The Texas Flute Society offers 3 annual competitions for flutists! Read below for the competition information and repertoire selections, available for purchase through the highlighted links.
The Masterclass Competition for this year’s festival provides an opportunity for flutists of all ages to perform for our Guest Artists. To participate in this competition, applicants must apply online and upload their mp3 recordings. The competition includes:
- College & Adult Solo
- High School Solo
- Junior High School Solo
The College/Adult Solo Competition applicants are encouraged (but not required) to submit works that:
- are unaccompanied
- are written by living composers
- include extended techniques
The 14th Annual William and Donna Marie Haire Young Artist Competition will be held TBA, 2026. This flute competition is open to all school age flutists who will graduate high school during or after the 2025-2026 school year. Winners will receive cash prizes to further their flute studies. The first and second place winners will be awarded $1000 and $500, respectively.
Preliminary recorded round:
- Fantasy 1 in A Major, II. Allegro by G.P. Telemann (no repeats)
- Winter Spirits by Katherine Hoover
Final round:
- Choro sem tristeza (Lament without Sadness) by James Lee III
Flutists selected for the Final Round will prepare a 15-minute program of their own choosing which includes the required piece. No repeating Recorded Round repertoire. 15 minute runtime includes the required piece and stage transitions. 15 minutes total stage time.
The program should include a piece or pieces reflecting a wide variety of styles and/or periods. This may include single movements of works, sonatas, concerti, and unaccompanied pieces. All final round repertoire should be written originally for the flute, no arrangements. It is not necessary to perform all movements of a single work but any individual movement of a work must be performed in its entirety. Cuts may be made in the accompaniment and repeats may be deleted. Entire variations may be omitted, as long as a minimum of 75% of the piece is performed.
The 42nd annual Myrna W. Brown Artist Competition will be held TBA, 2026. This flute competition is open to all flutists. No age limit! The winner of the competition will receive a $1,200 cash prize and be invited to appear as a guest artist at the Texas Flute Festival the year following the competition (with honorarium). Second and Third Place Winners will be awarded $500 and $250 respectively.
Preliminary recorded round:
- Syrinx by Claude Debussy
- Murali for solo flute by Marilyn Bliss
- In Search of Aquatic Life by Jonathan Mitchell
Semi-Final and Final Rounds:
The required piece for the Final Round will be a new work commissioned especially for the 2026 Myrna W. Brown Competition. The music for the required piece will be sent with semi-finalist notification. Flutists selected to the Semi-Final and Final Rounds will prepare a 25-minute program of their own choosing (including the required piece in Final Round only).
The time limits for both rounds excludes any time between pieces. The program should include pieces that reflect a wide variety of styles and periods. This may include single movements of works, sonatas, concerti, and unaccompanied pieces. It is not necessary to perform all movements of a single work, but any individual movement of a work must be performed in its entirety. Cuts may be made in the accompaniment and repeats may be deleted. Entire variations may be omitted, as long as a minimum of 75% of the piece is performed.
Semi-Final Only:
- The Semi-Final Round requires 15 minutes of music and does not require the newly commissioned piece.
Final Round Only:
- The Final Round requires 25 minutes of music, which includes the required newly commissioned work. The piece will be approximately 4-5 minutes in length and will only be asked on the Final Round.
- The Final Round repertoire can include previous round repertoire, or can be an entirely new program, in which the newly commissioned work must be programmed.
