Concerto Competition

Each year, eligible advanced-level Youth Symphony musicians compete for an opportunity to play a concerto or concerto excerpts with the Youth Symphony. The 2025 Concert Competition will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 27. The performance by the participating Youth Symphony musicians is free and open to the public.

The 2024 Concert Competition took place in January 2024. Cellist Lucas Bower was selected as the winner and was the featured soloist on the Fall 2024 Concert Series. Judges for last season's competition were violinist Kathleen Strahm, oboist Kristin Kessler, and YSSO Music Director & Conductor Cynthia Hutton, D.M.A.

Violinist T.J. Snyder and James Dyson, bassoon, were selected as the winners of the 2023 Competition. T.J. was featured on the Spring 2023 Concert Series proram and James was the featured soloist on the Spring 2024 Concert Series. Ellie McGary, French horn, was selected as the 2022 winner and was the featured soloist in the Spring 2022 Concert Series. The 2020 Competition winners were Youth Symphony violinists Sean Bullock and Katelyn Savino. The 2019 winners were oboists Alex Burns and Aubrey Huggins. Alex was featured with the Youth Symphony in the Fall 2019 Concert Series. Bassoonist Caleb Hutchings was selected as the winner of the 2018 competition and was the soloist with the Youth Symphony in November 2018. Lindan Burns, violin, and Courtney Badura, flute, were the winners of the 2017 competition. Lindan was the featured soloist on the Spring 2017 Concert Series and Courtney was featured on the Fall 2017 Concert Series. Violinists Chloe Brown and Lily Dunlap were selected as winners of the 2016 Concerto Competition. Chloe played with the Youth Symphony in May 2016. Lily was the featured soloist in February 2017. Jerry Su, clarinet, was selected as the 2015 Concerto Competition winner. He played with the Youth Symphony in May 2015. In January 2014, Medford violinist Sarah Klein was selected as the winner of the competition. She was the featured soloist in the Winter 2015 Concert Series performances.Esther Platt and Anna Epstein The 2013 winners, violinists Anna Epstein and Esther Aviana Platt, were featured soloists with the Youth Symphony during the 2013-2014 Concert Season.

In order to be eligible to participate in the Concerto Competition, musicians must be current advanced-level Youth Symphony musicians, at least 14 years of age and in high school (or 14 years of age and high school equivalent level if home-schooled) at the time the Intent to Participate form is submitted. There is a form submission receipt deadline each year. Each eligible Concerto Competition participant must pay a non-refundable fee of $25. The fee helps defray venue rental and stage management expenses, and adjudicator fees. The $25 fee must accompany the Intent to Participate form. The form must be received on or before the submission deadline.

The YSSO organization's governing board and staff reserve the right to pre-screen musicians if the YSSO receives a large number of applications from eligible Youth Symphony musicians. Musicians who have won the YSSO organization's Concerto Competition in the past are not eligible to participate in the Competition again.

Eligible advanced level Youth Symphony musicians may contact the YSSO office for more information. An Intent to Participate form must be received by the YSSO office on or before the deadline date. Please do not ask for an extension.