Marina Lomazov & Joseph Rackers, Artistic Directors July 29 – August 9, 2026 in Wilmington, NC
WELCOME TO VIVACE 2026!
PROGRAM KEY DATES: Applications Opening: Friday, October 17, 2025 Applications Deadline: Sunday, March 15, 2026 Arrival: Wednesday, July 29, 2026 (Check-in from 4:00pm to 6:00pm) Departure: Sunday, August 9, 2026 (No festival activities held that day)
The festival provides serious young musicians with unrivaled learning opportunities, including solo appearances in beautiful halls and intense instruction with world-class faculty artists.
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Participants can choose to attend Vivace 2025 in-person only.
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All participants receive a minimum of 5 45-minute master classes, and are able to study with multiple faculty. Additional lessons may be arranged.
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Participants have access to all festival concerts, courses, discussions, interviews & more.
Application fee: $80 USD Late Application fee: $130 USD Tuition: $1600 USD Housing (optional): $900 USD Application fees are non-refundable.
Recording Requirement
All applicants must submit unedited, single camera video recordings of two contrasting pieces/movements. Multiple movements of the same piece are acceptable.
Eligibility
Participants aged 13 and older are eligible and encouraged to apply. Exceptionally talented applicants under the age of 13 may apply, but additional screening requirements will be requested.
Those over the age of 35 may apply to participate in our adult initiative.
All participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents attending the festival with a child must purchase an auditor card.
Lodging
In-person participants may choose to stay at a Vivace hotel, or may find housing on their own. The official hotel of Vivace Wilmington is the Ballast Hotel. The festival reserves the right to place participants in a neighboring hotel in downtown Wilmington.
All festival hotel rooms are double rooms. You can request a specific roommate or the festival can randomly place you with another participant.
Want a single room? Contact the festival for more information!
Financial Aid
Scholarships are awarded to those in need only. To be considered for financial assistance, please indicate so in the application form. For any specific information, plase send an email to ludovica.punzi@vivacemusicfoundation.orgwith the subject “Financial Aid Request”.
The application form will ask you to submit:
A letter stating information on how much scholarship you would need in order to be able to attend the festival;
A copy of your most recent FAFSA if you have completed one. If you have not completed a FAFSA, please submit your/your family’s 2024 federal income tax return.
Submit any additional records of money earned.
A member of our scholarship committee will be in touch with you to conduct a short 15 minute interview. Financial aid decisions will be made as soon as possible following this interview process. All scholarship decisions are made at the time of admission and to be considered, applicants must have applied to the festival.
Important Program information
– Participants should arrive in Wilmington no later than 5:00PM on July 29, 2026 and will check-out on August 10, 2025. – Participants may arrive in Wilmington in advance of the festival but must be responsible for their own lodging and other expenses. Practice facilities are not available until the first day of the festival. – Health protocols and requirements for participants will be made available as we get closer to the festival.
Food Services
All participants are responsible for their own meals. Vivace will provide you with a VIP pass and has collaborated with the best restaurants and coffee shops in Wilmington to bring you discounts on your meal!
Getting to Wilmington
Airports: ILM (Wilmington) or RDU (Raleigh)
If you are flying into Wilmington (ILM), you can call Hotel Ballast upon arrival and they will send a shuttle for you. The airport is 8 minutes(!!) from downtown Wilmington.
If you prefer to take an Uber/Lyft – the address of the Vivace hotel is 301 N. Water Street, Wilmington.
Our venues
Vivace activites take place in the most charming venues of downtown Wilmington (NC), all at walking distance one from another. Our events are surrounded by a charming and historic downtown, a lovely river walk and amazing local food.
Vivace venues include:
Hotel Ballast, 301 N Water St, Wilmington NC (masterclasses)
Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut Street, Wilmington NC (masterclasses and courses)
First Baptist Church, 15 N 5th Ave, Wilmington NC (masterclasses and practice rooms)
St James Episcopal Church, 362 Market St, Wilmington NC (masterclasses and practice rooms)
Wilson Center, 703 N 3rd St, Wilmington NC (masterclasses, practice rooms, concerts)
WHQR, 254 N Front St Unit 300, Wilmington NC (masterclasses)
Sample day at Vivace
Vivace gives you a total immersion in music for 10-straight days. Here’s what a standard day at Vivace can look like:
8:00AM Practice Rooms open
9:00-12:00PM Masterclass sessions (45 min long, they can be observed by all participants)
12:00pm-1:00PM Lunch Break
1:00-2:00PM Special course, or masterclass or activity
2:30-5:30PM Masterclass sessions
5:30PM-7:30PM Dinner Break 6:00PM Practice Rooms close
7:30-9:00PM Concert (Faculty or participants)
9:00PM and on: 3-4 times during the festival we organize opportunities for the participants to be together, get to know each other and have fun, not mandatories but aimed to create community.
Schedule on August 10: No festival activities will be held that day. Check-out is available until 10:00am
Private Lessons
Additional Lessons are possible and scheduled based on the faculty availability. We usually request them right at the beginning of the festival and have an additional fee of $250.
