Conerto High School Musicians Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by United States Marine Band

Overview

The United States Marine Band, in partnership with the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, is accepting applications for its Concerto Competition for High School Musicians. The competition selects a winner to appear as a guest soloist with the Marine Band during the 2027 spring concert season. Winners also receive monetary scholarships funded by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. Applications must be submitted by the November deadline; late entries will not be accepted.

Description: A national concerto competition for high school woodwind, brass, and percussion players with performance and scholarship awards.

• Open to high school musicians for the 2026–2027 academic year.
• Winner performs with the Marine Band during the 2027 spring concert season.
• Application deadline occurs in November; late submissions are not accepted.

Eligibility

The competition is open to students enrolled in grades 9–12 for the 2026–2027 academic year who play woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments. Strings, piano, and harp players will not be eligible until the 2028 competition. Previous competition winners and immediate family members of current or former U.S. Marine Band members are ineligible. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Eligibility: High school students (grades 9–12, 2026–2027), woodwind/brass/percussion only; certain groups and past winners are excluded.

• Eligible instruments for this cycle: woodwind, brass, percussion.
• Ineligible: previous winners and immediate family of current/former band members.
• Citizenship requirement: U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.

Awards

Scholarships are awarded to the top three finishers and the first-place winner receives a performance engagement with the Marine Band. The first-place award includes a $2,500 scholarship in addition to the guest soloist appearance during the 2027 spring concert season. Second and third-place awards are $1,000 and $500 respectively. Awards are funded by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.

Award Value: First place: $2,500 plus solo performance; second place: $1,000; third place: $500.

• First place: guest soloist appearance with the Marine Band in spring 2027 and a $2,500 scholarship.
• Second place: $1,000 scholarship.
• Third place: $500 scholarship.

Application Timeline

All application materials must be submitted by the November deadline and received by 11:59 p.m. EST; late submissions will not be considered. The competition timeline ties the winner's appearance to the Marine Band's 2027 spring concert season. For certain instruments, future eligibility windows are specified (for example, strings, piano, and harp eligible in 2028). Applicants should review the official application materials for exact submission procedures and any additional deadlines.

Application Timeline: Applications due in November by 11:59 p.m. EST; winner performs in spring 2027.

• Submission deadline: November, 11:59 p.m. EST (late entries rejected).
• Winner's performance scheduled for the 2027 spring concert season.
• Instrument eligibility windows vary for future competitions (e.g., strings/piano/harp in 2028).