Rules and Regulations

The 63rd Annual PYSO Young Musicians Concerto Competition was on January 7-8, 2023. Congratulations to our winners! Watch this space in Fall 2023 for next season’s competition.

63rd ANNUAL YOUNG MUSICIANS CONCERTO COMPETITION RULES AND REGULATIONS

Application Closed

UPLOAD SIGNED FORMS by DECEMBER 14, 2022

Junior Division

• 63rd Annual Young Musicians Competition 2022-2023 Rules and Regulations (PDF)
• The Rules and Regulations PDF page must be printed, signed (by both competitor AND private lesson teacher), scan or take a photo, and uploaded by December 14, 2022.
• Junior Division Document Upload Page

Senior Division

• 63rd Annual Young Musicians Competition 2022-2023 Rules and Regulations (PDF)
• SENIOR DIVISION ONLY: 63rd Annual Young Musicians Competition 2022-2023 Senior Division Scholarship Round Rules and Regulations (PDF)
• The Rules and Regulations PDF page must be printed, signed (by both competitor AND private lesson teacher), scan or take a photo, and uploaded. The Senior Division Scholarship Round Rules and Regulations PDF must be signed by the competitor. Senior Division upload BOTH documents by December 14, 2022.
• Senior Division Document Upload Page (includes both document uploads)

IMPORTANT DATES

Important Dates: Senior Division

• First Round of the competition will be held in person on Saturday, January 7, 2023.
  • Location: Mesa Community College, Performing Arts Center. 1520 South Longmore, Mesa, AZ 85202.
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for the full day.
    * Time frames will be sent closer to the date. The full span of day for our judges will be 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Time slots will be sent out December 21, 2022. We understand many accompanists work with multiple students in the competition. That is the first factor we take under consideration when setting time slots. We also factor in students competing on multiple instruments and instrument families. If you have a conflict during this time frame, please include this in your application.
• Finalists announced end of day on Saturday, January 7, 2023 via email.
• Finals will be held in person on January 8, 2023.
  • Location: Mesa Community College, Performing Arts Center. 1520 South Longmore Mesa, AZ 85202
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for full day.
    * Time frames will be sent closer to the date. The full span of the day for our judges will be 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Time slots will be sent out Saturday, January 7, 2023.

Important Dates: Junior Division

• Competition will be held in person on Saturday, January 7, 2023.
  • Location: Mesa Community College, Performing Arts Center. 1520 South Longmore, Mesa, AZ 85202.
  • Time: TBD – Please hold availability for the full day.
    * Time frames will be sent closer to the date. The full span of day for our judges will be 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Time slots will be sent out December 21, 2022. We understand many accompanists work with multiple students in the competition. That is the first factor we take under consideration when setting time slots. We also factor in students competing on multiple instruments and instrument families. If you have a conflict during this time frame, please include this in your application.
  • Winners will be notified at the Award Ceremony on Sunday January 8, 2023, at the Mesa community College Performing Arts Center as well as via email.

For Both Divisions: 

Application Open: November 2, 2022

Late Application Fee Applies: December 9, 2022

Application Due: By 11:59 PM, December 19, 2022

Upload Signed Rules and Regulations Documents: By end of the day December 14, 2022.

Main Contact:

Operations Manager

Complete the Contact form on our Contact page and choose “Competitions”.

ELIGIBILITY

The Competition will have two divisions: a Senior Division and a Junior Division. The Junior Division is open to all non-professional music students who reside in the state of Arizona and who are in grades 6 through 8 on the dates of competition. The Senior Division for the 2023 YMC will be open only to current members of PYSO grades 9-12 at the time of the application deadline. The music student must be recommended by his/her private teacher, which is confirmed by his/her signature on the Rules and Regulations document sent in your email confirmation once you submit your application.

APPLICATION and FEE DEADLINE

The $90 non-refundable fee for Senior Division and $65 non-refundable fee for Junior Division and application must be completed online by December 9, 2022. After December 9, applications will be $115 for Senior Division and $90 for Junior Division. No applications will be accepted after 11:59 pm on December 19, 2022. Upload the Rules and Regulations document by December 14, 2022.

Rules and details subject to change.

COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS

1. Each contestant shall be required to perform one movement of a standard concerto, or a composition for solo instrument and orchestra from memory.
2. Contestants in the Junior and Senior Divisions may select from the Repertoire List. https://pysorchestras.org/ymc/repertoire/ Contestants may select a concerto or solo with available orchestral accompaniment not on the list, but only with the recommendation of his/her private teacher and only with approval by PYSO’s Artistic Director.
3. To request a concerto not on the repertoire list please complete the Repertoire Request Form by December 9, 2022. PYSO reserves the right to deny any requests made after this date.
4. No student shall perform a composition which he/she performed in any previous Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras Young Musicians Competition.
5. An accompanist is required for each division and round of the competition. Each contestant must provide his/her own accompanist. Percussionists are exempt from having an accompanist if their piece does not have an orchestral accompaniment. If this is the case, they will not be eligible to perform with The Phoenix Symphony.
6. Maximum playing time will be ten minutes and must include the cadenza. It is highly recommended you consult your private teacher on any necessary cuts. For the final round on Sunday, January 8, 2023 contestants will be stopped at 10 minutes, without exception.
7. Any change(s) to a contestant’s repertoire must be reported to the Operations Manager by December 19, 2022. Complete the Contact form on our Contact page and choose “Competitions”.
8. Piano contestants will be given one minute to become familiar with the piano on stage prior to beginning their audition. Junior Division and existing PYSO Students competing in Senior division are the only applicants able to compete on piano.
9. For the finals, contestants will be scheduled in a manner that will allow them a maximum of 30 minutes of warm-up time prior to performing.
10. For the Junior Division and Senior Division first round, each contestant must provide 3 hard copies of their music (with all the cuts clearly indicated) for the judge’s consideration.
11. For the finals (Senior Division Only), contestants must provide three copies of the solo to be performed for the judges’ use. The copies must not contain any marks identifying the contestant or teacher. The copies must have all measures numbered and any cuts clearly marked. 

AWARDS

JUNIOR DIVISION – GRADES 6 THROUGH 8

The first-place winner in each category (upper strings, lower strings, woodwinds, brass/percussion, and piano/harp) will receive a $500 cash prize.

SENIOR DIVISION – GRADES 9 THROUGH 12

Up to twelve finalists will be selected to perform in the final round on Sunday January 8, 2023. The top two winners will receive the opportunity to perform their concerto with The Phoenix Symphony at Symphony Hall, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. All finalists will win a scholarship to a camp or festival in order of their final ranking.* For additional information, please see Scholarship Rules. The Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras require the top five finalists to perform at the Competition Winners Luncheon – Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 11:30 AM, at the Paradise Valley Country Club.

*For a winner to receive the summer scholarship they must remain in good standing as a member of PYSO through the end of the 2022-2023 season.

*Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, camp scholarship availability and the opportunity to perform with The Phoenix Symphony are subject to change or cancellation at any time.

*Rules and details subject to change.

Application Closed

Video Recording Tips

The 63rd Annual PYSO Young Musicians Concerto Competition was on January 7-8, 2023. Congratulations to our winners! Watch this space in Fall 2023 for next season’s competition information. The previous (2022) YMC Information is below.

• Sound quality is important. It is recommended to have a quality video and audio recording capability. If devices such as these are not available, recording on a phone or tablet device is acceptable.

• You may want to have someone else press the record and stop button for you so you can start from a relaxed place.

• Record in a neutral acoustic location. If recording at home, strive for a neutral acoustic location as well; not in your closet (not enough echo) and not in your bathroom (too much echo). A living room or other open space should be ok.

• Make sure there is no fan (ceiling or otherwise) operating while you play.
• Record when you can have quiet and no interruptions.
• Film in a well-lit space. Make sure there is more light in front of you rather than behind you so that you are not back-lit, i.e. do not record with you standing in front of a window.

• For string instruments, make sure your f-holes are directed toward the video recording device.

• Place the video recording device on a flat surface with microphone area unobstructed.
• Check sound levels before recording to make sure sound is not distorted in loud passages and inaudible in soft passages.

• Use the rear camera rather than the front facing (selfie) camera as the rear camera is typically a higher resolution.

• Time your solo piece and excerpt ahead of time so you know where to start and stop.

Video Submission Guidelines

The 63rd Annual PYSO Young Musicians Concerto Competition was on January 7-8, 2023. Congratulations to our winners! Watch this space in Fall 2023 for next season’s competition information. The previous (2022) YMC Information is below.

6. Video must be done in ONE take.
7. If you do not like a ‘take’ of an individual recording, you may try again, as long as your final submission is in one continuous unedited take.
8. You may not edit, cut, splice, or otherwise alter video.
9. Picture must remain stationary: no panning, zooming, multiple cameras, fading in/out.
10. Video framing: Place the video recording device so that you, your instrument, and your full range of motion are in the frame at all times.
11. Video must not exceed 10 minutes. Judges will stop watching at 10 minutes.
12. Tune instrument to A=440.
13. Formats .mov or .mp4 are suggested.
14. Please make sure to title your submission “LastName, FirstName, Instrument” for example “Moreno, Corinn, Violin”.
15. Links to submit were emailed to all that have registered for the event.

An accompanist is required for each division and round of the competition. Each contestant must provide his/her own accompanist. Percussionists are exempt from having an accompanist if their piece does not have an orchestral accompaniment. If this is the case, they will not be eligible to perform with The Phoenix Symphony.

A list of potentially available accompanists for competitors in the Young Musicians Competition conducted by the Phoenix Youth Symphony is provided as a public service to those inquiring. The Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras does not endorse or recommend any particular accompanist or make any representation as to their abilities or affordability for this purpose.  Please contact the Operations Manager if you desire the list. Visit our Contact page and choose “Competitions”.

* Rules and details subject to change.