Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra 2025
Young Artists Competition

This year’s winner will have the opportunity to perform a complete concerto with the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra on their Feb. 13th, 14th, & 15th 2026 concerts.

COMPETITION RULES

• Submit Preliminary videos using the application link by Sept. 30th, 2025, and pay your $25 application fee using the payment link.

• All applicants must submit a preliminary video between 5-10 minutes in length of one or more sections of your concerto with an accompanist. For concertos with multiple movements, it is recommended to include selections from each movement. The video must be in a single take. Memorization of your work is highly recommended, but not required for the prelim video.

• Finalists will be announced on Oct. 2nd, 2025.

• Up to 8 finalists will be invited to perform their works in person at Bainbridge Performing Arts on Sunday, Nov. 2nd. This final round will be open to the public. The judges will select and announce one winner and a 1st and 2nd runner-up the same day.

• Finalists must have their music memorized (exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis). Accompaniment is required. Finalists will have a time limit of 20 minutes. Cuts are permissible and will have no negative impact on the judge’s evaluation. Mark any cuts clearly in the scores (i.e. orchestra tutti’s). Finalists must present two copies of the score for use by the judges (photocopies are permissible). These will be returned.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must be between the ages of 11-23 as of Nov. 2nd 2025.

• Applicants must be a full-time resident of Washington State.

• Strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, guitar, and piano are eligible to apply. Additionally, groups of up to 3 soloists playing a single work together may also apply (ie. Brahms Double Concerto, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, Beethoven Triple Concerto). Vocalists will not be eligible for the competition this year.

• Previous winners of the BSO's Young Artists Competition are not eligible to apply.

• All applicants must be available for the BSO's Feb. 13th, 14th, & 15th 2026 concerts, in addition to rehearsals on the evenings of Feb. 4th and Feb. 11th 2026.

REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS

• Your full concerto or work should be between 15-45 minutes. Exceptions to this rule may be granted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Music Director.

• Any concerto or concerto-like work for soloist(s) and orchestra from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century or Contemporary periods may be performed. However, all repertoire selections are subject to the discretion of the Music Director. Disqualifying factors may include (but are not limited to) exorbitant rental fees, and/or extreme difficulty of the orchestral parts.

Due to recent and/or future programming by the BSO, the following repertoire will not be accepted this year:

• Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14

• Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83

• Dvorak: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53

• Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104

• Kozeluch, Leopold: Concerto for Piano 4-Hands in B-flat major

• Martín, Andrés: Double-Bass Concerto No. 1

• Price, Florence: Piano Concerto in One Movement

• Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

• Vaughan-Williams: The Lark Ascending

  Any and all questions regarding eligibility, repertoire selection, or competition rules should be directed to BSO Music Director Ryan Dakota Farris: rdfarris@bainbridgeperformingarts.org