National Trumpet Competition

Règlement & répertoire

Inscription & droits

• Acceptd closes 7 December 2026, 23:59:59 EST. Use a valid email and credit card, submit the video and agree to media rights; a parent or legal guardian must submit for anyone under 18. US citizens or foreign students studying in the US can apply under the full-time enrollment or home-school rules. No recommendation letter appears in the published rules.
• Solo and military excerpts US$95 per applicant; ensembles US$40 per player. Official pianist or jazz rhythm section US$95. Junior solo is through grade 8 and born after 21 March 2012; high school grades 9–12 and born after 21 March 2008; undergraduate after 21 March 2001; graduate, military, college ensembles and jazz after 21 March 1998. Verify enrollment and ensemble conditions for the chosen division.

Tours & durées

Solo divisions · one work · video and live rounds

• Choose one trumpet work with or without piano. Movements of that one work may be combined in any order. Use live accompaniment when there is a published piano part. Same programme, movements and musical cuts in the video and each live round. Video one continuous take, with no editing or school or teacher identifiers. Up to 8 min including stage entrance, setup and tuning. With an NTC pianist, at most one internal cut and optional omission of a movement’s start or end.

Military band excerpts · set video order and live excerpt pool

• Video in one take and in order: Bernofsky Trumpet Concerto I, rehearsal A to downbeat of m. 84; Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Promenade opening to m. 8; Williams/Lavender Summon the Heroes mm. 32–49 in B-flat; Elliott British Eighth March mm. 1–36; Mess Call. Use B-flat and/or C trumpet.
• Live assignments draw from the five video excerpts plus Charlier étude No. 6, Bernstein/Lavender West Side Story Symphonic Dances, Day Concerto for Wind Ensemble II, Glinka/Henning Ruslan and Lyudmila, Grafulla Washington Grays March, Hindemith Symphony in B-flat II, Persichetti Divertimento V, Stravinsky Royal March and Adjutant’s Call. Use the PDF for exact bars and parts.

Trumpet ensembles · video and live rounds · max. 8 min

• College small 4–6, college large 7–10, high school 4–10. College ensembles must attend the same school. Each part has one player; only trumpets, cornets, piccolo/bass trumpets and flugelhorns. Conductor optional, not counted. Use same personnel and same version including cuts at all stages.

Jazz solo · video, live semifinal and final

• Video, max. 8 min: Coltrane Moment’s Notice plus one contrasting free choice, in one continuous take. Live rhythm section or backing track accepted in video. Semifinal plays both in 12 min; final plays only the free choice in 8 min. Live rounds use NTC’s rhythm section; submit PDF charts and pay the section fee by 1 February.

Répertoire

• Results for the live rounds are scheduled for 15 January 2027. Houston live competition is 18–21 March. If requesting an official solo pianist, select this in the original application and follow the score submission and 1 February payment instructions.

Source : Official information and division rules · Official 2027 rules and all excerpts (PDF)