The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has launched its 22nd annual Young Artists Competition. Entries are welcome now through the deadline, 4 p.m. Jan. 4.
Music students who are 18 years old or younger as of the deadline, who reside within a 135-mile radius of Vancouver — that’s as far north as Seattle, as far south as Eugene, Ore., and as far east as Yakima — and are studying with a private music instructor are eligible to compete in the categories of piano, strings and brass-woodwinds-percussion.
Applicants should start by getting VSO approval for the piece they’ll work on: a single movement, no longer than 15 minutes, from a standard concierto for their instrument. The VSO office strongly recommends that applicants get approval early. No unapproved submissions will be accepted.
After approval, applicants should submit by Jan. 4 a professional-level audition CD along with a $25 entry fee and legal proof of age. CDs will be judged anonymously by professional musicians, and three finalists from each category will advance to a concert-style performance before a panel of musician judges. First, second and third place prizes in each category are scholarships of $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively.
