Be a part of Scotland’s national festival of music competitions
Scottish Young Musicians is Scotland's leading festival of music competitions. Young musicians can compete to win big prizes, perform live on a national stage, and push their skills like never before.
The competitions are open to every school student in Scotland who sings or plays an instrument, and you can enter as a soloist or an ensemble.
Our 2024 competition will culminate in a National Final at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on Sunday 26 May 2024. Scroll down to find out about our different competitions and how you can participate!
Highlights from the Scottish Young Musicians National Final 2023
The Competitions
A nationwide competition to discover the brightest musical talent in Scotland, open to every school student in Scotland who sings or plays an instrument.
Ensemble of the Year and Brass Ensemble of Year
Online competitions open to ensembles or 3 to 16 players in the Ensemble of the Year and 3 to 12 players in the Brass Ensembles of the Year. School and local ensembles can win a chance to perform in a prime slot at our National Final.
Why take part?
Scottish Young Musicians is a unique event that aims to bring out the best in young musicians. By taking part you'll:
- Have a chance to win big prizes. Last year's competition prizes included cash to spend on developing music skills, a handcrafted trophy, coaching, studio recording sessions, meet-and-greets with Scotland's top music institutions and more!
- Grow in confidence as you perform in front of live audiences at a local, regional, and national level
- Level up your skills. Competitions are an incentive to put in that extra bit of effort that can take your performance to the next level
- Meet other young musicians, in an environment where you can observe and learn from each other
Follow us on social media to get the latest announcements about the Scottish Young Musicians competitions.
It’s been wonderful to watch Scottish Young Musicians grow to cover almost the entire country and become an important showcase of music education, enhancing music and life-skills in so many young people. It’s the only competition in every school, covering every genre and is open to any school-aged young person in Scotland. It currently offers solo and ensemble competitions and this year is expanding to include junior competitions. It is fun and has become an exciting fixture in the music education map of Scotland. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
