2026 Annual Youth Festival
A very important part of Tri-County Concerts' program is its Annual Youth Festival, established in 1943. This is one of the area's most prestigious competitions for aspiring young musicians living in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Auditions are open to high-school and middle-school students in a wide variety of instruments, including piano, strings, winds, voice, and ensembles, as well as a musica diversa category that includes harp, classical guitar, and percussion.
The Youth Festival offers talented students an opportunity to audition before and receive critiques from professional musicians. Each year those students deemed the most outstanding by the judges perform at a live winners’ recital; they also receive monetary awards and their photos and accomplishments are featured on our website.
Both teacher pre-registration and student registration are done online. Students must be pre-registered by their teachers by February 23, 2026 before they can register to audition. Auditions are limited to those students who complete registration by March 30, 2026.
Pre-Registration by Teachers
Monday, January 26, 2026 - Teachers' Pre-Registration Starts
Students must be pre-registered by their teachers by February 23, 2026 before they can register to audition.
Monday, February 23, 2026 - Teachers' Pre-Registration Deadline
Registration by Students
Monday, March 2, 2026 - Students' Registration Starts
Students can register starting March 2nd. Registration is limited to students who were pre-registered by their teachers by the February 23rd deadline.
On the registration form, the student specifies the audition piece he or she will be performing. Please be sure to review the 2026 Youth Festival Guidelines before you register.
Student registration and payment are done online.
Note that registration is not complete until the non-refundable registration fee has been paid using PayPal. Your PayPal receipt is your registration confirmation.
Monday, March 30, 2026 - Students' Registration Deadline
The last day for students to register, including payment of the registration fee, is March 30th.
Check here if you have registered but not yet made payment.
2026 Auditions
Auditions are limited to those students who complete registration by March 30, 2026.
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Held in the Swope Music Building on the campus of West Chester University in West Chester, PA (S. Walnut Street).
Morning - Jr. & Sr. Ensembles
All Day - Jr. & Sr. Piano, Strings, Winds
Winners' Recital
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 7:00 PM
Winners' recital in the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre at Swope Music Building, West Chester University in West Chester, PA 19383
2026 Pre-Registration Materials
Letter to teachers -- important information about pre-registration and the 2026 Youth Festival (PDF file)
For further information, please contact the Youth Festival Directors at tricountyyouthfestival@gmail.com.
Wendy Schmid and Eleanor James, Co-Directors; Carol Briselli, Assistant Director, Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival
We gratefully acknowledge the generous grants we have received from:
We also thank our season sponsors.
Find out more about them by clicking their logos.
