Contestants will be auditioned on the piano or any symphonic instrument. Vocal soloists and past first place winners are excluded from this competition.
Contestants are expected to have a COMPLETE approved concerto or concert work for solo instrument and orchestra ready to perform from memory. Refer to the page Y.A.C. Concerti List for more information on acceptable/non-acceptable concerti. If the concerto listed on the Application Form is unacceptable, CYS will contact the contestant.
Each contestant is expected to perform with a piano accompanist; and, contestants are responsible for providing their own accompanist.
Contestants will provide three copies of the composition for the judges to use during the audition.
Auditions will be held in Spring 2025,between the hours of 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM.: Preliminaries (9:30am-1:30pm) and Finals (3-5pm). All contestants and their accompanists must be available for the finals time frame.
Two young artists will be chosen to perform with the CYS Senior Orchestra. In the case of a double or triple concerto, an “artist” is defined as the group of soloists.
Auditions are open to all who have not attained their 19th birthday on, or before the competition date.
In the preliminary round, contestants will select a 5-7 minute program that they feel best represents their ability to perform their concerto. Each contestant will play for at least five minutes, but the judges may end the audition before the full seven minutes is reached. Very rarely will the judges ask the contestant to play from any other parts of their piece (although they can do that).
In the final round, the judges will request which parts of the concerto they would like to hear. They may ask for entire movements, cadenzas, or other passages. Each finalist will play for 15-20 minutes total.
The competition winners must perform the same concerto with the orchestra that they performed at the competition. Competition winners agree to attend and perform with the orchestra for four Sunday rehearsals before the first scheduled performance. All competition winners must be available for rehearsals and performances. Competition winners also agree to send a biography and a photograph.
Because of the economics of any public concert performance, we prefer that our contestants not have performed their audition concerto with another major Bay Area orchestra. If you are performing, or have performed, a concerto with another orchestra in the Bay Area under these circumstances, you cannot use this concerto for the CYS competition this concert season. If you win the CYS competition, you agree not to perform your concerto with another orchestra in the Bay Area until after you have performed it with the California Youth Symphony. The “Bay Area” means all the East Bay and West Bay cities between and including San Francisco and San Jose. Please call and direct any questions on concerto eligibility to the CYS Office.
Audition times will be emailed to all contestants one week prior to the competition date.
Three judges will preside. The decision of the judges will be final.
Winners will be announced at the end of the final round.
A non-refundable fee of $90 must accompany your application submission in order to complete your registration. Payments are now only processed through PayPal.
The application deadline will be announced when applications open.
