top of page
Competition policies and rules
Please carefully read the below policies. Contestants or visitors who fail to adhere to these policies could be dismissed from the competition.
NEW! Official Announcement:
The updated competition schedule and group assignments for the 2025 event have been officially released.For full details, please refer to the document titled
"2025 Competition Order."
Competition Date: August 9, 2025
Address: Pomona College Lyman Hall
340 North College Avenue. Claremont, CA
Piano Competition: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Violin Competition: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Official Awards Ceremony with the Mayor: 5:00 PM
(Only For Top 4 Winners)
Award Ceremony:
The top four winners in each group and their teachers will receive awards presented by Mayor Calaycay at 5:00 PM. If you are unable to stay for the ceremony, please notify the front desk in advance. You will then need to pick up your trophy and certificate at the front desk. Contestants who are not ranked within the top four are kindly requested to proceed to the front desk to collect their Outstanding Excellence Participation Certificate
CATEGORIES
(Based on Age as of July 31, 2025)
Piano
Group A-D
-
Group A: Under 6 years old
-
Group B: Ages 6-8
-
Group C: Ages 9-10
-
Group D: Ages 11-13
Violin
Group E
E1 Ages 5-6
E2 Ages 7-8
E3 Ages 9-10
E4 Ages 11-13
-
For repertoire requiring piano accompaniment, participants are responsible for providing their own accompanist.
-
Solo performances of unaccompanied works are permitted.
REPERTOIRE
Performance duration will be designated based on age group. A timing bell will be used to ensure adherence to the assigned time limits. For instance, if your assigned age group is given a 2-minute performance , it is acceptable to select a piece with a total duration of longer 2 minutes. The performance will simply be concluded at the timing bell. Participants with a piece that’s too short may add an additional piece, but once the time limit is reached, the judge will signal the end of the performance.
-
Group A: perform a piece for 2 minutes or under 2 minutes.
-
Group B: perform a piece for 2 minutes or under 2 minutes.
-
Group C: perform a piece for 3 minutes or under 3 minutes.
-
Group D: perform a piece for 4 minutes or under 4 minutes.
-
Group E: perform a piece for 3 minutes or under 3 minutes
GUIDELINES
-
Pieces falling under the genres of jazz, pop, and improvisation are prohibited
-
Contestants are encouraged to play the piece by memory but may read music if preferred
REGISTRATION FEE AND POLICIES
NEW! Registration closed.
To ensure fairness for all participants, refunds will not be issued in cases where incorrect age information is provided at the time of registration, or if a participant exceeds the eligible age range. Such entries will be disqualified. Additionally, no refunds will be granted for personal reasons that prevent a participant from attending on the day of the event.If any extenuating circumstances result in the competition having to be cancelled, each contestants will get a full refund. Contestants who are no-shows will not get a refund.
Concert Hall Rules and Policies
1. No food or drink inside the concert hall
2. Any pictures or recordings must be done without a flashlight
3. Children under 4 years old are encouraged to stay outside of the concert hall while the competition is in progress
4. Be seated at all times during the competition, with the exception of taking photos or recording in designated areas
5. Be respectful of other contestants and visitors and avoid any distracting behavior
CYMC reserves the right to make final modifications, changes, interpretations, and cancellations of this event. Any related updates will be announced on this website without further notice. All results for the competition are final.
Contact us for any questions: californiayouthmusiccomp@gmail.com
bottom of page