Grants-In-Aid (GIA)

Audition Date and Place

Saturday, March 21, 2026

College of William and Mary, Music & Arts Center
551 Jamestown Rd.

Eligibility

The Williamsburg Music Club, Inc.'s Grants-In-Aid program provides scholarships to serious music students. An eligible applicant must be a resident or attend school (including private and home school) in Williamsburg, James City County or York County, Virginia. Members of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra may also apply, regardless of residency.

Students may not enter in the same school grade as the previous year or years. A student must enter in the next grade regardless of home-school or repeating a grade. While it is requested that the student's teacher be a member of the Williamsburg Music Club, Inc., it is not mandatory.

Divisions

Junior Division auditions, for Grades 6—8, are in the morning

Senior Division auditions, for Grades 9—12, are in late morning/afternoon

Eligible Instruments

Keyboard: Piano, Organ, and Accordion

Orchestral Strings, including Harp

Orchestral Winds and Brass, including Saxophone:

Percussion (mallets only)

Voice

Application Form

The Application Form is available as a downloadable document. Must be downloaded, printed and completed. The Application Form and check for the fee must be postmarked by Friday, February 13, 2026

WMC, Inc. Auditions 
P. O. Box 1808
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1808

Applications postmarked after the deadline of Friday, February 13, 2026, will not be accepted.

Repertoire

Performers must select works of contrasting styles from 2 different periods.


NOTE: Piano and string students must choose one selection from either the Baroque or Classical periods.

Suggested minimum level repertoire for each division is below as a guide to help determine the student’s eligibility. This repertoire has been defined by comparing lists of similar types of competitions, including The Piano Teachers' Guild, the American String Teachers' Association, the American Harp Society, the Music Teachers' National Association (MTNA) Student Competition and The National Federation of Music Clubs Competition.

These are minimum standards, and students are not required to prepare pieces on this list. Comparable-level repertoire or more technically challenging repertoire for each division may be included. Senior Division student applicants, grades 9 to 12, must choose material commensurate with the Senior Division minimum requirements.

Audition Time Limits

Junior applicants will be allotted SIX minutes for the audition; senior applicants EIGHT minutes. For pieces using an accompanist, please edit to reduce solo playing by the accompanist, especially long introductions and interludes.

Music for the Judges

No changes in repertoire will be permitted after Friday, February 13^th; however, pieces may be performed in order of choice.

• Include scores with both solo and accompaniment parts if applicable.
• Clearly mark any cuts in the music to help the judges concentrate on listening to you.
• Mail three (3) copies of both compositions by Friday, February 20 to:

WMC, Inc. Auditions
P.O. Box 1808
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1808

Memorization and Accompanists

All performers are strongly encouraged to play from memory, but the use of scores is permitted. Repeats should be omitted. Applicants must be prepared to perform cadenzas if a concerto with a cadenza is selected.

Students who perform works that were written with an accompaniment or orchestral reduction will be deemed ineligible to audition unless an accompanist is performing with the student. This includes concertos, sonatas, or other works that were written with a piano accompaniment or have an orchestral reduction for piano. This rule applies to all instruments, excluding piano. There are no exceptions.

How to Apply

Complete the application via the downloadable document, and mail it, postmarked by February 13, 2026. To be considered complete, the Williamsburg Music Club must receive this application together with a check for the $40 application fee. The fee is reduced to $30 if your teacher or family is a member of the Williamsburg Music Club, Inc. Enclose a check payable to the Williamsburg Music Club, Inc., and mail to :

WMC, Inc. Auditions
P.O. Box 1808
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1808

NOTE: Only the first 40 students who submit completed and approved applications will be eligible to compete in the March 21, 2026, competition, even if the application is submitted before the deadline. There will be no exceptions to this quota.

The Grants Audition Committee will evaluate applications. Candidates will be notified of their acceptance in the competition by Saturday, February 21^st. Application fees will be returned to students not accepted with encouragement to re-apply in future years. Incomplete applications or applications postmarked after Friday, February 13, will not be considered.

All GIA winners will be expected to participate in the Saturday, 10 AM, May 16, 2026, GIA Winners Program at Lewis Hall, Bruton Parish Annex.

Prizes

The Junior and Senior divisions will each have a First and a Second Prize open to all instruments. Judges will have discretion to award separate achievement prizes in each of the five instrument categories. Prizes may be used to further musical education (such as for private lessons or summer music camps) or to purchase instruments.

