Program Details
Perform incredible orchestral repertoire side-by-side with our artist faculty.
Ensembles & Performances:
- Winds, Brass, and Percussion rotate between both the Brevard Concert Orchestra with strings and the Brevard Symphonic Winds.
- All high school students will be placed in a chamber music group, and will receive a faculty coaching each week.
- Performance opportunities include orchestra concerts, library recitals, preconcert recitals, chamber music recitals, and more.
Additional performance groups include trombone choir, brass ensemble, and percussion ensemble.
Featured Guests:
In 2026, Imani Winds and the Shanghai Quartet will hold the Thomas C. Bolton Distinguished Artist Chair, a program supported by The Payne Fund. Additionally, pianist Stephen Hough will hold the Ruby Norris Morgan Distinguished Artist Chair in Piano Performance and Instruction. These residencies will include recitals, teaching, seminars, and solo and chamber music masterclasses.
Additional guest artists in performance include cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Gil Shaham, pianist Garrick Ohlsson, violinist Nancy Zhou, cellist Camille Thomas, violist Paul Neubauer, violinist Amaryn Olmeda, baritone Reginald Smith, Jr., and pianist Sophia Liu.
The season’s guest conductors include Rune Bergmann, Earl Lee, Anna Rakitina, Shih-Hung Young, and Naomi Woo in addition to Artistic Director Keith Lockhart, Principal Guest Conductor JoAnn Falletta, and Resident Conductor Ken Lam.
Featured living composers in residence and performance include Carlos Simon, James Stephenson, Joan Tower, Zach Redler, and Andy Akiho.
Requirements:
The High School Division is open to students who are at least 14 by the start date of their program and have not yet completed one year as a full-time college student. Our high school division programs include rising HS freshmen and graduating HS seniors.
Admission to the Brevard Music Center is determined by audition.
Life on Campus, Food and Lodging
All housing and meals are provided on the Brevard Music Center campus and included in the cost of tuition. Housing is in cabin-style dorms with roommates and Resident Assistants.
Dates and Deadlines
Program Dates: June 21 – August 2, 2026
Application Deadline: February 15, 2026
Ages: 18-29
Tuition: Tuition for the six-week High School Orchestral Institute is $9400, less any scholarships received. The tuition fee includes all instruction, housing, meals, on-campus health services, and concert admission. Each participant is responsible for travel to and from Brevard.
Payment Timeline: A non-refundable enrollment fee of $950 is due within 10 days of acceptance and applies toward the cost of tuition. The remaining tuition balance is due by May 15.
Refunds: All payments, except the $65 application fee and $950 enrollment fee, will be fully refunded if the Center receives notice of cancellation due to serious illness before May 15 and a doctor’s note is received. No reduction in fees can be made for late arrival or early departure. No refunds will be made after May 15.
Arrival and Departure
Arrival is on Sunday, June 21, 2026 with check-in between 11:00am-5:00pm. Please note that early arrivals cannot be accommodated due to other programs.
Departure is on Monday, August 3, 2026 or after all concert and work study obligations are met. The final high school division concert is July 31 (evening) and BMC’s Season Finale is August 2nd (afternoon).
Flying in? Students can fly in and out of the Asheville, North Carolina airport (AVL). BMC provides an airport shuttle for $15 each way to and from the AVL airport, and shuttle registration is available through MyBMC after enrollment.
Scholarships & Assistantships
Brevard Music Center offers scholarship support according to a student’s audition and demonstrated financial need, and program need. In recent years, Brevard has provided scholarship support to more than 80% of its students. Please visit the Scholarship section of our FAQ page for more information.
Audition Requirements by Instrument
Accompaniment is optional. Total audition length should not exceed approximately 12 minutes.
Audio or video recordings are accepted for all instruments except percussion (must submit a video audition). Upload audio recordings or link(s) to YouTube video auditions directly into your application. Submissions do not have to be one continuous take; once you add one selection, the option to add another will appear.
Choose your instrument or program to view specific audition requirements. The “solo piece” requirement could be a concerto exposition, a single-movement work, or one movement of a sonata, concerto, or other piece.
Strings
Violin
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Concertmaster Studio
If you wish to be considered for the Concertmaster Studio, please also perform:
BRAHMS Symphony 1
Concertmaster solo from mvt 2 – Rehearsal Letter “E” until the end of the movement.
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade
Concertmaster solos
mvt. I – Recit. Lento (mm. 14-18)
mvt. II – opening solo (mm. 1-5)
mvt. IV – Recit. Lento (mm. 8-9)
mvt. IV – Recit.Adagio (mm. 29-30)
Viola
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Cello
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Double Bass
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Harp
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Woodwinds
Flute
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Oboe
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Clarinet
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Bassoon
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Brass / Percussion
French Horn
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Trumpet
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Brass Trombone
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Tenor Trombone
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Tuba
Audition
Perform two solo pieces in contrasting styles.
Percussion
Audition
Note: Percussion auditions may exceed the 12 minute time limit.
Percussionists must submit a video audition by including YouTube video link(s) in their application. Applicants may submit a single video or separate video for each excerpt.
Prepare a program that includes the following:
- A symphonic-style snare solo/etude
- A standard orchestral snare drum excerpt
- A keyboard solo
- A standard orchestral tambourine excerpt
- A timpani solo
