Applicants Sought for Youth Concerto Competition

The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra will conduct its eighth annual Madeline Schatz-Harris Youth Concerto Competition on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018.

2017 Youth Concerto Competition contestants with Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Artistic Director and Conductor Brian Dollinger. (From left to right – Dong-Woo Seo, Joshua Chang, Maya Chang, Alexander Canicosa-Miles, Sevastyan Swan, Brian Dolinger, Yudai Leonzon, Colin Yeo, Celina Lim, Allyson Kwong, Kauai Paule). Courtesy photo.

Young woodwind, brass, percussion, and keyboard players from around the state are eligible to enter the competition this year; and string players next year. The venue for this year’s concerto competition will be at a private residence in Kailua-Kona.

During the competition, contestants will perform, by memory, one movement of a piece chosen from standard orchestral repertoire with piano accompaniment. A panel of judges will select one winner from each age category: 12 years and under, 13-15 years and 16-18 years.

The competition winners will perform their solos with the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra during its winter concert En Pointe Brilliance on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, at 4 p.m. at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea. In addition to performing with the Orchestra, the competition winners will also receive cash rewards.

Instrumentalists interested in entering the competition should visit the orchestra’s website for further details on specific procedures for entry, and the approved repertoire. Applications for the event, which are due to Kamuela Philharmonic Artistic Director, Brian Dollinger, no later than Sept. 1, 2018, can also be obtained from the website.

Founding Artistic Director, Dr. Madeline Schatz-Harris recognized and admired the talent exhibited by many young music students in Hawai‘i and came up with the idea of holding the yearly concerto competition as a showcase for that talent. Like his predecessor, Maestro Brian Dollinger has a passion for teaching, conducting, and mentoring young students, and has embraced the competition as an opportunity to continue this legacy.