BRAVO! Competition

About the Competition

Established in 2001, the BRAVO! competition became part of the Fontana Chamber Arts’ outreach program in 2015 and 2016. In partnership with local arts organizations and community supporters, Fontana is thrilled to sponsor BRAVO! once again. Modeled after NPR’s From the Top, the BRAVO! Showcase Recital celebrates the talents of locally based student musicians who audition before a panel of professional musicians for a chance to perform in this free public recital.

Audition Date: Saturday, March 13, 2027

Performance: Sunday, April 18, 2027

Eligibility & Repertoire Requirements

  • Regional in scope, the competition is open to advanced student musicians from greater Kalamazoo and the adjacent counties of Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, St. Joseph, and Van Buren.
  • There is no restriction as to the styles and genres of music to be considered.
  • Applicants may apply as:
    • An individual instrumentalist or vocalist:
      • You are responsible for hiring your own professional pianist as needed with your piece of music.
    • A chamber ensemble:
      • Your group is two performers or larger.
      • All performers meet the requirements of being 13-18 years of age.
      • All performers meet the residency requirements listed above.
      • You may only submit one application/piece for a chamber ensemble.
  • Applicants may apply as an individual and in a chamber ensemble with two different applications.
  • A student soloist may not be chosen as a winner during two consecutive years on the same instrument, but is eligible to win the second year as a member of a chamber ensemble using the same instrument. Chamber ensembles chosen in the previous year must have at least 50% new members to qualify for a consecutive year.
  • Your scheduled audition time will be based on the length of the piece you have submitted. If your piece is longer than 8 minutes on the application form, please select a stopping point at or before 8 minutes. Longer pieces may be selected for the performance depending on the final results of the audition.

Awards & Benefits

  • The opportunity for professional coaching sessions to help prepare for the performance.
  • Concert tickets from local arts organizations such as Fontana Chamber Arts, The Gilmore, and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.
  • Gift cards from a variety of local businesses

2026 BRAVO! Competition Winners

Congratulations to our 2026 winners!

  • Jaden Palmore (Clarinet) — Portage Central High School
  • Terry Stamp (Violin) — Kalamazoo Central High School
  • Samual Vought (French Horn) — Mattawan Consolidated Schools
  • Raymin Zhu (Piano) — Country Day School
  • Emelyn Germay and Isaac Sandelin (Clarinet and Piano) — Vicksburg High School

Supporting Organizations

It takes a village, and we are so grateful to all of the organizations and individuals who contribute their time, efforts, and resources to provide these young musicians the opportunity to perform for you – our community. Once you experience a performance by this select group of students, you will agree that our artistic future is shining bright!