2025 Echo Kowalzek Youth Concerto Competition

The Heartland Symphony Orchestra is proud to announce the return of the 2025 Echo Kowalzek Youth Concerto Competition! New this year, we are dividing the competition into two divisions: one for students 6-12 and one for undergraduate college students! For residency requirements, please see the rules below.

Auditions will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Francis Center in Little Falls. Up to two winners will perform with the HSO for its spring concerts:
Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 7:30 pm Charles D. Martin Auditorium, Little Falls
Sunday, March 23, 2025 | 2:30 pm Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts, Brainerd

Students residing in the HSO’s Central Minnesota service area may audition on piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, or voice, and must prepare a work from the standard concerto literature with orchestral accompaniment. Instrumentalists are asked to prepare one movement of a concerto or the equivalent. Vocalists should prepare two contrasting songs or arias.  In addition to performing in concert with the Heartland Symphony Orchestra, winners will receive a recording of their performance and a $500 award.

We encourage all eligible young musicians to take advantage of this biannual audition and performance opportunity. The HSO’s Echo Kowalzek Youth Concerto Competition is an exciting and rewarding tradition for young musicians, the orchestra, and our audience.

The application form and rules for this competition are below. Otherwise, if you have any questions about this program, feel free to contact the Heartland Symphony Orchestra office. Call 1-800-826-1997 or email [email protected].

 

Rules and Regulations

  1. Auditions are limited to students residing or attending school in or north of the following Minnesota counties: Big Stone, Stevens, Pope, Stearns, Sherburne, Isanti, Chisago.
    1. Special consideration will be given to college students residing in these counties but attending an out of state college.
    2. If you are unsure of whether your student lives in the competition region, please contact HSO.
  2. For the 2025 competition, there will be two divisions: Junior & Senior.
    1. Junior Division: applicants currently enrolled in middle or high school. (Grades 6-12)
    2. Senior Division: applicants currently enrolled in an Associate’s or Bachelor’s program
  3. The competition is open to vocal, instrumental, and piano students. Instrumentalists should prepare one movement from a concerto or the equivalent, and singers should prepare two contrasting songs or arias.
    1. The music should be a work from the standard literature with orchestral accompaniment, limited to the instrumentation of the Heartland Symphony (2.2.2.2 – 4.3.3.1 – Timp+3 Percussion – Strings).
    2. If your concerto contains an auxiliary woodwind, harp, or piano, please know we will make every attempt to cover the part but it may not be possible. If in doubt, please contact HSO.
  4. The auditions will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2025 starting at 10:00am at St. Francis Center in Little Falls.
    1. All entrants are to provide their own prepared accompanist for the audition.
    2. Entrants must supply two copies of their music for the judges. The judges may use copies, but the entrant must be able to prove they are performing off at least one legally purchased part (it is okay if they are using this part as part of their audition).
    3. Memorization is strongly advised at auditions, especially for pianists and vocalists, to show one’s best performance. Memorization may be considered in selection of winners.
    4. Proper performance attire is expected and may influence selection of winners.
  5. Up to two winners will be chosen at the judges’ discretion; at least one winner will come from the Junior Division.
    1. The same student cannot perform the same literature more than one year.
    2. Winners are not permitted to reaudition for the next contest in the same division, but are welcome to audition if they qualify for a different division.
  6. The winners will perform with the Heartland Symphony at its Spring 2025 Concerts:
    1. Saturday, March 22 @ 7:30 in Little Falls & Sunday, March 23 @ 2:30 in Brainerd.
    2. The winner should be prepared to attend 2 rehearsals on Thursday evenings leading up to the concert sometime between 7:00-9:30 P.M., as well as a dress rehearsal on Saturday afternoon in Little Falls. A specific schedule will be coordinated with the conductor after the winners are selected.

 

Application

Deadline for entry is January 11, 2025

Please fill out the online application below. All applications are subject to review by the HSO Youth Audition Committee.