This Competition represents our commitment to pursuing superior artistic expression through piano performance!

COMPETITION INFORMATION

The 2026 Steinway Society of Massachusetts Piano Competition will be held during four in-person events on several weekends in the Spring. The Preliminary Round scheduled for the weekends of February 28-March 1 and March 7-8, and the Semifinal Round the weekend of March 21-22 will all be held at M. Steinert & Sons’ Waltham location. The Final Round scheduled on Saturday, April 18, 2026 and the Winners Concert on May 2, 2026 will both be held at the Allen Center in Newton. The Preliminary and Semifinal rounds will be audition style and the Final Round will be a LIVE concert open to the public.

This year’s event will consist of Three Divisions.

  • Division I: Ages 10 and under
  • Division II: Ages 11 – 14
  • Division III: Ages 15 – 18

Participants in each Division will perform LIVE at each stage of the Competition. All participants should register for the Division corresponding to their age as of March 1, 2026. Participation is open ONLY to residents of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The registration fee for the Competition is $225 per participant.

For ALL competition questions please contact Ms. Christina Dietrich, Artistic Director, at christinad@steinwaysocietymass.org

PRIZES

The Prizes for the Winners of the 2026 SSOMA Competition are:

  • Division I – Gold Medal – $300; Silver Medal – $200; Bronze Medal – $100
  • Division II – Gold Medal – $400; Silver Medal – $300; Bronze Medal – $200
  • Division III – Gold Medal – $500; Silver Medal – $400; Bronze Medal – $300

ALL Winners will be invited to participate in the WINNERS’ CONCERT at the ALLEN CENTER in NEWTON on Saturday, May 2, 2026.

ALL Participants will receive the adjudicators’ comments from their performance as well as a Certificate of Participation.

REQUIREMENTS

Each participant will prepare TWO contrasting piano works – one from the Baroque or Classical periods and the second from the Romantic or Twentieth/Twenty-first century – performed from memory. Original compositions and improvisations are not permitted. Repeats may be played at the judges’ discretion. For each phase of the competition, each participant should wear formal concert dress and include appropriate concert etiquette.

  • Division I: 10 and under – max 10 minutes
  • Division II: 11 to 14 – max 15 minutes
  • Division III: 15 to 18 – max 20 minutes

Participants will be evaluated on the following criteria: musicality, artistry, technical mastery, appropriateness of style, adherence to the score, memory, stage presence and dress code – formal concert attire.

For the competition, ALL participants should bring the original scores of their sheet music with minimal markings for the adjudicators. If a published score of a piece is not available in the United States an IMSLP score will be allowed. Please notify Ms. Dietrich in such cases for approval.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Registration for the 2026 SSOMA Piano Competition will OPEN on October 15, 2025 and will CLOSE on February 15, 2026. Participants must complete and submit the full application. A NON-REFUNDABLE application fee of $225 must be paid at the time of application submission. Application questions will include student, parent/guardian, and teacher information. All participants should register for the division corresponding to their age as of March 1, 2026. Participation is open ONLY to residents of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. A confirmation message will be sent once the application and payment have been received.

Ms. Dietrich will contact participants with further instructions regarding the competition once registration closes.