The Concord Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition
Music Director - Zeke Fetrow
2026-2027 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.
**** ALL MOVEMENTS of a piece must be prepared for audition and performance****
The winner is chosen by the music director and panel of orchestra members in a live audition.
Prizes
The winner will be featured as our soloist for both concerts on the January program: Saturday, January 30, 2027, 8 PM and Sunday, January 31, 2027, 2:30 PM at 51 Walden St., Concord, MA. In addition to performing with the orchestra, the winner receives a $500 cash prize from the Ehlers Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was established in 1993 in memory of Charles and Arlene Ehlers.
The audition committee may select up to two runners-up to play a 20 minute pre-concert recital before the January 30th or 31st concerts. Concert dates will be assigned to each recitalist.
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 Monday, October 19, 2026.
The nonrefundable application fee is $40. The application fee may be paid either online or by check, payable to the Concord Orchestra.
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, November 5 & 6, 2026, 7:00-10:30 PM at the Moloney Performing Arts Center (formerly Durgin Hall), 35 Wilder Street., Lowell, MA 01854 on the campus of the 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. The accompanist’s name is required on the application form to receive an audition time slot. Memorization of the entire chosen work 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
The Winner and runners-up will be contacted by email and/or phone 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
Gliere, Harp Concerto in Eb Major, Op 74
Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole
Lebrun, Oboe Concerto No. 1
Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor
Mozart, Flute and Harp Concerto in C Major
Mozart, Horn Concerto No. 3
Mozart, Violin Concerto No. 4
Nielsen, Flute Concerto
Rachmaninoff, Rhaps.on a Theme of Paganini
Rota, Concerto for Bassoon
Schumann, Cello Concerto
Telemann, Trumpet Concerto in D Major
Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending
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 2026-2027 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, or have any other questions regarding the Young Artist auditions, please contact our Young Artist Audition Coordinator, Jan Kinmonth at: jan.kinmonth@gmail.com.
Our Young Artist Competition is a treasured part of our programming, and both our audiences and orchestra members look forward to previewing the next generation of outstanding talent each season. For further information about the Young Artist Competition or our concert season, please visit our website at https://www.concordorchestra.com.
2026 Young Artist Competition Winners
Winner: Maggie Bai, 14, piano, Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 - Performed on the January 31 & February 1 concerts
Runner up: Gabriel Jojatu, , cello - Invited to play recital on Saturday, January 31
Runner up: Phillip Jeong, 16, cello - Invited to play recital on Sunday, February 1
2025 Young Artist Competition Winners
Winner: Jihye Yun, 12, violin, Mozart Violin Concerto #4 - Performed on the May 31 & June 1 concerts
Runner up: Lorenzo Ye, 17, cello - Invited to play recital on Saturday, May 31
Runner up: 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