young musicians of baltimore

2026 INAUGURAL CONCERTO COMPETITION

Young Musicians of Baltimore champions the Baltimore area’s finest young string players by developing their performance skills, providing performance opportunities, and creating a musical community for their growth. To further support them, we are pleased to announce the inaugural 2026 Young Musicians of Baltimore Concerto Competition. This year’s competition will be devoted to Baroque and Classical concerti, and is open to violinists, violists, cellists, bassists, and harp players who are current members of the orchestra. In the spirit of collaboration and teamwork that is foundational to the Young Musicians of Baltimore ethos, applicants will have the opportunity to perform a movement from a solo concerto or a double concerto, and the first place winner(s) will perform as soloist(s) with the orchestra.

COMPETITION FORMAT

The competition will take place in the form of one live round with piano accompaniment, in which competitors are required to perform one movement of a concerto of their choice from memory for the jury. The first place winner(s) will perform as soloist(s) with the orchestra on the March 29th Season Finale concert in Dalsheimer Auditorium.

REPERTOIRE

One movement of a Baroque or Classical concerto for soloist(s) with orchestra, chosen from the list below, or upon approval by the competition chair:

VIOLIN

  • Bach Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, 1st movement

  • Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, 1st movement

  • Haydn Violin Concerto No. 4 in G Major, 1st movement

  • Mozart. Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, 1st movement

  • Vivaldi Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor, 1st movement

  • Vivaldi Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269 “Spring”, 1st movement or 3rd movement

  • Vivaldi Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315 “Summer”, 1st movement or 3rd movement

  • Vivaldi Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293 “Autumn”, 1st movement or 3rd movement

  • Vivaldi Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297 “Winter”, 2nd movement

VIOLA

  • Handel/Casadesus Viola Concerto in B minor, 1st movement

  • Hoffmeister Viola Concerto in D Major, 1st movement

  • Telemann Viola Concerto in G Major, 1st and 2nd movement or 3rd and 4th movement

CELLO

  • Breval Concerto No. 2 in D Major, 1st movement or 3rd movement (Rondo)

  • CPE Bach Cello Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, 1st movement

  • Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, 1st movement

  • Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor, RV 531, 1st movement

  • Vivaldi Cello Sonata in E minor, 1st and 2nd movement or 3rd and 4th movement

BASS

  • Capuzzi Concerto in F Major (or D Major), Allegro

TIMELINE

  • December 15, 2025: Online Application Deadline 11:59pm ET

  • mid-January TBA, 2026: Concerto Competition

  • March 29, 2026: Performance on the YMOB Season Finale Concert

FEEs

The entry fee is $35 per student. This entry fee offsets venue and adjudicator costs.  Entry fees must be received before applicants will be scheduled to compete.**

Students are responsible for all accompanist fees. Students must provide their own accompanist.

** YMOB believes that musical talent transcends the bounds of socio-economic status and is committed to making music available to all, regardless of cultural, geographic or financial considerations. For students with demonstrated need, fees may be waived.

TO APPLY

A link to the online application will be emailed to all current YMOB musicians.

FAQS

  • Yes everyone must play the same piece for both the audition and the concert. So, for example, if you are playing a double concerto, you would play your piece with both parts together, with piano, at the audition, and then the same piece with orchestra at the concert.

  • Please honor the Competition with appropriate dress onstage. 

    For the audition, the preferred dress is “afternoon concert dress”. For men, a suit and tie; for women, a mid-calf or longer dress or a pants outfit.

    For the concert, please wear soloist attire. For men, a black suit and tie or tuxedo; for women, a floor length dress/gown or evening pantsuit.

  • Each judge will have evaluation forms for each performer. We forward these evaluations to the performers after the Competition, unless the judge specifies otherwise.  Contestants ask for and find this feedback very valuable, so we encourage the jury to share their comments.

  • Judges vote for first place, then proceed to vote for second and third, etc. by written secret ballot.
    • Judges award prizes based on their assessment of the best total artistic/musical realization of the music performed.
    • Judges may award a prize to more than one competitor (in the case of a tie), but this will be accomplished through a motion approved by a majority.
    • Additional rounds of voting may be necessary to achieve a clear winner(s) for a particular prize. These votes are made between/among the top vote getters in the previous voting round.

  • Yes. If a judge has students competing in the competition, that judge may not vote for their own students.  This is 100% enforced.  If a judge would otherwise have voted for his/her own student, that judge must abstain from voting, to keep remaining votes properly weighted.

    Competition policy requires that judges make their decisions without regard to the age, teacher, or performance history of the performers: therefore, we do not provide judges with this information, and we ask them not to seek such information from any source either before or during the competition.

CONTACT

Please direct questions to Melissa Hullman, Competition Chair

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