Young Artists Competition and Concert - 2024

We are inviting young musicians from around the valley to submit video auditions of their concerto performances. A selection of semifinalists will be announced and invited to perform their concertos "live" with their own accompanist for the final selection of young artists, on Saturday, November 11, 2023 between 9:30am and 11:30am, at Summerhays Music Recital Hall, 1006 S State St. Orem.

Also, Since 1969 the Utah Valley Symphony has hosted 'School Concerts' for Utah Valley school age children to experience a classical music concert in a friendly, inviting way. Children of ALL ages will enjoy this concert! (See School Concerts) During this school perfomance, a group of young musicians perform these Group Pieces which is accompanied by the orchestra. ()

Important Dates

Dates for Solo Audition

see Rules and Regulations for Solo Competition for details

Sunday, October 01, 2023 through Tuesday, October 31, 2023 Registration is closed for 2024 season

Monday, November 06, 2023: Deadline for audition upload

Thursday, November 09, 2023: Semifinalists announced

Saturday, November 11, 2023: Final "live" audition

Thursday and Friday, February 22 & 23, 2024 at 7:30 pm: Young Artist Concert w/UVS

Dates for Group Piece Audition

see Rules and Regulations for Group Piece Performance for details

Sunday, October 01, 2023 through Saturday, January 06, 2024 Registration is closed for 2024 season

Saturday, January 06, 2024: Deadline for audition upload

Saturday, January 13, 2024: Group Piece participants announced

Thursday, February 22, 2024: School Concert


Rules and Regulations for Solo Competition:

Qualifiers for Participation

  1. The Utah Valley Symphony seeks to promote young musicians from Utah County. Therefore, the UVS Young Artist competition is open to musicians age 25 or younger who have attended public, private, charter or home school in Utah Valley. Parents must have established permanent residency for at least two (2) years during the musician's elementary or secondary school years. The permanent residence must be within Utah County or from areas of rural Utah that do not have similar opportunities in their communities. Therefore, residents of other Wasatch Front counties (Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Box Elder, Cache) as well as Iron County and Washington County are ineligible.

  2. A Young Artist may perform twice as a winner in the Young Artist Concert by winning in 2 of the 3 categories -- at least 3 years apart. Performances in the School concerts do not count towards this two-concert total.
    The 3 categories are: Elementary (K-6), Junior (7-11), Senior (grade 12 - Age 25).
    • A Young Artist from the Elementary or Junior category may be chosen to also perform in the morning School Concerts in the Covey Center.
    • Selected Young Artists from the Junior and Senior categories will perform in the Covey Center for the Young Artist concert. No more than three (3) from the Junior and three (3) from the Senior category will be chosen. But the Musical Director reserves the right to choose less or more depending on the applicants auditions.
    • The outstanding auditionees for the group piece, will perform in the School Concerts in the Covey Center.
  3. The solo audition piece must be a work for soloist (or soloists) and orchestra. The piece must be memorized and performed with a live accompanist. Judges may ask to hear any part of the piece.
    For 2024, the following pieces are ineligible for audition and performance:
    Violin: Scene de Ballet by Charles Auguste de Bériot
    Two Violin Concerto in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
    Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor by Camille Saint-Saëns
    Cello: Concerto in E minor, 1st mvt. by Edward Elgar
    Allegro Appassionato by Camille Saint-Saëns
    Piano: Concerto No. 2 Op. 19, 1st mvt by Ludwig van Beethoven
    Concertpiece in F minor, Op.79, 3rd mvt. by Carl Maria von Weber
    Concerto No. 2, 3rd mvt. by Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, III. Rondo Allegro by Ludwig van Beethoven
    Piano Concerto No. 2 I. Moderato by Sergei Rachmaninoff
    Harp: Harp Concerto Op. 4 No. 6 in Bb major I. Andante allegro by Georg Frederich Handel
  4. Solo Audition Registration and audition procedure

