jan Coleman
We appreciate everyone’s early registration and the strong turnout again this year! Thank you for your support and participation in our wonderful programs.
2024 Results: Click for results of this year’s competition
Event Date: March 4 and March 11, 2024
Location: Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood
2024 Adjudicator: Eduardo Rios
The Simon-Fiset Strings Competition is open to students ages 5-18 who have not graduated from high school.
Questions? Contact event chair, Jan Coleman through the SMTA office at smtaoffice@gmail.com.
Composition Division
The Composition division will NOT be held in 2024, due to lack of a Chair.
Chair: OPEN! Contact the SMTA office to volunteer or for more information about the position
Location: Online submissions
Click here to view the 2023 Rules & Guidelines, or click here for a PDF of the Rules & Guidelines to download and print.
Thank you to SMTA member Laura Dean for serving as Chair for our 2023 competition! View 2023 results in the June/July issue of Staccato Notes.
Simon-Fiset Composition accepts submissions from students in first through twelfth grade grouped into four divisions. New composers are encouraged to enter! All submissions require a complete score and audio recording of the composition (live instruments or digital instrumentation). Students may submit more than one composition but must submit a separate application and fee with each submission. See the rules & guidelines linked above for more information.
All entrants receive age-appropriate positive and constructive written feedback from the adjudicator. Submissions receiving first through third places will receive Visa gift cards. All students will receive a certificate for participation.
Contact the SMTA office for more information.
Dr. Benjamin Krause
Thank you to Benjamin Krause, composer and pianist, for serving as the 2023 adjudicator! A composer and pianist with interdisciplinary engagement across a wide range of media, Benjamin Krause is a recipient of a Copland House Residency Award, the Houston Symphony Emerging Composer Award, a Presser Award, and the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau’s Prix Marion Tournon Branly.
His music has been performed worldwide, with performances and commissions by the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Atlanta Chamber Players, Network for New Music, Da Camera of Houston, Musiqa, Lynx Project of Chicago, and the Delgani String Quartet.
Other recent honors include the Grand Prize in the 2021 Rapido! Composition Competition (Atlanta Chamber Players) and the winner of the 2020 Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra/ISU Contemporary Music Festival Orchestral Competition.
Krause received his D.M.A. from Rice University, and, as a pianist, performs music ranging from the traditional classical repertoire to contemporary art music and jazz. He appears frequently in performances with pianist Christina Giuca Krause as the piano duo 4x5. He has taught at Rice University, the University of Oregon, and Valparaiso University, and is currently on the music faculty at Hope College, where he teaches composition and theory.