We would like to invite musicians of all instrumentations to participate in this concerto competition that celebrates rising stars. The winner of the Young Artist Concerto Competition will have the opportunity to perform their concerto with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra in the beautiful Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. The CSO Young Artist Competition affords exceptional student musicians from Indiana the opportunity to compete among their peers at the highest level of artistic excellence. This year’s event marks the 41st year of the competition – and the 46th Season for the symphony! View previous winners here! 

The Carmel Symphony Orchestra is committed to enhancing our community’s quality of life through creative, artistically excellent performances and educational experiences for diverse audiences of all ages.

Residency Requirement Applicant’s legal residence must be within the State of Indiana.

Repertoire Selection must be one movement of a concerto or other work for solo instrument and orchestra, and must not exceed 15 minutes. Repertoire for the preliminary round and the live final round must be the same. The CSO reserves the right to make cuts as needed for the concert performance. Submissions must be performed with orchestral reduction accompaniment.

Preliminary Round Video recordings must be an unedited file uploaded to YouTube and submitted with the application form. When applicable, long tutti passages may be shortened or eliminated. Due to the number of entries we receive each year, we are unable to provide comments or feedback regarding the preliminary round. Memorization for the preliminary round is not required.

Final Round Following a thorough review of the submitted entries and selection of finalists, the final round will be held live at Meridian Music School on December 5. Winners will be announced shortly after the last performer. All Final Competition performances MUST be from memory.

Application Access online application below. Submit your online application (including YouTube link, solo part, headshot, biography, and $35 application fee) no later than midnight on Sunday, November 7, 2021. The non-refundable and non-transferrable application fee of $35 must be paid via PayPal. 

Judges A panel of judges comprised of outstanding teachers and performers will select the competition winner.

Awards The winner will perform on the CSO Side by Side Performance as the featured soloist on March 6, 2022, at the Palladium. In addition to performing with the CSO, the winner will also receive an award of $1,000, and six (6) complimentary tickets to the Side by Side Concert for their family. The winner must perform the same concerto movement that was performed in the competition. The first runner-up will receive an award of $750, and the second runner-up will receive an award of $500.

Questions? Contact us here.