The Concord Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition
Music Director - Zeke Fetrow
2025-2026 Season Application Process
Eligibility
The Young Artist Competition is open to musicians of high school age or younger who reside in eastern Massachusetts. All orchestral instruments are eligible, including piano. Each entrant auditions to play an entire concerto or similar work, suitable for performance with the orchestra.
**** Single movements of a multi-movement piece will not be accepted ****
The winner is chosen by a panel of orchestra members and the music director through auditions.
Prizes
The winner will be featured as our soloist for both concerts on Saturday, January 31, 2026,
8:00 pm and Sunday, February 1, 2026, 2:30 pm, at 51 Walden St., Concord, MA. In addition to performing with the orchestra, the winner receives a cash prize from the Ehlers Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was established in 1993 in memory of Charles and Arlene Ehlers.
Up to two other applicants may be invited to play prelude recitals before the Saturday and Sunday concerts.
Application, Fee, and Deadline
Applicants may submit application forms online or download a printable application form.
The complete application and fee must both be received by October 23, 2025.
The nonrefundable application fee is $40. The application fee may be paid either online or by check, payable to the Concord Orchestra.
Download PDF application
Pay fee online (We use the Thundertix ticketing application for online payments.)
Paper copies of the application and checks payable to the Concord Orchestra, should be mailed to: Concord Orchestra, P.O. Box 381, Concord, MA 01742.
Live Auditions
Auditions will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 6 & 7, 2025, 7:30-10:30 PM at Moloney Performing Arts Center (formerly Durgin Hall), 35 Wilder Street, Lowell, MA 01854, on the campus of University of Massachusetts in Lowell. Audition times will be assigned with priority given to the earliest applications. Confirmation of assigned audition times will be emailed at least 10 days before the audition dates.
Accompanist and Memorization
Each entrant must supply their own accompanist and list their name on the audition application.
Memorization of the chosen repertoire is required for the audition for all instruments except: woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Please remember that single movements of multi-movement works will not be accepted for auditions and performance.
Results
Winners and runners-up will be contacted by phone and/or email within two days of the audition dates. All other applicants will be notified by email shortly thereafter. Results will also be posted on our website: https://www.concordorchestra.com/.
Repertoire
The Young Artist Competition is subject to repertoire restrictions that excludes all concerti performed by the orchestra in the current and prior three seasons.
Applicants to the 2025-2026 competition may not select any of the following works:
Barber, Violin Concerto
Dvorak, Cello Concerto
Elgar, Cello Concerto in E Minor
Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole
Lebrun, Oboe Concerto No. 1
Mozart, Horn Concerto #3
Mozart, Violin Concerto #4
Rota, Concerto for Bassoon
Schumann, Cello Concerto
Telemann, Trumpet Concerto in D Major
Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending
Weber, Clarinet Concerto No. 2
Performance Time Restrictions
The Young Artist Competition is subject to performance time restrictions which determine the maximum length allowed for a concerto selected by the applicant. Applicants who select a concerto longer than this limit will be disqualified from consideration.
**** The 2025-2026 maximum accepted concerto length is 30 minutes ****
The Concord Orchestra uses a standardized industry tool, Orchestral Music by David Daniels, to determine the length and orchestration of all works it performs. While this resource is available in print, and to subscribers online at https://daniels-orchestral.com, information about piece lengths is not freely available to the general public. Consequently, it is strongly encouraged that if you are unsure about the standardized length of a particular piece, please contact our Music Director Zeke Fetrow at zfetrow@gmail.com.
For questions not involving the length of your concerto, please email Jan Kinmonth at jan.kinmonth@gmail.com, or visit our website at https://www.concordorchestra.com.
Our Young Artist Competition is a treasured part of our programming, and both our audiences and performers look forward to previewing the next generation of outstanding talent each season.
2025 Young Artist Competition Winners
Jihye Yun, 12, violin, Mozart Violin Concerto #4 - Performed on the May 31 & June 1 concerts
Lorenzo Ye, 17, cello - Invited to play recital on Saturday, May 31
Lillian Arnold Mages, 16, violin - Invited to play recital on Sunday, June 1
2024 Young Artist Competition Winners
Winner: Jiyu Oh, 17, violin, Barber Violin Concerto - Performed on the March 23 & 24 concerts
Runner up: Jessica Kartawidjaja, 18, violin - Invited to play recital on Saturday, March 23
Runner up: Maggie Bai, 12, piano - Invited to play recital on Sunday, March 24
2023 Young Artist Competition Winners
Winner: Lazar Kaminsky, 16, cello, Elgar, Cello Concerto - Performed on the March 25 & 26 concerts
Runner up: Henry Lee, 15, violin - Invited to play recital on Sunday, March 26
2022 Young Artist Competition Winners
Special for this season: 2 concert programs featuring young artist soloists
Winner: Katherine E. Liu, 17, piano, Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 2, op.18 - Performed on the March 26 & 27 concerts
Winner: Ayaan Ahmad, 15, violin, Tchaikovsky, Concerto in D Major - Performed on the May 21 & 22 concerts
Runner up: Naomi Yamaguchi, 17, piano - Invited to play recital on Saturday, March 26
Runner up: Andrew Y. Kim, 14, cello - Invited to play recital on Sunday, March 27
2020 Young Artist Competition Winners
Winner: Andrew Gu, 13, piano, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat Major
Runner up: Fei Yang-Sady, 12, violin. Invited to play Friday recital.
Runner up: Kaitlyn Kaminuma, 14, violin. Invited to play Saturday recital.