Roberta Savler Piano Contest
ABOUT THE SAVLER CONTEST
The Savler Contest is an annual piano contest that attracts students from the greater Chicago area who compete for trophies and a performance opportunity.
See History of the Savler Contest below.
IMPORTANT DATES AND VENUES
REGISTRATION OPENS: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Contest Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
Contest Venue: Fine Arts Building, 410 S Michigan Ave in Chicago
Winners Recital Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Winners Recital Venue: To be announced
REGISTRATION AND FEES
Entry Fee: $50 per student for CAMTA member | $65 per student for non-CAMTA member
Volunteer Fee: $20 per student for teachers who are not available for volunteer work.
FEES CANNOT BE REFUNDED!
Pre-Level A
Level A
Level B
Level C
Level D
HISTORY OF the Savler Contest
Click here for Savler Contest history and past winners.
By Junichi Steven Sato, former Contest Chair (September, 2012)
The Roberta Savler Piano Contest, originally known as the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association (CAMTA) Annual Piano Contest, was founded in 1980 by Nancy Ostromencki. Over the years, through various directors and the input of CAMTA members, the Contest evolved and quickly established itself as one of the Chicago area’s largest and most important events of its kind. Students gather every spring to compete for trophies and a performance opportunity. Winner or not, contestants gain invaluable experience and feedback from prominent local musicians. Many of our past winners have gone on to pursue successful careers in music.
As a pianist, teacher, and editor, Roberta Savler (1911–92) touched the lives of many and was loved dearly by practically all who knew her. Grace Olson, who took lessons from her at the Oak Park branch of Sherwood Music School (later Sherwood Conservatory of Music) in the 1930’s recalls her as a kind and patient tutor. According to former Contest Chair Heidi Mayer, Ms. Savler was “extremely intelligent, detail-oriented, actively involved in CAMTA, and seemed very ‘old-school’ when it came to teaching. She was the only teacher I ever knew that would bring a metronome to the [Achievement In Music] exams to make sure the students knew not only the notes and fingering but could actually play up to tempo.”
In 1996, the CAMTA Annual Piano Contest was renamed to honor the late Ms. Savler and her selfless contributions to the organization. Hannah Voigt, a friend of Ms. Savler later in her life and one of several CAMTA members who pushed for this homage, points out that “oddly enough, she really didn’t like contests! But CAMTA, at the time of her death, had no other avenue through which to honor her.” Be that as it may, it was none other than Ms. Savler herself who came to the rescue of Ms. Ostromencki when the latter first introduced the idea of a piano contest at a CAMTA board meeting. “[My idea was rejected] by quite a few of the board, however, Roberta did speak up and told all who were present at the meeting that I should be allowed to give it a try,” she remembers. “If she saw that someone believed in an ideal with their whole heart and would put their whole heart and work into [that ideal,] she would give them her support and urge others to support.” Ultimately, regardless of the philosophies involved about contests, it is only appropriate that Ms. Savler can be honored through what has become CAMTA’s leading program with the help of her fond encouragement.
Ms. Ostromencki, now a resident of Tucson, Arizona, has started a Savler Contest there and is working with CAMTA to coordinate the two events. What the future holds for this collaboration is still uncertain, but it promises to be very interesting.
CONTEST RULES AND REGULATIONS
ELIGIBILITY
The contest is open to all students who are high school seniors or younger. There is no age restriction for any level. Students who previously placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in Level A, B, or C, or 1st in Level D are not eligible to compete again in the same level; however, students who previously placed 2nd, or 3rd in level D may reenter at the same level. Honorable Mention winners are not required to advance to the next level.
There are no restrictions for teachers regarding the number of entries. Each student may enter only one level and must be enrolled on the official application form, showing all required information.
Contest Day Guidelines
Judges will be provided all copies of music. Participants are not required to bring music, but may bring their own books to provide to the judge if they are using a specific edition or if the teacher has indicated specific editing (no photocopies are allowed).
Warm-up rooms will not be available on the day of the contest.
Students must dress in appropriate performance attire.
Performance REQUIREMENT
Contestants are to prepare 2 pieces: one required piece and one elective piece from the Choice list for their level. All pieces must be performed by memory. Editions mentioned in the repertoire list are for reference only; there are no specific edition requirements. Repeats may be taken at the discretion of the contestant and teacher unless otherwise indicated. Da Capo and Dal Segno must be observed.
TEACHER VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENT
All participating teachers are expected to make every effort to donate their time to monitor, help with contest setup, clean up or help with the Winners recital. Those unable to volunteer will be charged an additional $20 fee per student.
APPLICATION and schedule
The Savler registration form will be available in the CAMTA Member Portal starting March 18, 2026. CAMTA teachers must login and add participating students to their Student Roster to register them for the competition. The student will be fully registered once you have checked out of the Payment Cart.
All registrations and payments must be received by the registration deadline: Tuesday, April 1, 2026 (at 11:59pm).
Students’ assigned times will be available in the Member Portal a week before the contest.
Winners and Awards
All students will receive ribbons for participation on the day of the event. First, second, and third place trophies will be awarded in each level.
First place score: 98–100
Second place score: 95–97
Third place score: 92–94
Ties and Honorable mentions can be given at the judges’ discretion. If the number of entries in a division becomes excessively large, contestants may be split into two or more separate groups with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each group. Conversely, if a level has a small number of participants, fewer prizes may be awarded.
The decision of the judges is final. Results of the contest and judges’ comment sheets will be mailed to the teachers. The winning students’ teachers will be notified by the first Monday following the contest.
Winners will be posted on the CAMTA Facebook page and announced on the website.
WINNERS RECITAL
Winners are invited to perform at the Savler Winners Recital. This recital is held on the Saturday following the competition date. This performance is free and open to the public. All students who win first, second, third and honorable mention are invited to perform. The judge will choose which of the competition repertoire should be performed at the recital. Trophies and Honorable mention certificates are distributed at the Winners Recital.
Savler Contest Registration
Register students via the CAMTA Member Portal.
Note: a computer (desktop/laptop) is required to use the CAMTA Member Portal. Mobile devices and tablets are not supported at this time.
Instructions for CAMTA Members
Log in to your Member Portal account.
Add all participating students to your Student Roster.
From the sidebar, click Events, then Active Events.
Select 2025 Savler Contest.
Submit your volunteer information.
Then, use the Register button next to each student’s name to register students.
Check out of the Payment Cart to complete your registrations.
Instructions for non-Members
Teachers who are not members of CAMTA will need a Member Portal account to register students for the Savler Contest.
Any non-member who previously created a portal account for other CAMTA events can simply login and register their students. All non-member fees will automatically be applied.
If you have not previously created a Member Portal Account, fill out the form to request a non-member account. You will receive an email from portal@camta.org with instructions on how to get your account set up. Then follow the same instructions listed above to register students.
Member portal accounts will be allocated to teachers only (not parents).