Livermore-Amador Symphony
Competition for Young Musicians
Congratulations
to the 2011–2012 Winners
Clifford Tam
clarinet soloist
Premiere Rhapsodie
by Debussy
Christine Xu
piano soloist
Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18 (1st mvt.)
by Rachmaninoff
Clifford Tam and Christine Xu have been selected to perform with the Symphony at its concert on February 11, 2012. LAS music director and conductor Dr. Arthur Barnes reported to the orchestra as one of the judges that the competition of sixteen students held on October 23, 2011, had been rich in talented musicians.
General Information
The Livermore-Amador Symphony has conducted its Competition for Young Musicians for almost forty years. Historically, the quality of performance has been very high. The winners perform as soloists with the Symphony at its February concert and receive a monetary award (currently $300). The competition is open to instrumentalists and vocalists who reside or attend school in Livermore, Pleasanton, Sunol, Dublin, or San Ramon, California. Students are eligible through grade 12. If not enrolled in high school, the maximum age is 17. All instruments are considered. Applications are due in early October.
Applicants must submit a completed application form (click here to see the 2011 application form; the 2012 form is not yet available), a non-refundable fee ($8.00 in 2011), and, for preliminary screening, a CD or cassette tape of their playing. Music should be chosen from the standard repertoire for orchestra. The selection, one movement of a concerto or a comparable work, should have a minimum length of approximately 10 minutes. For the preliminary screenings, recordings for non-pianists should have piano accompaniment. For piano recordings, accompaniment is not essential. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the preliminary screening and all recordings will be returned.
Those accepted to compete will be expected to perform in person (usually on a Sunday afternoon in late October) before the conductor of the Symphony and one other judge from outside the area. It is strongly recommended that the music be memorized by this time. Contestants must provide their own accompanists. Each student will receive a written evaluation. Taken into consideration are tone quality, technique, intonation, style, and interpretation. The judges will be instructed to select two winners, and the two selected are not to be competing on the same instrument. If, in the opinion of the judges, none of those competing is qualified, a winner will not be selected.
(See a list of past winners and the pieces they played.)
Winners, as soloists, will perform the same music with which they competed. Previous winners may re-apply after an intervening year. However, anyone who has performed two times as a soloist with the Symphony cannot be considered as a contestant. If you have any questions you may phone (925) 447-1947.
Winners Last Season
Da Eun Kim and Anna Lorenz were selected to perform with the Symphony at its concert on February 12, 2011.
LAS music director and conductor Dr. Arthur Barnes told the orchestra that the competition had been remarkable for the number of outstanding performances. Determining winners had been very difficult for that reason.
© Livermore-Amador Symphony Association