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The Young Artist Competition is held annually to promote and encourage talented musicians who reside in the Mid-Columbia region. Young musicians may compete in one of nine divisions. They are evaluated by a jury of regional professional musicians. Up to two musicians are selected to perform with the Mid-Columbia Symphony at a concert. For information about the Young Artist Competition, contact the Symphony office at (509) 943-6602.

Applying to Compete

• Application form: print form and mail with $50 fee to the Mid-Columbia Symphony office at 716 Jadwin, Richland, WA 99352 by January 1, 2008. Forms are also available from the Mid-Columbia Symphony office, (509) 943-6602. Registration will be approved when the orchestral rental music cost is confirmed.
• Application deadline: January 1, 2008. Note: We are limited to about 30 entrants. If we receive more applications than we can schedule, earlier applications will receive precedence. A standby list will be used in case of cancellations. The $50 fee will be returned if a late registration must be cancelled.
• Application fee: $50 (To apply for one of two Mildred Finney Scholarships to be awarded this year to pay for applications, call 943-6602.)
• Approval. Music must be approved by the Music Director or Orchestra President before the final application of registration. The cost of the orchestral rental of the music for the overall winner to perform at the concert must not exceed $250. Anything over $250 - contact the Symphony the week after the competition.
• Eligibility - location: Instrumental (not vocal) students through grade 12 who reside in the Mid-Columbia area of Washington and Oregon. This area includes the Washington counties of Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, and Yakima and the Oregon counties of Umatilla and Morrow -- in locations of approximately up to one hour travel time one way.
• Eligibility - past winners: Musicians who have previously been overall winners AND who have performed with the Symphony are ineligible to win in the same division again. They ARE eligible to win in a different instrument or age category. Past division winners who did not perform with the Symphony are eligible to enter again in the same or another division.

  Divisions

• Primary, piano: age 6 to 11 as of January 19, 2008
• Primary, string: age 6 to 11 as of January 19, 2008
• Primary, other instrument: age 6 to 11 as of January 19, 2008
• Intermediate, piano: age 11 after January 19, 2008 to age 14 as of or before January 19, 2008
• Intermediate, string: age 11 after January 19, 2008 to age 14 as of or before January 19, 2008 8
• Intermediate, other instrument: age 11 after January 19, 2008 to age 14 as of or before January 19, 2008
• Senior, piano: age 14 to high-school graduation, 2008
• Senior, string: age 14 to high-school graduation, 2008
• Senior, other instrument: age 14 to high-school graduation, 2008

Repertory

• Performers should choose music from classical concert literature. Semi-classical and popular music are not appropriate.
• Students' teachers should make sure the music is available for the orchestra and realistic in terms of the present capacity of the Mid-Columbia Symphony. The rental fee for the orchestral music must not exceed $250. If it's more than $250, a sponsorship will be required to pay the difference the week after the competition.

Competition and Judging Procedure

• The competition is January 19, 2008, at Central Church, 1124 Stevens, Richland, from 9 am to 4 or 5 pm. The award ceremony is 7 pm that day.
• Each young artist has 12 minutes to perform. Movements may be abridged to fit the time limit for the competition only.
• All music must be performed from memory.
• Give two copies of the music to the judges at the competition: 1) An orginal copy of the music played, with the cuts noted and 2) a copy, which will not be returned. An original copy must be present at the time of the competition. The original copy will be returned to the performer.
• Judges will look for expressive ability, empathy of musical style, faithfulness to specific indications of the work (tempo, dynamics, phrasing), and technical security.
• Winners may be selected in each of the nine divisions, but the judges are not obligated to choose a winner in any division. Division winners, as well as two overall winners from different divisions, will be announced at the award ceremony. Division winners will be awarded $25 at the award ceremony, at 7 pm on the day of the competition. Judges will speak and give performance notes to each young artist.
• The two overall winners to perform with the Symphony in 2008. Those winners will each be awarded an additional $100 after the concert. All winners will be announced in the award ceremony and notified by mail if not in attendance.
• Winners are expected to give high priority to rehearsals. If any winner doesn't maintain his or her performance quality up to the time of the concert, he or she will be removed from the concert program by the Director.
• No recordings (audio or visual) are allowed during competition without specific approval from the staff, and no recording is allowed during the Symphony performance.

More Information

Carma Kimball, (509) 943-5865, or ckimball@hotmail.com

Or Mid-Columbia Symphony office: (509) 943-6602 or cmgr@midcolumbiasymphony.org.