Solo String Festival 2026

Solo String Festival

Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall
March 27 - 29, 2026

Application Opens: February 02, 2026
Deadline: February 27, 2026
$25 application fee

About

Key to Change presents its annual Solo String Festival for middle and high school violin and viola students. Held each year at Benaroya Hall, the Solo String Festival offers students far more than a traditional performance opportunity. Designed as a conference-style experience rather than a competition, the festival creates a safe, inclusive, and affirming environment where young musicians of varied backgrounds and musical levels are welcomed, supported, and celebrated. Students perform on one of the region’s most renowned stages while being introduced to a culture of excellence that emphasizes growth, artistry, self-awareness, and leadership.

Unlike many competitive music spaces that can feel restrictive or exclusionary, the Solo String Festival is intentionally designed to foster belonging, encouragement, and genuine connection. Participants are invited to take artistic risks, learn from one another, and experience what it means to pursue excellence while feeling supported, valued, and cared for. For students, the festival affirms their place in classical music. For supporters, it represents an investment in a model of music education that upholds both high artistic standards and human dignity.

Eligibility

All violin and viola students who are currently enrolled in lessons for the Winter 2026 term are eligible to participate in the Solo String Festival. Students who are enrolled in the Magis elective through Cristo Rey Jesuit Seattle High School are eligible as well. Students who do not meet these requirements are not eligible to participate this year.

Masterclasses

All students, regardless of musical experience, will participate in masterclasses and workshops with our esteemed guest artists. They will review repertoire, work on technique, and advise on other performance-related matters.

Guest artist masterclass instructors include:

LaTannia Ellerbe, assistant professor of strings, Jackson State University

Annie Fullard, professor of chamber music, Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University

Benjamin Hunter, bluegrass violinist

Johnaye Kendrick, composer in residence, Key to Change and Grammy Award Winning Vocalist & Arranger

Ayanna Omar, dancer, Northwest Tap Connection

Description

Students will perform their prepared repertoire on stage at the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall for a panel of distinguished judges from across the country, receiving individualized feedback and coaching. All students are eligible to receive awards and are encouraged to observe and support their peers throughout the festival. In addition to performances, students will participate in a series of masterclasses led by a cohort of multidisciplinary artists.

There is a $25 application fee. Each student will receive a limited-edition event t-shirt, lunch and snacks during the festival, and additional rehearsal time with piano accompaniment leading up to the event. Each student will also receive a Certificate of Recognition following their performance.

Schedule

Families should expect to receive a digital copy of their participating student’s schedule one week prior to the event. Physical copies of students’ schedules will also be distributed at the festival, outlining when and where they will have their workshops, masterclasses, performance, lunch, breaks, and ceremony.

Application

Students must submit their completed application no later than Friday, February 27, 2026 at 11:59pm. Applicants must also pay the $25 application fee by this time. Financial Aid is available for those students who require financial assistance, which should be indicated on their application.

Divisions

Jessie Montgomery Competitive Division

Grades: 6-12

Who: Students currently enrolled at Key to Change in the Young Artist Academy, COMBO lessons, Saint-Georges group classes, or private lessons programs.

Performance Time Limit: A total of up to 20 minutes

Repertoire Requirement: Competitors must perform at least two different musical works. Concertos, concertinos, sonatas, short pieces, and etudes are permitted. If a concerto (or equivalent piece that could be performed with an orchestra) is performed, then it must be memorized.

Competitors must also be prepared to perform one of each of the following: major and minor scales; arpeggios in two or three octave scales.

Prizes:

1st place – $1,000 college scholarship, direct admission into the Young Artist Academy, a set of high-quality strings, a year-long tuition-free (beginning fall 2026) scholarship for music lessons at Key to Change, opportunity to perform in a guest artist masterclass, and an opportunity to perform live on the radio on Classical KING FM’s Unmute The Voices. The 1st place winner will also receive press opportunities in the local news and through Key to Change’s social media platform.

2nd place – a set of high-quality strings, an opportunity to perform in a guest artist masterclass, and invitations to perform at select events sponsored by Key to Change. The 2nd place winner will also receive press opportunities in the local news and through Key to Change’s social media platform.

3rd place – a set of high-quality strings and invitations to perform at select events sponsored by Key to Change. The 3rd place winner will also receive press opportunities in the local news and through Key to Change’s social media platform.

