Young Artist Competition
The New England Philharmonic has held a Young Artist Competition each year since 1994. Each year’s winner performs with the New England Philharmonic in December. Historically, the YAC winner performs with the orchestra at its annual Family Concert at the Boston University Tsai Performance Center.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Young Artist Competition!
Hayden Ren
Hayden will perform the first and second movements of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto
Hayden Ren, 16 years old, is a Newton North High School junior. She began cello lessons with Allison Eldredge at age eight. Hayden was the 1st prize winner of the 2024 New England Conservatory (NEC) Preparatory School Concerto Competition (age Category B) and the 2021 NEC Prep Solo String Competition (Cello in Category A), and also won prized in the 2023 Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, 2022 Brockton Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition, 2023 Quincy Symphony Orchestra Eleanor B. Nelson Concerto Competition, among others. As a soloist, Hayden performed with the New Philharmonic Orchestra, Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra, and Wellesley Symphony Orchestra in 2024. As a competition winner and music festival participant, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, NEC’s Jordan Hall, Gilles-Lefebvre Hall in Orford, Canada, and Teatro degli Atti in Rimini, Italy, among others.
Hayden loves animals and hopes her commitment to music can change people's perspectives and appreciation of classical music, contributing to a more harmonious world for all.
Andrew Kim
Andrew will perform the fourth movement of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto
Andrew Y. Kim, 17 years old, is a senior at Weston High School. He began playing the cello at age six, and has gone on to win top prizes in international, national, and regional competitions, including the Fidelity/Boston Pops Young Artist Competition, leading to a solo performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall; the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, leading to a solo performance at Carnegie Hall; and the National YoungArts Foundation Competition. Andrew also had the honor of being selected to participate in the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2022. In addition, Andrew has had solo engagements with the Brockton Symphony, Lexington Symphony, Arlington Philharmonic, Metrowest Symphony, Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Rivers Conservatory Symphony and Rivers Youth Orchestras.
His musical volunteer activities include fundraising for families with food insecurity and performing music at senior living communities and local hospitals. Outside of music, Andrew enjoys serving as a class officer in his school student government, playing tennis and spending time with family and friends.
Applications for the 2025 Young Artist Competition will open in August 2025
Eligibility
Each musician candidate must meet all of the following requirements:
Candidate shall not have reached their 18th birthday by the scheduled performance date.
Candidate must not have graduated from high school prior to the scheduled performance date.
Candidate must be a resident of New England.
Candidate must not have been a previous first place winner of NEP’s Young Artist Competition.
Candidate must be available for at least two rehearsals, dates to be determined.
The Young Artist Competition is open to all orchestral instruments including piano, harp, saxophone, and percussion.
How to Take Part
To sign up for an audition, please complete the following steps:
If you have any questions, please email the NEP General Manager.
Competition Details
Candidates should prepare and memorize a concerto, a movement from a concerto, or other piece for soloist with orchestra, not to exceed 15 minutes in length. It is unlikely that a candidate will be given the opportunity to perform the entire movement s/he has prepared. In some cases, judges will ask for specific sections from the prepared material.
Auditions will be adjudicated by a small panel composed of the Music Director and musician(s) from the orchestra. The panel will make a decision within a week following the competition, and the winner(s) will be announced at that time.
Candidates must provide their own accompanists.
Candidates must acquire approval from their teacher by providing their name and acknowledgment on the application form.
A $30 non-refundable application fee is required with the application. Requests for fee waivers are graciously considered.
All applications and fees need to be received by 9/15/24
Auditions will not be scheduled until the $30 application fee is received.
Audition times will be scheduled based on included availability to the best of our ability. Please note that we can not guarantee a specific audition time. Please include special requests in the application where space is provided.
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