The Friends of the SPCO founded the SPCO Youth Chamber Music Competition in 2012. The competition provided an educational opportunity for young instrumentalists living or studying in Minnesota to expand their knowledge of chamber music, improve their orchestral skills, polish repertoire, and enjoy playing with others. 

In 2021, the Friends of the SPCO formed a partnership with the Saint Paul Conservatory Music to establish the Saint Paul Chamber Music Competition (SPCMC). A joint effort, this newly revamped competition, one of the only regional competitions of its kind, provides young musicians in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Dakotas the opportunity to hone their chamber music skills, perform, and compete for monetary prizes, scholarships, and musical gifts.

After a preliminary video round, competitors will gather at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music’s beautiful performance space on historic Summit Avenue for a live final round, open to the public, on Saturday, March 5, 2022.

All in-person audience members must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result from within 72 hours of the competition to attend.

Please visit https://thespcm.org/competition for more information about the competition.

Learn more about Friends of the SPCO at https://friendsofthespco.org/