At the judges’ discretion, they may recommend a second place winner(s) to also appear on the radio programs Northwest Focus Live or Unmute The Voices.

Please note:

At the Studio’s discretion, if the winner is not performance-ready, then a different student will be chosen to play in the radio appearance. If a winner is unable to fulfill their radio performance obligation, then they will forfeit their scholarship award and future performance appearances.

Previous first place winners are welcome to compete in the Jessie Montgomery Division and may receive special prizes. To be eligible to win again, two years must have passed since their most recent first place placement.

Debut Competitive Division

Grades: 6-12

Who: Students currently enrolled at Key to Change, in either group classes or private lessons.

Performance Time Limit: A total of up to 10 minutes

Repertoire Requirement: Competitors must perform a major or minor scale and two contrasting pieces. Memorization is strongly encouraged for one piece performed, but not required.

Prizes:

1st place – $500 college scholarship, a year-long tuition-free (beginning fall 2026) music scholarship for music lessons, a performance in a guest masterclass with a member of the Seattle Symphony, a set of high-quality strings, and an opportunity to perform live on the radio on Classical KING FM’s Unmute The Voices. The 1st place winner will also receive press opportunities in the local news and through Key to Change’s social media platform.

2nd place – a set of high-quality strings and an invitation to perform at select events sponsored by Key to Change. (Note: At the judges’ discretion, they may recommend a second place winner(s) to also appear on Northwest Focus Live and/or Unmute The Voices).

3rd place – a set of high-quality strings and an invitation to perform at select events sponsored by Key to Change.

Previous first place winners of the Debut Competitive Division are eligible if there has been a two year reprieve between winning the top prize. However, winners from last year’s festival (2025) may still compete with eligibility to win special prizes.

Non-Competitive Division

Grades: 6-12

Who: Students enrolled in group lessons will perform with their class. Students who are enrolled in private lessons may choose to either perform a solo or may perform with a group class (if they are preparing the same repertoire).

Time limit to perform: A total of up to 5 minutes

Repertoire Requirement: Scales, etudes, short pieces, solos, chamber music and orchestra music are all permitted. Students may perform with sheet music.

Concerto Competition Division

Grades: 9-12

Who: Students currently enrolled at Key to Change in Young Artist Academy, COMBO lessons, Saint-Georges group class, or private lesson programs.

Time limit to perform: A total of up to 15 minutes

Repertoire requirement: Competitors must perform at least one movement of a standard student concerto.

Prize: The winner(s) will receive a professional debut to perform their solo concerto with one or both the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and the Federal Way Symphony during their 2026-2027 concert season.

Competitors will perform their concerto during the first round of the concerto competition on January 27, 2026 at Key to Change. Up to four students will be selected to participate in the final round.

The final round of the competition will be on Sunday, March 29 at 3:30pm. All finalists will play with the Federal Way Symphony on the Benaroya Recital Hall stage, and up to two students will be selected as winners.

Requirements For All Student Participants Enter the Festival

All students actively studying with Key to Change are eligible to participate. Students who do not study at Key to Change are ineligible to enter this year.
Participants may compete on one instrument only.
Participants may compete in one division only, except for participants in the Jessie Montgomery Division, who may also compete in the Concerto Competition Division.
Participants must introduce their performance to the adjudicator and audience. Students should introduce themselves and their accompanist, their school and grade, and the title and composer of their piece (and, if applicable, the movements being performed).
Participants will be cut off if the allotted total time is exceeded.

Participants will receive written feedback from the adjudicator.
Participants must check in with Festival staff one hour before their performance.
The adjudicators’ decision is final and may not be appealed.
Winners are required to participate in the radio broadcast and select events scheduled by Key to Change. Failure to participate in such events will result in disqualification and loss of scholarship.
Key to Change reserves the right to veto the judges’ decision and select other winners to make the radio appearances, in the event that the student winner(s) are not musically prepared or performance ready. The winner(s) will also forfeit their scholarship awards, radio and other performance appearances.