    • Registration period will begin Sunday, October 01, 2023, and end Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
    • The cost to register is $ 30.00 per registrant. Registration, payment, and uploads will be made through this webpage. Payments will process through Paypal (A PayPal account is not required - it will accept your Credit Card). All registrations and fees must be received by Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
    • Multiple registration discounts for additional siblings are available by typing in the Audition ID Number of any of the previously registered siblings, either as a solo or the group piece. First child is $ 30.00. Each additional registered child is $ 15.00.
    • Upon registration, a link will be provided for you to upload a video recording of your audition. Uploads need to be submitted prior to Monday, November 06, 2023.
    • For the recorded upload, please provide an excerpt of your piece not to exceed 5 minutes. Make judicious cuts. See Audition Recording Requirements.
    • Semifinalists will perform their 5-minute excerpt of their concerto live, with accompanist, on Saturday, November 11, 2023 between 9:30am and 11:30am at TBD During the audition, the judges may ask to hear any passage(s) of the movement or piece that is being performed regardless of whether or not it is in the timed version of the auditioned piece.

Rules and Regulations for Group Piece performance:

Group Piece School Concert Rotation:

2024

Flute
Devienne: Concerto No. 2 in D Major, 3rd mvt
(16 years & younger)

Harp
Salzedo: Tango from Suite of 8 Dances for Harp
(17 years & younger)

2025

Violin
Vivaldi: Concerto in A minor, 1st mvt
(13 years & younger)

Cello
Breval, Sonata (Concerto) in C Major, 1st mvt
(16 years & younger)

2026

Viola
Telemann: Concerto in G Major, 2nd mvt
(14 years & younger)

Bass
Sweet Georgia Brown from Suzuki Bass School, Volume 3
(17 years & younger)

Each year the UVS performs a morning concert for school-aged children. The group piece performers are featured on that program.

For 2024, a Flute group piece and a Harp group piece will be performed at the school concert.

  • Flute
    Devienne: Concerto No. 2 in D Major, 3rd mvt
    (16 years & younger by December 1st, 2023)
  • Harp
    Salzedo: Tango from Suite of 8 Dances for Harp
    (17 years & younger by December 1st, 2023)

These will be performed as a group with the orchestra (accompaniment) for school aged children in the Covey Center on Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 10:00 am

  • A video recording of your performance of the audition piece may be uploaded from Saturday, December 30, 2023 through Saturday, January 06, 2024.
  • Record your audition with your pianist. It must be memorized. (See Audition Recordings)
  • A student may audition for both the group piece and on another concerto. For their 2nd audition, they may use the "sibling" $10 fee for their 2nd audition.

Group Piece Audition Registration and audition procedure

  • Registration period will begin Sunday, October 01, 2023, and end Saturday, January 06, 2024.
  • The cost to register is $ 30.00 per registrant. Registration, payment, and uploads will be made through this webpage. Payments will process through Paypal (A PayPal account is not required - it will accept your Credit Card). All registrations and fees must be received by Saturday, January 06, 2024.
  • Multiple registration discounts for additional siblings are available by typing in the Audition ID Number of any of the previously registered siblings, either as a solo or the group piece. First child is $ 30.00. Each additional registered child is $ 15.00.
  • Upon registration, a link will be provided for you to upload a video recording of your audition. Uploads need to be submitted prior to Saturday, January 06, 2024.
  • For the recorded upload, please provide an excerpt of your piece not to exceed 5 minutes. Make judicious cuts. See Audition Recording Requirements.

Audition Recordings Requirements :

For Solo auditions

  • You may upload your 5-minute audition video anytime from Wednesday, November 01, 2023 through Monday, November 06, 2023. Semi-finalists will be announced by Thursday, November 09, 2023
  • The piece must be memorized and performed with a live accompanist.
  • Wear best clothes.

For group piece auditions

  • You may upload your 5-minute audition video anytime from Saturday, December 30, 2023 through Saturday, January 06, 2024 . Participants will be announced by Saturday, January 13, 2024.

  • The piece must be memorized and performed with a live accompanist.
  • Wear best clothes.

Post Competition and Performances

Finalists/Winners of the Utah Valley Symphony Young Artists competition will perform with the Symphony on Thursday and Friday, February 22 & 23, 2024 at 7:30 pm in the Covey Center for the Arts.

Those invited to play the group piece will perform at the school concert on Thursday, February 22, 2024 in the Covey Center for the Arts.




Competition Registration

Registration and $ 30.00 fee must be received by Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

For additional questions not addressed here please email:

Registration for a SOLO Audition is closed.

Registration for a Group Piece Audition is closed.