College

Senior

Junior

The Kathleen Exton Prize of $2,000 is available to students in the 12^th grade at the time of the audition. To be eligible, the student must plan to continue music studies at the post-secondary level. All applicants for the Exton Prize must indicate on the Grants-in-Aid application their future musical plans, what colleges they have applied to and degree program they have chosen. The prize will be made payable directly to the school attended.

Please continue to refer to this site for updates and other details of the competition. 

This page was last modified on October 21, 2025

The Williamsburg Music Club, Inc. Grants-In-Aid (GIA) Program awards scholarships to music students in grades six through twelve, residing in the Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, to assist them with their musical studies and pursuit of goals.  The scholarships may be used for music lessons, summer music camp attendance, the purchase of music scores or purchase/rental of musical instruments and related supplies.

The annual auditions are held on the second or third Saturday of March, at Ewell Hall, on the campus of the College of William and Mary.  Adjudicated by three professional judges in the categories of Keyboard; Orchestra Strings and Voice; Orchestral Winds and Brass, the students are judged on their:

1. Exceptional musical talent
2. Demonstrated commitment to music studies
3. Level of excellence in both musicianship and technical competence

Scholarships include First Prize, Outstanding Performance Award and Second Prize, Musical Achievement Award; and optional Third Prize, Musical Achievement Award for the Senior Division, Grades 9—12; First Prize, Outstanding Performance Award, and Second Prize, Musical Achievement Award for the Junior Division, Grades 6—8.  Discretionary Honorable Mention and Musical Encouragement Awards may be given for each division.

Senior Division Scholarships include the Kathy Exton Prize, and prizes may be awarded to one or more graduating seniors planning to major in music in college.

The Grants-In-Aid Program is supported through members' contributions, grants, and various fundraising activities including the Williamsburg Area Music Teachers Association (WAMT) annual performance benefit.  GIA Fund contributions may be used in the year of donation.  The Williamsburg Music Club, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) organization and contributions to the Endowment and the Grants-In-Aid Fund may be tax-deductible.  Contributions may be mailed to:

WMC, Inc.

P.O. Box 1808

Williamsburg, VA 23187—1808

Please continue to refer to this site for updates and other details of the competition. For direct assistance, please email: auditions@williamsburgmusicclub.org.

Award amounts are subject to change annually based on amount of funds available

The Kathy Exton Prize of $500 or more is available to one or more students in the 12^th grade at the time of the audition. To be eligible, the student must plan to continue music studies at the post-secondary level. All applicants for the Exton Prize must indicate on the Grants-in-Aid application their future musical plans, what colleges they have applied to and what degree program they have chosen. The prize will be made payable directly to the school attended.

The Williamsburg Area Music Teachers (WAMT) Benefits began in 2010 when the teachers decided to expand their performances beyond their regular meetings and offered to hold a benefit for WMC, Inc's rapidly growing and well respected Grants-In-Aid Auditions (GIA) program. The teachers decided that all monies received during the annual benefits would be donated directly to the GIA program, enabling the club to increase the number of scholarships awarded every year to very deserving music students residing in the greater Williamsburg area.

WAMT's first benefit, "Spring Sparkle" An Afternoon of Musical Delights, was held on Saturday, May 22^nd, at 3:00 PM, at King of Glory Lutheran Church and followed by "Spring Sparkle, Opus 2" An Afternoon of Musical Delights (May 14^th, 2011); "Winter Wingding, Opus 1" An Afternoon of Musical Delights (Jan 28^th, 2012); "Wintry Divertimenti" An Afternoon of Musical Delights (Jan 26^th, 2013), and "Divertimenti…Celebrating 5 and 50" (Feb 1^st, 2014). In 2015 and 2016, WAMT held its annual benefits at Walnut Hills Baptist Church before moving to Williamsburg Baptist Church. A milestone year occurred in 2017 for WAMT with the celebration of its 10^th Anniversary, "Divertimenti 10", A Decade of Delights on Jan 26^th! A second decade began in 2020 when "Divertimenti 11" was held at Williamsburg United Methodist Church on Feb 3^rd. Until the pandemic's arrival, WMC, Inc. held receptions immediately following the benefits. The first-ever virtual benefit was held on Jan 30^th, 2021, with a return to in-person performances on Jan 29^th, 2022, at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church.

Since 2010, WAMT's annual benefits have contributed to awarding $85,500 in Grants-In-Aid (GIA) Scholarships to 174 very talented young musical students by Williamsburg Music Club, Inc. The scholarships have provided monetary funds for lessons, summer music camps, purchase or rental of a musical instrument, and assistance to qualified senior students planning to major in music at the college level.

No photos available from "Divertimento 12" Virtual Benefit on January 30, 2021.