Masterclass Teachers

Dr. Latannia Ellerbe

violin and viola

Annie Fullard

violin

Lauded for her “gleaming artistry, bravura and sensitivity” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), violinist Annie Fullard joyfully celebrates a life devoted to chamber music playing and is grateful for the deep collaborative bonds developed with students and colleagues throughout her multi- faceted career. A passionate leader in the field of chamber music advocacy and education, Fullard views the empathy and connectivity of chamber music as a metaphor for the kind of communication that we should strive for between cultures and nations. Fullard is honored to embark on her new position as Director of Chamber Music, Professor and Sidney M. Friedberg Chair at The Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University and also currently serves as Distinguished Artist and Charles and Mary Jean Yates Chair in Chamber Music at The Robert Mc Duffie Center for Strings, Mercer University. On the horizon is a much anticipated book The Art of Collaboration: Chamber Music Rehearsal Techniques & Teambuilding co-authored with Dorianne Cotter-Lockard, PhD to be published by Oxford University Press. A founding member of the Cavani String Quartet, Fullard has toured extensively throughout the US and abroad, including a residency with Juilliard Summer Arts in Shanghai. She and her colleagues are recipients of The Naumburg Chamber Music Award, The Cleveland Quartet Award (Eastman) and prize winning laureates of the Banff International, Fischoff, Coleman, and Carmel Chamber Music competitions. Described by the Washington Post as “completely engrossing, powerful and elegant” the Cavani Quartet’s artistic excellence, generous spirit, and their fervent ambassadorship for great music has placed them among America’s greatest string quartets. Quartet accolades include The Guarneri String Quartet Award for Artistic Excellence from Chamber Music America, Ohio Governors Award for The Arts, ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, and Musical America Magazine’s Young Artists of the Year. Summer program affiliations have included Kneisel Hall, The Perlman Music Program, Center Stage Strings, Encore String Quartet Intensive, Interlochen Center for the Arts Advanced Quartet Seminar and The Aspen Music Festival. She and her colleagues have been featured on NPR’s Performance Today and “Says You” and the short documentary film TOGETHER! Beyond Beethoven with The Cavani Quartet.

Recognizing the natural ability of chamber music playing to inspire cognitive and emotional development in children through empathy and interaction, Fullard has curated chamber music residencies in communities and neighborhoods around the country and founded Friday Night Chamber Music for pre-college age music students. At the collegiate level, Fullard and her Cavani colleagues have presented The Art of Collaboration Seminar: Coaching Strategies and Techniques-Building Empowered and Collaborative Teams by Applying Principles of Chamber Music Pedagogy at universities, conservatories and business schools around the country including the renowned Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Fullard and her colleagues are former Artists-in-Residence at Cleveland State University, University of California, Riverside, University of Texas, Austin, and Northern Illinois University. Fullard has the honor of collaborating with some of todays most distinguished and innovative artists including Alisa Weilerstein, Kim Kashkashian, Tessa Lark, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, Josh Henderson, Itzhak Perlman, Stephanie Blythe, Sergei Babayan, and poet Mwatabu Okantah, as well as members of the Cleveland, Juilliard, Takàcs, Ying, Emerson, Borodin, Ehnes, Amadeus, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, she pursued additional studies at Yale University, and Indiana University.

Benjamin Hunter

violin

Johnaye Kendrick

Composer in Residence

Ayanna Omar

Dancer/Choreographer

Judges

Jason Amos

viola

Tami Lee Hughes

violin

Critics rave violinist Tami Lee Hughes “rises to considerable technical challenges,” playing with a sound “reminiscent of Perlman.” A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tami began playing violin at the age of four. She grew up in a musical family and draws from her Creole roots, performing classical music infused with jazz, blues, gospel, and hip-hop. Since making her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra at the age of 16, Tami has extensively toured the United States, Europe, and Central America, championing music of African-American composers. Her solo album, Legacy: Violin Music of African-American Composers, was heralded as one of the top ten albums of 2011 by All Music Guide, garnering acclaim from audiences and critics alike. In 2016, Tami launched The Legacy Show, a live multimedia concert inspired by her debut album to great acclaim. Her work has been broadcasted on radio stations around the world and continues to serve as a significant artistic and cultural record of American music.

Additional credits in classical performance include appearances in Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center as a member of the acclaimed Sphinx Virtuosi Chamber Ensemble; appearances as section violinist in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra Augusta, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra among others; a live broadcast solo concert on Chicago’s WFMT radio station for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series; and performances as a featured artist in the Ritz Chamber Players Concert Series. Classical recording credits include Ballade for Violin and Piano, a solo featured on Vocalise, a compact disc of music by composer Brian Nelson, and, Music for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, a Profile recording featuring performances by Ksenia Nosikova of works by Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Clement.

