Brentwood International Music Competition 2027: Life-changing opportunity for young musicians across the globe

Brentwood School has officially opened applications for the 2027 Brentwood International Music Competition. Now in its third year, this prestigious annual event attracts top young classical talent from across the globe and stands as a flagship highlight of the school’s thriving musical calendar.

Open to classical musicians aged 13 to 17 who aspire to professional careers, the competition offers young prodigies a platform to showcase their talent, receive direct feedback from world-renowned adjudicators, and compete for transformative, life-changing prizes.

The competition is known for providing life-changing opportunities for gifted students, with the Grand Prize of a place at Brentwood School with means- tested funding up to 100% (£60,000 per year). Winning musicians may also be eligible for other prestigious awards, including scholarships, bursaries, masterclasses and monetary prizes. All finalists who join the School following the competition are automatically enrolled onto Brentwood’s trailblazing Specialist Music Programme, which allows talented musicians the unique opportunity to study at a specialist level within the wider context of a thriving holistic school.

The competition continues to change lives. Last year’s Grand Prize winner, Moldovan violinist extraordinaire Sofia, joined Brentwood’s Lower Sixth cohort this academic year, once again demonstrating the competition’s transformative potential.

Sofia joined inaugural competition winner Kate (from Hong Kong) alongside Gabriela (from Bolivia) and Revin (from the UK) – the standout performers from the second competition – all of whom are exceptionally talented musicians and academics whose lives were transformed by the event. As students at an official All-Steinway School, these young prodigies are currently thriving, honing their skills with world-class facilities, and performing widely across Brentwood’s premier ensembles.

Grand Prize Winner Sofia recently performed at the British Academy in London at an event organised by the Moldovan Embassy, celebrating the nation’s 35th year of independence. Hailing from Moldova herself, this was a true privilege for Sofia, who performed to esteemed dignitaries including the Moldovan Ambassador to the UK, prior to the delivery of speeches marking the occasion.

Brentwood School is incredibly proud of its music programme and strives, unashamedly, to be known as the leading music school in the independent sector. At the heart of the school’s programme is an ethos that music is for every child and that excellence has to be balanced with inclusivity; as such, Brentwood School Music is a place of creativity, of nurture and exploration and, above all, a family who support each other and have a great deal of fun in the process! The Brentwood International Music Competition forms a vital strand of the overall picture of musical education and excellence that is a beating heart of the School.

The selection process involves two stages: Online submissions, followed by an in-person live finale held in the school’s historic Memorial Hall on the 26th February, which includes feedback from a panel of world-renowned adjudicators and prize presentations, led by the Chairman of the competition, Lord Black of Brentwood, who is also Chair of the Board of Governors at the School and of the Royal College of Music.

All finalists who subsequently join Brentwood School are guaranteed enrollment on the Specialist Music Programme. Brentwood School, which has facilities including a newly opened, state-of-the-art Boarding House, is one of only 25 All-Steinway Schools in the UK.

Aspiring musicians are urged to note the following crucial deadlines:

• Applications close: Monday 21st December 2026
• Final round (in person): Friday 26th February 2027

“Your musical future starts here…”

Click here to find out more and apply.