Carmel Symphony Orchestra Announces 2016 Young Artist Competition

The Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) proudly announces its 36th Annual CSO Young Artists Competition, a unique and prestigious concerto competition allowing Indiana student musicians the opportunity to compete with their peers at the highest level of artistic excellence and have the amazing experience of performing in the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.

The entry deadline for Indiana resident student musicians is November 7. The live competition finals will be on December 4 in front of a panel of esteemed teachers and performers. The first place winner will perform his or her concerto accompanied by the Carmel Symphony Orchestra at the Family Fun! Concert sponsored by the CSO League at the Palladium on March 26, 2017. Additionally, the winner receives a scholarship award of $1000, made possible by the generous sponsorship from Meridian Music. The First Runner-Up receives an award of $750 and the Second Runner-Up an award of $500, both made possible by the CSO League.

Entry forms are available at carmelsymphony.org/education- community/young-artist- competition.

Last year’s winner was 16-year-old Lydia Rhea, a homeschooled junior, who has played the cello and danced since age four. She also was 2014’s CSO Young Artists Competition runner-up, and has received numerous awards competing across Indiana. She is a first prize winner in the Indiana University David Popper Competition and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Young Artist Competition. Additionally she placed second in the Carmel and New World Symphonies Young Artist Competitions during the 2014/2015 season.

“The Young Artists Competition is one of my favorite elements of the season,” says Alan Davis, president and ceo of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra. “Talented young musicians are an inspiration not only to concert-goers but also to all young children, and I believe this unique competition truly embodies our mission to enhance our community’s quality of life through creative, artistically excellent performances and educational experiences for diverse audiences of all ages.”

2016/2017 season single tickets, including the March 26, 2017 Family Fun! concert can be purchased by visiting CarmelSymphony.org or by calling the Center’s Box Office at 317.843.3800. Discounts for students are also available including the $5 YouthPASS for high school and younger and the $10 CollegePASS for College students.

The Carmel Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1975, is the 85-member Resident Orchestra at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. The Carmel Symphony is a family-friendly orchestra presenting an annual subscription concert series, each programmed to provide an eclectic mix of repertoire, and is committed to enhancing our community’s quality of life through creative, artistically excellent performances and educational experiences for diverse audiences of all ages.

The CSO Young Artist Competition encourages and affords student musicians, who reside within the State of Indiana, the opportunity to compete with their peers at the highest level of artistic excellence. This year’s event marks the competition’s 36th year.