2024 Competition General Guidelines – dates tbd –
The DeKalb Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is hosting our Young Artists Concerto Competition to encourage and recognize local, talented high school student musicians (Georgia residents). The winner will receive a cash award plus the opportunity to perform with the DSO during the 2024-2025 concert season.
ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to piano, strings, winds, brass and percussion students attending high school as of September 1, 2024 and who are Georgia residents.
AWARDS
The concerto winner will have the opportunity to perform their auditioned piece with the DSO. In addition, the winner will receive $500. Previous first place winners are disqualified from participating in the year immediately following their award.
REPERTOIRE
Students should select a movement from (not to exceed 20 minutes in total duration) a concerto or other work from the standard repertoire that is performed with orchestral accompaniment. All works must have orchestral parts available.
Students are required to submit a preliminary audition recording of their concerto selection. Acceptable submissions are via a link to an online unlisted YouTube recording or a file that will be uploaded to the DSO website. Accepted media types are WAV or MP3 with a maximum file size of 30MB. The audition recording should include piano accompaniment. Competitors must perform the selection indicated on their application form; substitutions are not allowed.
GUIDELINES FOR AUDITION FOR FINALISTS
- The applicant must be prepared to play the audition piece from memory.
- Applicants must bring their own piano accompanist to play the orchestral reduction.
- The applicant is required to bring for the judges one original score of the soloist’s part.
- Mark any cuts in pencil in the score.
- The audition should not exceed 15 minutes.
- Piano accompanists should take appropriate cuts in orchestral sections.
APPLICATION MATERIALS
Applications are to be completed online (see weblink below) prior to 11:59 pm on September 15, 2024.
All of the following application materials are required to enter:
- A completed online application form.
- The student’s own preliminary audition recording of their concerto selection via a private YouTube link or uploaded to the DSO website.
- Application fee ($40). You may pay via PayPal.
Applicants will be notified by email of their acceptance to the final live auditions in late September, 2024.
The final live auditions will be held on Saturday, September 30 at Emory University.
Finalists will be notified of their assigned audition time by email Friday September 22.
Winners will be notified by Sunday, October 1. The decisions of the judges are final.
The competition winners will perform at the DSO concert on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 8 pm. They will be expected to attend an orchestral rehearsals on Tuesday evenings, and a dress rehearsal on Monday evening, preceding the concert.
QUESTIONS
Questions about the competition should be directed to [email protected].
Click here to open the application link in a new tab.
To pay your $40 application fee, use PayPal.