Announcing the 2011 VSA International Young Soloists Award Call for Entries

Since 1984, the VSA International Young Soloists Program has been seeking to identify talented musicians who have a disability. The VSA International Young Soloists Award annually recognizes outstanding young musicians with disabilities and supports and encourages them in their pursuit of a career. All types of music are accepted - country, classical, jazz, rap, rock, bluegrass, world, etc. A committee of distinguished music professionals selects the award recipients who receive $5,000 and the opportunity to perform in Washington, D.C.

Eligibility

Any individual musician (instrumental or vocal) from the United States who has a disability, age 25 and under, is eligible to apply. Any individual musician (instrumental or vocal) from outside the United States who has a disability, age 30 and under, is eligible to apply. Individual musicians should complete the Individual Musician Application Form. Check out the past Award Recipients here.

Applications from musical ensembles (two to eight members) will be accepted for the International Young Soloists Award. This includes any type of ensemble from a rock band to a chamber ensemble to a drum corps. In order to be eligible, at least one member of the ensemble must have a disability. All members of the ensemble must fulfill age requirements as stated above. The ensemble should complete the Ensemble Application Form.

All types of music will be accepted, including but not limited to Rock/Alt Rock, Pop, Indie, Classical, Country/Folk, Jazz, R&B/Blues, Hip Hop/Rap, Latin, and World. As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. (An impairment is a physiological disorder affecting one or more of a number of body systems, or a mental or psychological disorder.)

Recipients of the International Young Soloists Award go on for consideration for the VSA national office's International Young Soloists (IYS) Award. All VSA United States affiliates implement their own International Young Soloists Award programs.

If you are a young soloist in Kentucky and would like to apply for the International Young Soloist Adjudication at VSA Kentucky please download the application and guidelines provided below for 2010. Application materials should be received no later than November 15, 2010.

Kentucky Applications should be sent to:

VSA Kentucky
515 East 10th Street
Bowling Green, KY 42101

Downloads:

Application Guidelines 2011

Applications for Individual Musicians 2011

Applications of Ensembles 2011

For more information and answers to your questions please contact the VSA Kentucky office located in Bowling Green at 270-781-0872 (TTY/Voice) or 877-417-9594 (Toll Free).