Our concert on February 14, 2026,
featured Donghu Kim and Cara Wang as soloists;
our concert on June 6, 2026,
will feature Charlotte Trinh as a soloist.

General Information
Annual Competition for Young Musicians

Every fall, the Livermore-Amador Symphony Association conducts its Competition for Young Musicians. Our 2026–2027 season will mark the 54th annual competition. The winners will perform as soloists with the Symphony at its February concert at the Bankhead Theater and will be awarded $750.00. The competition is open to instrumentalists and vocalists who reside in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, the City of Tracy, or the City of Mountain House, California. Piano and String applicants are to be 19 or younger as of January 1, 2027; Vocal, Wind, Brass, Percussion, and Harp applicants are to be 22 or younger as of January 1, 2027.

Applications for the 2026 competition will be accepted from September 4 to September 18, 2026. Music is to be chosen from the standard repertoire for orchestra. The selection, one movement of a concerto or a comparable work, is expected to be between 5 and 15 minutes in length.

Those accepted to compete will perform in person on Saturday afternoon October 10, 2026, before a panel of judges including the Music Director. Contestants provide their own accompanists. Each student who participates will received a written evaluation. Intonation, tone quality, technique, style/interpretation, and memorization are taken into consideration.

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.

The following compositions either performed by the Symphony in 2025–2026 or to be performed by LAS in 2026–2027 are not to be chosen:
Cello: Concerto, mvt #1—Dvořák
Cello: Rococo Variations—Tchaikovsky
Clarinet: Concerto No. 2—Navarro
Flute: Notturno—Tilson Thomas
Flute: Carnaval de Venise—Génin
Harp: Introduction and Allegro—Ravel
Piano: Concerto in A Minor—Schumann
Viola: Suite for Viola and Small Orchestra—Vaughan Williams
Violin: Concerto—Beethoven

 
Application

Applicants submit a non-refundable fee of $25.00, a completed application form, and, for preliminary screening, a recording of themselves playing the solo to be performed at their audition.

Application Form:
The application form is filled out and submitted by mail or email.

Application Fee:
Use the button below to pay online. Type in the name and musical instrument of the applicant, then click on PayPal, venmo, or Checkout. Or, write a check for $25 payable to Livermore-Amador Symphony Association and mail it to Livermore-Amador Symphony, c/o 744 Polaris Way, Livermore CA 94550. Please include your address and contact information.

Video: Applicants must post a recording video to YouTube and email a link to competition@livermoreamadorsymphony.org. For piano recordings, accompaniment is not essential. All applicants are notified of the outcome of the preliminary screening.

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

Past Winners

See a list of past winners and the pieces they played, from the 1973–74 through 2024–25 seasons.

See photos of winners from the 2011–12 through 2024–25 seasons.

 

© Livermore-Amador Symphony Association