50th Annual Competition for Young Musicians

For 50 years, the Livermore-Amador Symphony has held an annual Competition for Young Musicians. The competition is open to instrumentalists and vocalists who reside in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, the City of Tracy, or the community of Mountain House, California. The maximum age is 19 at the time of the scheduled concert performance. The 2022–2023 season’s competition was held on October 16, 2022, at Las Positas College. Three winners were chosen. They performed as soloists with the Symphony on April 1, 2023, at the Bankhead Theater.

April 2023 Concert Featured Three Winners as Soloists!

The LAS concert on April 1, 2023, featured the three winners from the 50th annual Competition.

Minna Fu played the 1st movement of Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major by Mozart.
Juhye (Alice) Oh played the 3rd movement of the Flute Concerto by Ibert.
Owen Sheridan played the 1st movement of Horn Concerto No. 1 by Strauss.
 

Minna Fu

Juhye (Alice) Oh

Owen Sheridan

Past Winners

See a list of past winners and the pieces they played, from the 1973–74 through 2022–23 seasons.

See photos of winners from the 2011–12 through 2021–22 seasons.

General Information

The application deadline for the 2022–2023 competition was October 2, 2022. Applicants were required to submit a completed application form, a non-refundable fee of $20.00, and a video recording of themselves playing the solo to be performed at their audition.

Applicants are required to send a link to their video submission via email. Music is to be chosen from the standard repertoire for orchestra, excluding pieces performed by the Symphony during the previous season or already scheduled for the current season. The selection, one movement of a concerto or a comparable work, should be between 10 and 15 minutes long. Recordings for non-pianists should include piano accompaniment. For piano recordings, accompaniment is not essential.

Those accepted to compete will be expected to perform in person before a panel of judges, including the Music Director. Contestants must provide their own accompanists. Each student who participates will receive a written evaluation. Taken into consideration are intonation, tone quality, technique, style/ interpretation, and memorization.

Winners, as soloists, perform the same music with which they competed. Previous winners of this competition may reapply after an intervening year. However, anyone who has performed two times as a soloist with the Symphony cannot be considered as a contestant.

If you have any questions, you may contact Competition Committee Chair Anne Badders (competition@livermoreamadorsymphony.org or 925.606.5797).

© Livermore-Amador Symphony Association