Since its inception, the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis has sought commissions from the world’s leading composers. A short piece, conceived either for solo violin or violin with piano, is included in the Competition’s repertory in order to test the interpretive skills of the young artists in playing a piece that has no performance history. This work is then performed at each Competition’s Semi-Final phase. In addition to challenging the musicians with a totally new work, the IVCI hopes to enrich the violin repertory by commissioning a truly outstanding composer to write a work that will be played long after the Competition for which it was written.
Rhapsody No. 3 for Solo Violin
| Composer | Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981, American) |
| Year of Composition | 2026 |
| Title | Rhapsody No. 3 for Solo Violin |
| Instrumentation | Violin and Piano |
| Duration | 5-6 minutes |
| Publisher | Jessie Montgomery Music Publishing |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 2026 |
Incontro
| Composer | John Harbison (b. 1938, American) |
| Year of Composition | 2022 |
| Title | Incontro |
| Instrumentation | Violin and Piano |
| Duration | 5:30 minutes |
| Publisher | Associated Music Publishers, Inc. |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 2022 |
Suite No. 3 for Solo Violin
| Composer | William Bolcom (b. 1938, American) |
| Year of Composition | 2018 |
| Title | Suite No. 3 for Solo Violin |
| Instrumentation | Violin |
| Duration | 8-10 minutes |
| Publisher | Keiser Southern Music |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 2018 |
| Composer’s Dedication | In Memory of Andre Hajdu |
Fantasy for Solo Violin
| Composer | Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939, American) |
| Year of Composition | 2014 |
| Title | Fantasy for Solo Violin |
| Instrumentation | Violin |
| Duration | 6 minutes |
| Publisher | Theodore Presser Company |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 2014 |
| Composer’s Dedication | Dedicated to Jaime Laredo |
| Recording | The Indianapolis Commissions |
String Force
| Composer | Joan Tower (b.1938, American) |
| Year of Composition | 2010 |
| Title | String Force |
| Instrumentation | Violin |
| Duration | 7 minutes |
| Publisher | Associated Music Publishers Inc. |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 2010 |
| Composer’s Dedication | Dedicated to Jaime Laredo |
| Recording | The Indianapolis Commissions |
A Night at the Chinese Opera
| Composer | Bright Sheng (b. 1955, Chinese) |
| Year of Composition | 2006 |
| Title | A Night at the Chinese Opera |
| Instrumentation | Violin/Piano |
| Duration | 9 minutes |
| Publisher | G. Schirmer, Inc. |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 2006 |
| Recording | The Indianapolis Commissions |
As Night Falls on Barjeantane
| Composer | Richard Danielpour (b. 1956, American) |
| Year of Composition | 2001 |
| Title | As Night Falls on Barjeantane |
| Instrumentation | Violin/Piano |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
| Publisher | G. Schirmer, Inc. |
| Recording Label | IVCI |
| Year of Competition | 2002 |
| Composer’s Dedication | Dedicated to Madame Anne Postel-Vinay |
| Recordings | The Indianapolis Commissions Live from the 2002 IVCI Competition – Barnabas Kelemen |
Autumn Music
| Composer | Ned Rorem (b. 1923, American) |
| Year of Composition | 1996 |
| Title | Autumn Music |
| Instrumentation | Violin/Piano |
| Duration | 9 minutes |
| Publisher | Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. |
| Recording Label | Catalpa Classics |
| Year of Competition | 1998 |
| Recordings | The Indianapolis Commissions Judith Ingolfsson (1998) Debut Recording |
Subito
| Composer | Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994, Polish) |
| Year of Composition | 1992 |
| Title | Subito |
| Instrumentation | Violin/Piano |
| Duration | 5 minutes |
| Publisher | Chester Music Ltd. |
| Recording Label | Discover International |
| Year of Competition | 1994 |
| Recordings | The Indianapolis Commissions Nightmusic: Encores from the 1994 IVCI Competition (Juliette Kang) |
Rhapsody and Prayer
| Composer | George Rochberg (1918-2005, American) |
| Year of Composition | 1989 |
| Title | Rhapsody and Prayer |
| Instrumentation | Violin/Piano |
| Duration | 9 minutes |
| Publisher | Theodore Press Co. (#114-40510) |
| Recording Label | None |
| Year of Competition | 1990 |
| Recording | The Indianapolis Commissions |
For Violin Solo
| Composer | Leon Kirchner (1919-2009, American) |
| Year of Composition | 1985 |
| Title | For Violin Solo |
| Instrumentation | Violin |
| Duration | 8 minutes |
| Publisher | G. Schirmer, Inc./AMP |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 1986 |
| Recording | The Indianapolis Commissions |
Improvvisazione
| Composer | Joonas Kokkonen (1921-1996, Finnish) |
| Year of Composition | 1982 |
| Title | Improvvisazione |
| Instrumentation | Violin/Piano |
| Duration | 6 minutes |
| Publisher | Fennica Gehrman (#042-08738-1) |
| Recording Label | none |
| Year of Competition | 1982 |
| Composer’s Dedication | Dedicated to Josef Gingold |
| Recording | The Indianapolis Commissions |