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.

Jasper Ji, Cello 2026 Young Artist Competition Winner

Jasper Ji, Cello

Jasper Ji began his musical journey at the age of five and has since studied cello with Professor Andrew Mark of Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Jasper won First Prize at the 2025 Geneva Junior Music Competition. At the Opus Competition (Junior Strings division), he was the First Prize winner at the state level in 2025 and was awarded Second Prize at the national level in 2026.

An enthusiastic chamber musician, Jasper is currently a member of the piano trio program of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School’s Chamber Music Intensive Performance Seminar (CHIPS). Previously, he participated in the Studio Chamber Music Program at The Rivers School. In 2024, his piano trio won First Prize in the Junior Division of the Ninth International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition organized by the New England Chamber Music Foundation, and also received the Bronze Medal across all divisions. Jasper joined the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Petite Ensemble in 2020 and is now a member of its most advanced ensemble, the Boston Youth Symphony (BYS). At the BYS 2026–27 season opening concert, he served as the principal cellist in Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2. In 2024, he was a runner-up in the BYSO Repertory Orchestra Concerto Competition. In recent summers, Jasper has attended the Music@Menlo as a full-tuition fellowship recipient, Center Stage Strings at the University of Michigan as a merit travel scholarship recipient, and the Junior Program of the Heifetz International Institute, where he performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto in a masterclass with Colin Carr. He has also performed in masterclasses with Lluís Claret and David Finckel.

Jasper is currently an eighth grader at The Meadowbrook School of Weston. Outside of music, he enjoys playing soccer, speedcubing, collecting Pokémon’s cards, reading, and writing.

Applications are now closed for the 2026 Young Artist Competition.

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 (December 6, 2026).

  • 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, as well as the performance date of Sunday, December 6, 2026.

  • 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 Executive Director.

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 9/14/26

  • Auditions will not be scheduled until the $30 application fee is received.

  • Audition date: Sunday, September 20, 10:00am to 3:30pm at the New School of Music in Cambridge (25 Lowell St.). 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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 Previous NEP Young Artist Competition Winners

Close-up of a smiling young East Asian woman with dark hair, wearing earrings and a necklace.
Young girl with dark hair holding a violin
A young woman smiling and holding a violin, with a framed painting of autumn trees in the background.
Young man smiling outdoors wearing a white button-up shirt, with blurred green trees and grass in the background.
A young girl with long black hair, wearing a light pink sleeveless dress, holding a violin, against a dark blue background.
A young man with dark hair smiling outdoors, wearing a light blue button-up shirt with sleeves rolled up, standing with arms crossed, with a blurred background of autumn foliage.
A young man in a red shirt holding a violin in an outdoor setting with fall leaves and trees in the background.
Young woman holding a wooden harp indoors near a window.
Young woman smiling, holding a violin and bow outdoors with green trees in the background.
Close-up of a young man with dark hair smiling while holding a cello outdoors with green foliage in the background.