Sidney Forrest
​Clarinet Competition

This competition commemorates the significant influence of the renowned artist-teacher, Sidney Forrest (1918–2013), who taught clarinet to hundreds of students nationally and internationally while teaching at the Peabody Conservatory for 40 years, Interlochen Center for the Arts for 45 years, and the Catholic University of America for 50 years.


Location and Eligibility
Due to the current health crisis, the competition will be held in a virtual Zoom format on Saturday, June 6, 2020. The competition is open to all clarinetists, ages 14–22. There are two divisions: high school and college, with prizes awarded in both divisions. Former 1st place winners may not reapply until three years have passed.

Prizes in both High School and College Divisions
First Place: $750 
Second Place: 5 boxes of DiLutis Clarinet Reeds
Third Place: Gift Certificate to Luyben Music
​All finalists and winners will receive certificates.
​
​Application Package Deadline
Sunday, March 1, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Application Package Materials
Application Form, Fee–$25, YouTube Video Recording
​
Video Audition Music Requirements
College Division: Introduction, Theme and Variations, Gioacchino Rossini
(Take 2nd endings on all repeats for video audition. May be performed without accompaniment for video audition)

High School Division: Sonata, Op. 41, Miklos Rozsa, all movements (unaccompanied piece)
May be performed with or without accompaniment for the video audition. The competition performance will be with an accompanist if the piece was written for clarinet and piano.
For details on sending your video audition, please click on the  "APPLY" page for instructions.

Virtual Competition Requirements
High School Division: Sonata, Op. 41, Miklos Rozsa, all movements (unaccompanied piece)
Perform movement I and III in their entirety. Perform movement II from the beginning through ms. 29, ending on the dotted half note G. Perform the triplet pickup notes at the end of ms. 85 to the end of the movement.
​
College Division: Introduction, Theme and Variations, Gioacchino Rossini
Perform the piece in its entirety without any repeats.

Sponsors
The Sidney Forrest Clarinet Competition was established in 2015 by Paula Forrest, in memory of her father. Ms. Forrest lives in Ames, Iowa, and is active as a pianist, teacher, and artistic director of the Ames Town and Gown Chamber Music Association. Additional benefactors are Erika Saunders, granddaughter of Sidney Forrest, and her husband, Brian Saunders.

The competition is hosted by the University of Maryland’s Clarinet Professor, Robert DiLutis, as a major event during the annual Clarinet Symposium on the University of Maryland campus.

Sidney Forrest’s vast collection of music for clarinet has been donated to the library of the International Clarinet Association, located in the Music Department’s Special Collections Library at the University of Maryland. We look forward to the collection being available soon.