Welcome!

The 47th Annual Fischoff Competition is scheduled for May 8 - 10, 2020 on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, USA.

 

March 2, 2020 - In complance with the CDC recommendation to cancel all public events for the next eight weeks, a live Fischoff competition will not occur on May 8-10 in South Bend. However, we are currently exploring alternate back-up options. More details soon.

 

     

 

Directions & Parking Information

All Fischoff Competition rounds take place in the O'Neill Hall of Music and the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, just north of South Bend, Indiana, USA. For detailed directions, click here. Validated parking is available at Eddy Street Commons parking garage.

 

 

 

Tickets

Friday, Saturday and Sunday Competition rounds are free and open to the public. Tickets are required for the Sunday afternoon Awards and Gold Medalist Concert, and are available from the DeBartolo Box Office (phone 574-631-2800).

 

 

What to Expect at the Competition

Expect to hear extraordinary music performed by young people who will knock your socks off!  This unique weekend features remarkable young musicians from around the world in three divisions: Juniors, Senior Strings and Senior Winds. Ensembles may include brass quintets, string quartets, woodwind quintets, piano trios, saxophone quartets, string sextets, percussion ensembles, wind trios and an eclectic mix of winds and strings.

Attending the Performances

The Competition weekend features Quarterfinal Rounds on Friday, Semifinal Rounds on Saturday and Final Rounds on Sunday. Each round consists of 20 minutes (Seniors) or 15 minutes (Juniors) of music per ensemble.  Each round of the Competition is free and open to the public.  Audiences have 81 brilliant performances to select from throughout the weekend. Come for one performance or all 81!

Before you enjoy these breathtaking performances, please remember to turn off all cell phones and pagers.

When entering a venue, please follow the directions of DeBartolo ushers. If a performance has already begun, ushers will ask you to wait in the lobby until you can enter between movements. If ushers are not present, television monitors in the lobby will help you know when to enter the hall without disrupting the performance.

Audiences are encouraged to show their appreciation at the conclusion of the performance. Ensembles will stand and bow when they conclude, or a juror may indicate the conclusion of the performance by clapping (see below).

Audience attire generally ranges from informal to business casual during Competition rounds, and business casual to business attire for the Finals and Award Presentation on Sunday.  

Families are most welcome and encouraged to attend the Competition; however, in fairness to the competitors and jurors, we do ask that children sit quietly throughout each performance.

Competition Format

Ensembles submit their repertoire prior to the Competition. From this submitted repertoire, the jurors select the particular program for each round of the Competition.  If an ensemble’s performance exceeds 20 minutes (Seniors) or 15 minutes (Juniors), the jurors will stop the performance by clapping. Audiences are encouraged to clap and show support at the conclusion of the performance.

 

 

Dining

While attending the Competition, you may choose to dine on campus, or explore South Bend area restaurant options.

 

 

Accommodations

The host hotels for the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition are the Inn at Saint Mary's and the Hilton Garden Inn.

 

 

 

 

Additional Information

 

 

Volunteer

For the Fischoff Competition to be a success, the Competition depends upon the help of approximately 100 dedicated community volunteers.

Volunteers are needed for a variety of shifts. Each shift is approximately 3 hours long and most don't require any musical ability or musical knowledge. All shifts take place at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Visit our Volunteer page for more information.

 

 

2020 Sponsors

The Fischoff Competition is made possible through the generous support of:

* Denotes in-kind support