In addition to performing, Tami is an active teacher and advocate for music outreach. She has taught at Morehouse College, Spelman College, the University of Kansas, Marygrove College, Interlochen, and the Ann Arbor School for Performing Arts. She enjoys interacting with students of all ages, rendering concerts and serving as guest clinician at institutions across the country. Tami received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, and Master's and Doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan. Teachers include Nancy Langham, Jana Burton, Sally O'Reilly, Camilla Wicks, and Paul Kantor.

Elizabeth Kilpatrick

violin

Judges for the concerto competition

Jason Amos, violist, Boston Public Quartet

Dr. LaTannia Ellerbe, Assistant Professor of Strings, Jackson State University

Annie Fullard, Director of Chamber Music, Peabody Institute of Music, Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Tami Lee Hughes, Instructor of Violin, Spelman College

Elizabeth Kilpatrick, founder, Music Orchard Richmond

Solo String Festival Frequently Asked Questions

Am I eligible to participate in the Solo String Festival?

If you are enrolled in lessons through Key to Change or Cristo Rey Jesuit Seattle HS, then you are eligible to participate.

Where will I go to perform?

Students will perform at Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, located at 200 University Street, Seattle, WA 98101. Specific building entrance instructions will be provided to students and families along with their event schedule.

Are there any refunds if I withdraw or can no longer participate after the deadline?

No refunds will be issued after February 27.

How much of the event do I need to be there for?

At minimum, a student needs to be present backstage for their pre-performance calltime. Attendance and participation in the rest of the event is strongly encouraged, but can be excused on a case-by-case basis

How does the judging work?

Students will perform on the Recital Hall stage for three judges. After they have played all of their pieces, one of the three judges will join the student on stage and give them feedback. Each student will receive an adjudication sheet from every judge.

How can I get my application fee waived?

Indicate in your application that you are asking for financial assistance, and then email our office at [email protected].

When will the winners be announced?

The awards ceremony for the 2026 Key to Change Solo String Festival will be between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, 2026. The winners of the Concerto Competition will be announced the following day, as part of Key to Change’s annual Spring Salon Fundraiser and Community Concert.

Can my friends and family come?

Yes! Friends and family are encouraged to attend and support the student performers. However, participation in the masterclasses and workshops is limited only to actively enrolled students.

Does my music have to be memorized?

If competing in the Jessie Montgomery Competitive Division, then concerto / orchestra-equivalent pieces must be memorized. If competing in the Debut Competitive Division, then memorization is strongly encouraged for one of the pieces performed (but not required). Students may perform with sheet music in the Non-Competitive Division.

What kinds of music qualify?

It depends on the Division!

For the Jessie Montgomery Competitive Division, students must perform at least two different musical works, which have to be either concertos, concertinos, sonatas, short pieces, or etudes.
For the Debut Competitive Division, students must perform two contrasting pieces.
For the Non-Competitive Division, students are welcomed to perform scales, etudes, short pieces, solos, chamber music, or orchestra music.

Am I required to participate in a masterclass?

All competing students are expected to participate in the Festival’s programming (masterclasses, workshops, observing other students) outside of their on-stage performance. Students may be excused from some of the Festival’s schedule on a case-by-case basis.

Can I choose which masterclasses and workshops I participate in?

Students will be assigned a festival schedule, where they will participate in masterclasses, group classes, and workshops led by special guest artists. Each student will get to work with almost every guest artist present! Specific schedule changes should be brought up to the Event Coordinator at the time of receiving the schedule.

Who can participate in the non-competitive division?

Students may perform a solo or invite up to three peers to participate together in a duet, trio, or quartet. Ensembles may include up to four students total, and all participants must be in grades 6 through 12 and perform on either the violin or viola. No other instruments are permitted. Each participating student, whether performing solo or as part of an ensemble, is required to pay the enrollment fee.

Do I get the money immediately if I win?

Key to Change will reserve the winner’s scholarship until their graduation, and work with the chosen institution’s Office of the Registrar. Key to Change must receive Proof of Enrollment before distributing funds and applying the scholarship towards their tuition.