Waldo Mayo Violin Competition
The concerto performance will take place in Carnegie Hall in New York City on November 8th 2026.
The 50th Annual Waldo Mayo Violin Competition
The New York Senior Musicians Association is pleased to announce the 50th Annual Waldo Mayo Violin Competition. The winner will receive a prize of US$5,000 and a full concerto performance with the Senior Concert Orchestra of New York on the main stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
To apply for the competition, please send a resume to MayoViolinCompetition@gmail.com. Please use a subject-line of "Violin Competition Application".
ELIGIBILITY
* Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 32 years old as of the Competition Date.
* Applicants shall not be under professional management either currently nor in the past.
* The competition winner must be available to rehearse the week of November 2nd 2026, to perform in concert on November 8th 2026 at Carnegie Hall in New York.
RULES:
* Auditions will be IN-PERSON only. No tapes, videos, or streaming entries are permitted. Applicants will be responsible for their own
travel costs to New York.
* Auditions will be played unaccompanied. A piano will be available, should contestants wish to bring their own accompanist (at their expense).
* Repertoire must be chosen from works that are in the Public Domain in the U.S.
SCHEDULE
* The competition will take place in New York during the month of May 2026, with the exact time and location will be determined for each
candidate before the audition date.
About Waldo Mayo
Waldo Mayo made his debut in 1918 in Carnegie Hall as a child prodigy concert violinist, followed by triumphant tours of the United States and Europe. Mr. Mayo walked among the greats in the musical world of his time. At the close of a concert here in Carnegie Hall, David Mendoza, musical director of the Capitol Theatre Orchestra, invited Mr. Mayo and Eugene Ormandy to join him as associate conductors. This led to Mr. Mayo’s introduction to Major Bowes, and he was appointed music director of the popular Amateur Hour radio program, broadcast from the Capital Theatre until Bowes’ death two years later.
Mr. Mayo had many interests. He wrote a series of books on the lives of the great composers. A publisher of books, he produced a biography of Arthur Fiedler, his early accompanist on tours. He also produced a highly successful record album for children, Melodies from Masters, with specially written lyrics to familiarize them with the classics.
As a consultant and supporter of The Senior Musicians Association for ten years, he produced a series of seven annual Christmas albums featuring the Senior Concert Orchestra and singers of traditional and modern compositions. The proceeds from the sales of these albums helped finance the many free performances of the Senior Concert Orchestra.
It is with a deep feeling of gratitude that we cherish Mr. Mayo’s memory and participate in our memorial concerts in his honor. We take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to The Lucille Lortel Foundation for providing us with the means for presenting young talent through our annual Carnegie Hall events.
