Concerto Competition

Every year YPSCA holds a Young People’s Concerto Competition for advanced student musicians in grades 7-12. The winner of the top prize is invited to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra in a set of Young People’s Concerts. Cash prizes, donated by individuals and music-related businesses, are awarded to all Finalists.

Each contestant prepares a portion of a major work, such as a concerto movement, to perform from memory. Performances are judged by professional musicians specializing in strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion and piano. For the Finals, held on the Orchestra Hall stage, YPSCA welcomes members of the public to attend and to witness the riveting performances of these extraordinary young musicians.

2027 Concerto Competition

Competition Deadlines and Dates

Preliminary Round on SnapAudition.com
Registration and video upload is due Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027
Final Round at Orchestra Hall is on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2027

Contact YPSCA with any questions or concerns.

Lorelei Schoenhard, winner of the YPSCA’s 69th Annual Concerto Competition

Lorelei Schoenhard wins top award at YPSCA’s 69th Annual Concerto Competition.

Fifty-three students competed in the virtual Preliminary Round by submitting performance videos which were adjudicated remotely by a panel of eight judges. Twelve of those students advanced to the Final Round at Orchestra Hall on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Violinist Lorelei Schoenhard, age 16, won the Competition with a stunning performance of the 1st movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major. Her first place award includes performances with the Minnesota Orchestra on a set of Young People’s Concerts, a $2000 cash prize from the Edwin and Edith Norberg Trust, and the $750 Claire Givens Award for Top String Performance. Lorelei, who is from St. Cloud, Minnesota, studies with Marion Judish and is a 10th grader at St. John’s Preparatory School.

Second place went to Sophia Alexander, cello, who received the $1500 Edwin Norberg Award and the $750 House of Note Violin Shop Award.
Third place went to Tingyun Wang, piano, who received the $1000 Edith Norberg Award and the $1000 Paul Winberg Award for Top Piano Performance.

Additional cash awards given to Finalists

Karen Holmes Award—Andre Peck, piano
Bonnie & Donn McClellan Award—Katarina Kenney, cello
Kay Simo Award—Tianqi Yu, marimba
Margie Ankeny Memorial Award—Danica Scofield, piano
David Colwell Memorial Award—Gaia Daniel, piano
Pat Krueger Memorial Award—Christian Garner, trumpet
Judy & David Ranheim Award—Josie Snaza, violin
YPSCA Candy Award—Alex Rodriguez, piano
YPSCA Candy Award—Anna Pitsavas Wakely, violin

We congratulate all of the Finalists and thank all of the generous donors of this year’s awards. We also thank our judges for the Final Round: William Eddins, conductor and pianist; Burt Hara, retired associate principal clarinet LA Philharmonic; and Lukas Goodman, Minnesota Orchestra assistant principal cello.

We are grateful to the Minnesota Orchestra staff and volunteers of YPSCA who made the finale of our Annual Concerto Competition a very special day at Orchestra Hall.