Myrna W. Brown Competition
The 42nd annual Myrna W. Brown Artist Competition will be held TBD. This flute competition is open to all flutists. No age limit! The winner of the competition will receive a $1,200 cash prize and be invited to appear as a guest artist at the Texas Flute Festival the year following the competition (with honorarium). Second and Third Place Winners will be awarded $500 and $250 respectively.
About Myrna W. Brown | 2025 Winners | Historical Winners | Commission Project | Registration
Repertoire
For the Preliminary round
*This round is RECORDED. Submit each piece separately.
Syrinx, Claude Debussy
Murali for solo flute, Marilyn Bliss
In Search of Aquatic Life, Jonathan Mitchell
For the Semi-Final and Final Rounds
The required piece for the Final Round will be a new work commissioned especially for the 2026 Myrna W. Brown Competition. The music for the required piece will be sent with semi-finalist notification. Flutists selected to the Semi-Final and Final Rounds will prepare a 25-minute program of their own choosing (including the required piece in Final Round only).
The time limits for both rounds excludes any time between pieces. The program should include pieces that reflect a wide variety of styles and periods. This may include single movements of works, sonatas, concerti, and unaccompanied pieces. It is not necessary to perform all movements of a single work, but any individual movement of a work must be performed in its entirety. Cuts may be made in the accompaniment and repeats may be deleted. Entire variations may be omitted, as long as a minimum of 75% of the piece is performed.
Semi-Final Only
The Semi-Final Round requires 15 minutes of music and does not require the newly commissioned piece.
Final Round Only
The Final Round requires 25 minutes of music, which includes the required newly commissioned work. The piece will be approximately 4-5 minutes in length and will only be asked on the Final Round.
The Final Round repertoire can include previous round repertoire, or can be an entirely new program, in which the newly commissioned work must be programmed.
Procedures and Deadlines
- Applicants must apply online, upload mp3 recordings of the preliminary round repertoire, and pay the nonrefundable application fee ($40) using the form below.
- All entrants must be current members of the Texas Flute Society in order to participate. Entrants may join either before the competition application is submitted (use the Individual Membership Application form) or when the competition application form is submitted.
- Entries must be submitted by March 15th, 2026
- Preliminary round recordings must be unedited. Each selection should be recorded and submitted separately.
- There must be no speaking on the recordings.
- There must be NO identifying personal information in the MP3 tags of the recording.
- Entrants are advised that the recording quality may affect results of the preliminary round.
- Semifinalists will be notified by March 31st, 2026.
- Flutists selected from the preliminary round must be prepared to submit their entire 25-minute program for the Semi-Final/Final Rounds by April 7th, 2026.
- Semifinalists & finalists are responsible for the accompanist’s fee. A $40 deposit will be due in advance.
- Semifinalists & finalists are responsible for their own travel arrangements and expenses.
- All performances are open to the public.
- All judges’ decisions are final.
For more information, contact the Competition Coordinator.
Apex Arts League will be sponsoring the Semi-Finals hosted at White Chapel Methodist Church in Southlake, TX.
About Myrna W. Brown
Myrna Brown (July 4, 1937 to November 25, 1990) was a founding member of the Texas Flute Society and served in many capacities. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Utah and her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance at North Texas State University. Flutists with whom she studied include Roger Stevens, William Kincaid, Joseph Mariano, John Wummer, Dr. George Morey, and Geoffrey Gilbert. In addition to serving as the Executive Coordinator of the National Flute Association, Myrna was a member of the teaching staff at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her teaching and performing experience included the Utah Symphony, Arkansas Orchestra Society, Wichita Falls Symphony, Midwestern State University, and North Texas State University.
“The world of the flute has lost one of its most gracious, enthusiastic, and generous inhabitants. We…are fortunate that so much of Myrna’s time was devoted to our welfare. She helped carry the breath of musical friendship way beyond the confines of the United States.”
Alexander Murray, University of Illinois
2025 Competition Winners
The Texas Flute Society is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Myrna W. Brown Artist Competition.
James (Chen-Yu) Lee
1st Place and Best Performance of the Newly Commissioned Piece
Jae Hyun Moon
2nd Place
Michael Hung
3rd Place
Historical Winners
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James (Chen-Yu) Lee | Jae Hyun Moon | Michael Hung |
| 2024 | Emily Ho | Caleb Estrada-Valentin | Hannah Peterson |
| 2023 | Leslie Richmond | I-Ling Emily Ho | Jessica Morrow |
| 2022 | Crystal Kim | Christine Kim | Ethan Nylander |
| 2021 | You Yang | Audra Ziegel | Dariya Nikolenko |
| 2020 | Yi Xiang | Hyunjee Lee | Denis Savelyev |
| 2019 | Brian Allred | Abby Easterling | Joanna Kim |
| 2018 | Martin Godoy | Marley Eder | Antonina Styczeń |
| 2017 | Drew Powell | Won Lee | Nicholas Goodwin |
| 2016 | Timothy Hagen | Hannah Michelle Leffler | Suyeon Ko |
| 2015 | Isabel Lepanto Gleicher | Anna Meyer | Lauren Watkins |
| 2014 | Kristyn Son | Jesse Tatum | Alexandra Miller |
| 2013 | Brittney Balkcom | Matthew Ross | Emlyn Johnson |
| 2012 | Valerie Estes Johnson | Joanna Martin | François Minaux |
| 2011 | Shauna Kay Thompson | Terri Sánchez | Lissie Okopny |
| 2010 | Seth Allyn Morris | Shauna Kay Thompson | Brittany Foster |
| 2009 | Daniel Alexander | Brittany Foster | I-Jeng Yeh |
| 2008 | Pethrus Gardborn | Bonnie Ham | Hilary Abigana |
| 2007 | Rebecca Powell Garfield | Bonnie Ham | Deanna Little |
| 2006 | Elena Yárritu | Naomi Seidman | |
| 2005 | Leah Arsenault | Sammy Fuks | |
| 2004 | Clint Foreman | Elena Yárritu | Elizabeth Brightbill |
| 2003 | Yuki Otsuka | Jessica Lizak | Jocelyn Goranson |
| 2002 | Alexander Viazovtsev | Erinn Frechette | Li-Chu Huang |
| 2001 | Lance Sanford | ||
| 2000 | Erika Leake | ||
| 1999 | Beth Chandler | ||
| 1998 | Stephanie Mortimore | ||
| 1997 | Betsy Thurman Reeds | ||
| 1996 | Maria Harding | ||
| 1995 | Carolyn Brown | ||
| 1994 | Brian Luce | ||
| 1993 | Helen Bledsoe | ||
| 1992 | Beth Walker | ||
| 1991 | Alison Young Rasch | ||
| 1990 | Rebecca West | ||
| 1989 | Helen Blackburn | ||
| 1988 | Paul St. Laurent | ||
| 1987 | Lisa Read and Jill Swetnam | ||
| 1986 | Pam Adams |