Concerto Competition - University of Houston
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Moores School Symphony Orchestra 2022 Concerto Competition

The 2022 Concerto Competition will accept applicants fromenrolledMSM students in the following divisions:  
Keyboard 
Winds, Brass, Percussion 

Announcement ofwinners- October 8, 2022,  immediatelyfollowingtheFinal Round of judging deliberations. 

Prizes will be awarded as follows. 

Preliminary Rounds: DivisionPrize(4) $750
Honorable Mention (2) $25
Final Round: Grand Prize (2) $1,500 (Presented in addition to the Division Prize) 
Audience ChoicePrize $500

Grand Prize winners will also be invited to perform with the Moores School Symphony Orchestra on a concert in the 2022-2023 season.  

Application Process: 

  • Applications will be open Wednesday, September 14th to Wednesday, September 21st, at 5 PM.

    1. Apply here.

    2. You will receive an invoice via email for non-refundable application fee of $37.

    Steps 1 and 2 must be complete by 9/21/22 at 5pm.

    3. Your primary teacher will be emailed for approval which must be granted by September 26th

    Preliminary Round:

    October 8, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM in MSM 185 (WBP) and Dudley Hall (KB). Instrument case storage and warmup will be in MSM 175. Each Division will be judged by an external panel of three (3) distinguished individuals from the appropriate areas (KB and WBP). Each set of adjudicators will be tasked with selecting two (2) Division Winners who will advance to the final round (four finalists in all). An Honorable Mention prize may also be awarded at the judges' discretion but will not advance to the final round.

    Performance times will be randomly assigned. Times will be announced on October 1.

    Final Round:

    The final round of competition performances will be professionally recorded by the Moores School of Music and livestreamed from Dudley Recital Hall on Saturday, October 8 at 7:00pm. The final round will be judged by the six (6) Division Judges (three in KB & three in WBP) plus one (1) additional adjudicator not affiliated with the MSM, for a total of seven (7) judges. Two (2) Grand Prize Winners (one in each division) will be chosen from the four finalists. An Audience Choice Award will also be given.

    Performance times will be randomly assigned. Times will be announced prior to the 7:00PM performance.

    Competition Rules and Procedures:  

    All applicants must be currently enrolled at the Moores School of Music to be eligible to compete.

    Repertoire: All competitors must perform a complete work written for solo wind, brass or percussion instrument or keyboard with orchestra.

    All competitors must be able to perform the entire work from memory, with piano accompaniment. Competitors are responsible for engaging and rehearsing with their accompanist.

    Competitors must provide four (4) hard copy scores of their work (preferably the piano reduction) by October 7th at 5:00 PM to the MSSO for use by the judges. Photocopies are permissible if bound in a 3-ring binder or other binding. PDF files are likely available online from IMSLP.

    In the Preliminary Round, judges may request any part of the competitor’s submitted work and may choose to start and stop the performance at will. Judges will select two winners from each division and may select an honorable mention from each division.

    In the Final Round, Finalists will perform their concerto in its entirety. Suitable cuts for tutti sections may be made by pianists, but they should not occur in ways that would disrupt the flow of music. Judges will select one grand prize winner from each division.

    Contact Orchestra Management at uhmsso@uh.edu with any questions.