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 2023 Young Artist Competition Winners!
Henry Tushman and Sophie Long Sha Tung
Henry Tushman, 17, studies piano with Dr. Sandra Hebert at the Rivers School Conservatory, where he won the 2022 Director’s Award. Henry is a member of the A. Ramón Rivera Senior Piano Seminar at NEC Prep and has attended Cremona International Music Academy in Italy for six summers. In the summer of 2023, Henry represented the U.S. in Poland, performing with the Tarnὀw Chamber Orchestra as an invited soloist in the “Ambassador of Tarnὀw Maestro Krystian Tkaczewski and his Guests” International Piano Festival. He previously soloed with orchestras in Italy and Massachusetts as well as in Ganz Hall in Chicago conducted by Conner Gray Covington, Associate Conductor of the Utah Symphony.
Henry has been the Massachusetts State winner of the MTNA Senior Piano Competition, and was awarded Honorable Mention in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He has performed at the Harvard Musical Association as well as at the Music International Grand Prix in Merkin Hall, NYC. Henry was the first prize winner of both high school divisions of The American Prize, solo and concerto, winning the Lorin Hollander Award. He has also won first prize in competitions including Steinway Society of Massachusetts, Society of American Musicians, Young Musicians Inspiring Change, Bradshaw & Buono, MMTA Bay State, National League of Performing Arts, and the International Franz Liszt Center Piano Competition. Henry has performed in Boston Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. Henry has worked with contemporary composers Andrew List, Amy Reich, and Whitman Brown - and on two occasions, premiered pieces written expressly for him. He has performed in the master classes of Victor Rosenbaum, Alexander Korsantia, and Roberto Plano, among others. Henry is a junior at Wellesley High School where, outside of piano, he enjoys playing soccer and singing in the Wellesley High School Keynote Singers.
Sophie Tung, 16, was born in Hong Kong and is currently an 11th-grader at Phillips Academy Andover. She started playing the violin at the age of five and is currently under the tutelage of Professor Lynn Chang at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to study with Professor Peter Zazofsky, Beedarn Zhao, and Jing Wang.
During her time in Hong Kong, Sophie was a member of the St. Paul's Co-ed College Programme for the Musically Gifted and served as the concertmistress of the School Orchestra. For the past three consecutive years, Sophie has been selected as the solo performer with the Hong Kong Children’s Symphony Orchestra.
Sophie has achieved numerous accolades at local and international music festivals. Her achievements include receiving the first runner-up and the Best Virtuoso Award at the Italy Cremona International Music Festival, first prize at the Hong Kong Intercultural Young Musicians Competition (Diploma Grade), First Place Winner of the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, and second prize at the Berliner International Music Competition, among others.
Sophie also has had the privilege of attending masterclasses with renowned violinists, including Lü Siqing, Zia Shin, Jing Wang, James Buswell, Dr. Solomiya Ivakhiv, and Xiaoyu Yang.
Looking ahead, Sophie aspires to discover her personal musical style while performing for a broader audience worldwide.
Applications for the 2023 Young Artist Competition have now closed.
Please subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of future competitions.
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 and finalist(s) will be announced at that time. Judges’ comments will remain private.
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 9/21/23
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.
Please subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of future competitions.
