March 2027: Winners' Recital at Tokyo Opera City

 The Special Venue Music Awards is an international music competition based in the United States. Whatever your age, nationality, occupation or musical background, we offer the chance to perform on a world stage — professional performers included.

We have held Winners' Recitals at some of the world's most distinguished venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Musikverein, Harvard University, 

Stanford University and the San Francisco Opera House. Many musicians have made their debut at Carnegie Hall through the competition. 

And now, for the first time, the competition comes to Tokyo. The stage is  Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall: Takemitsu Memorial (Main Hall) — one of Japan's foremost concert halls, seating 1,632.

The recital falls during spring break, so families traveling from outside Tokyo can come together. 

The Tokyo edition is not held every year, and the next one has not been decided. We hope you will not let this opportunity pass. 

Our mission is to support each participant's education and career.

■ For those aiming at a performing career, and those already performing

For students, a stage at a distinguished hall is a first step in a career; for those already performing, it is a chance to go further. The competition is run with the advice of musicians trained at the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music.

■ For those aiming to study abroad

For anyone considering study at a leading American university, experience on an international stage early on is a lasting asset. Our connections with graduates of Stanford University and Harvard University are part of what makes this competition distinctive.

Among our winners are students who have gone on to gain places at the schools and universities of their choice. Having stood on a major stage gives you the confidence to face entrance examinations and life abroad.

■ A lifelong international network

We aim to build an international network in which participants support one another throughout their studies and careers.

I began performing as a child prodigy violinist in Poland. I moved to the United States and studied at the Juilliard School Pre-College and the Curtis Institute of Music, and then — unusually for a violinist — at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The Special Venue Music Awards is a remarkable competition: it opens the stages of great international concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Musikverein, to young musicians of any age and any occupation.

It also places real value on the academic side. By offering the chance to perform at leading universities such as Harvard and Stanford, it gives participants a chance to imagine their future path and career — something quite unlike any other competition.

Through the competition, participants may also gain connections with leaders in many fields beyond music, and with graduates of the world's finest universities.

It is my sincere hope that, through taking part in the Special Venue Music

Awards, musicians will find their opportunity to go out into the world.

With warm regards,

Anna Filochowska, violinist