2026

Ruth Monte Memorial Bach Competition

Prelude in C Major BWV 846, from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
(D-B, Mus.ms. Bach P 202)

Built around J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, this competition is for high-school-age pianists currently residing in North America.
Competitors must be aged 14 to 18 on December 31, 2025.

Repertoire

Preliminary Round (video recording): a 20-to-30-minute program including at least one selection by J.S. Bach and at least one selection by another composer. Applications and preliminary-round videos are due March 1, 2026. Semi-finalists will be announced on April 1, 2026.

Semi-Final Round (9 semi-finalists performing in person on the first day of the competition): Each contestant will provide a 50-minute repertoire list that includes one Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, and other solo repertoire of the contestant’s choice. At least three composers must be represented. The contestant will begin with the Prelude and Fugue and thereafter perform works specified by jury members. Each performance will last approximately 18 minutes.

Final Round (3 finalists, selected from among the 9 semi-finalists, performing in person on the second day of the competition). Each contestant will perform works specified in advance by the jury members from the 50-minute repertoire list. Each performance will last approximately 25 minutes.

NOTE: Works performed in the Preliminary Round may also be heard in the Semi-Final Round and/or the Final Round.

To Apply

Applications and preliminary-round videos are due March 1, 2026. Performances submitted must be videotaped with a single stationary camera in a single take (per work). Videos should be uploaded as unlisted videos to YouTube. You can find instructions about how to upload a video to YouTube at this link. After uploading your video, please fill out the application form. A $50 non-refundable fee must be paid at the time of submission. Applicants will be sent an email confirming the acceptance of their application. Semi-finalists will be announced on April 1, 2026.

Schedule, Travel and Accommodations

The Semi-Final and Final rounds of the competition will be held June 20–21, 2026, at Northwestern University’s Ryan Center for the Musical Arts (70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208).

Semi-Finalists are required to arrive in Evanston and register for the competition on Friday, June 19, 2026. Contestants and their accompanying family members are invited to a reception that evening. Lunch for contestants and accompanying family members will be provided on both Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21. Please note that the Competition does not provide any stipend for hotel accommodations or for travel expenses.

Other events in addition to the competition rounds include a lecture by Andrew Talle (Associate Professor of Music at Northwestern), lessons with jury members on Saturday morning, and a Bach cantata concert by the Northwestern Bach Academy under the direction of Professor Andrew Megill on Saturday evening.

Cash Prizes

First Prize — $5,000
Second Prize — $4,000
Third Prize — $3,000
Semi-Finalists not admitted to the Final Round will each receive $1,000
American Bach Society Prize for the Best Bach Performance — $1,000

Timeline

APPLICATIONS OPEN: DECEMBER 1, 2025
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2026
SEMI-FINALISTS ANNOUNCED: APRIL 1, 2026
SEMI-FINAL ROUND: JUNE 21, 2026
FINAL ROUND: JUNE 22, 2026

2026 Jury

James Giles, Professor of Piano at Northwestern University and Director of Music Performance Graduate Studies at Northwestern University
Sylvia Wang, Associate Professor of Piano at Northwestern University
Christopher Guzman, Professor of Piano at Northwestern University

Inquiries

Should you have questions, please contact Andrew Talle, Director of the Ruth Monte Memorial Bach Competition for the American Bach Society: andrew.talle@northwestern.edu.

The Ruth Monte Memorial Bach Competition

This competition is funded by the American Bach Society’s Ruth and Noel Monte Fund and honors Ruth Monte, a longtime member of the Society. Trained as a pianist in her native Romania, Ruth Monte felt a particularly deep affinity for the music of J. S. Bach. A distinctive feature of her recitals was the performance of the same work by Bach on the piano as well as the harpsichord or organ.

Ruth and Noel Monte were deeply devoted to Bach and his music, sensing its great impact on the human brain and culture throughout the world. To them, Bach represents a bright planet appearing in the sky only once, requiring centuries for the human mind to observe and fully comprehend. The Monte Fund supports and promotes this living musical treasure for present and future generations.