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
The competition finals will be held at the University of Maryland Clarinet Symposium at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, MD on Sunday, April 5, 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 winners may not reapply until three years have passed.

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

Application Package Materials –
Application Form, Fee–$25, YouTube Video Recording
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Video Audition & Competition Pieces:
College Division:  Theme and Variations - Gioachino Rossini
High School Division:  Sonata, op. 41 - Miklos Rozsa (unaccompanied)
May be performed with or without accompaniment for the video. 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.

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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 shortly.