2025 Vincent Bach International Trumpet Competition
Presented by Conn Selmer
The 2025 Vincent Bach International Trumpet Competition will take place in Chicago, Illinois, in the Conn Selmer Artist Studio inside the historic Fine Arts Building on October 18 and 19, 2025. This unique competition challenges our participants in a variety of musical settings including solo, chamber music, and orchestral performance. All competition rounds, masterclasses, and performances are free and open to the public.
The deadline to apply for 2025 is September 1. Review the Rules and Regulations page for full details.
Dates
October 18-19, 2025
Location
Conn Selmer Artist Studio & Curtiss Hall,
Fine Arts Building, Chicago, Illinois
2025 Judges
Michael Sachs
Principal Trumpet, Cleveland Orchestra
Marie Speziale
Former Associate Principal Trumpet, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Chris Kiradjieff
Trumpet, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Prizes
1st Prize: New Bach Trumpet of Choice, $1,000
2nd Prize: New Bach Trumpet of Choice
3rd Prize: $1,000
Rules and Repertoire
Applicants must be 25 years old or younger on or before October 18, 2025. Current Bach artists, previous 1st Prize winners and employees of Conn Selmer are not eligible. Click here to view the complete competition rules and repertoire.
Event Schedule
| October 17 | |
|---|---|
| TBD | Rehearsals with Axiom Brass Quintet and Accompanist |
| October 18 | |
|---|---|
| 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Brass Quinet Round with Axiom Brass |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | Masterclass: Marie Speziale |
| 2:30 – 3:30 PM | Break |
| 3:30 PM | Solo Round |
| 4:30 PM | Break |
| 6:30 PM | Recital: Michael Sachs in Curtiss Hall |
| October 19 | |
|---|---|
| 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Orchestral Excerpt Preliminary Round |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | Masterclass: Michael Sachs & Chris Kiradjieff |
| 2:00 – 3:00 PM | Break |
| 3:00 PM | Orchestral Excerpt Final Round & Announcement of Prizes |
Congratulations to the 2024 Finalists
The 2024 inaugural Vincent Bach International Trumpet Competition took place in Chicago at the historic Fine Arts Building on November 16 and 17, 2024. This unique competition challenged our participants in a variety of musical settings including solo, chamber music, and orchestral performance. Out of all our talented competitors, four bright musicians stood out from the crowd to be named finalists.
First Place
Michail Thompson
Second Place
Kalebe Requena
Third Place
Nikolaj Hansen
First Runner-Up
Oliver Zhang
(Left to Right): Oliver Zhang, Kalebe Requena, Nikolaj Hansen, Michail Thompson