2026 Young Performers Competition
Competition September 2026
Date and time: TBD
Official Rules and Regulations
The goal of the St. Cloud Symphony’s Young Performers Competition is to provide talented young musicians in central Minnesota with an opportunity to compete for scholarship awards and receive written feedback from a panel of distinguished judges. The Grand Prize winner will perform as soloist with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra.
Prizes
Each winner will receive a $400 scholarship to be applied to tuition or the further study of music. In addition to receiving a scholarship, the Grand Prize Winner will perform as a soloist with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra in December, 2026 in Ritsche Auditorium at St. Cloud State University.
Eligibility
1. The competition is open to student musicians who are enrolled in an educational institution or studying music with a professional teacher, and who have not previously been awarded the Grand Prize (performed as soloist with the SCSO). Previous Grand Prize winners are eligible to compete in a subsequent year on an instrument from a different instrument family. For example, a contestant who won the grand prize on a string instrument may compete in the wind, brass, percussion, vocal, or keyboard category.
2. Contestants will compete in one of two divisions
School Age Division – Grades 7-12
College Age Division – Undergraduate
3. School Age Division students must reside in one of the following counties: Benton, Sherburne, Wright, Meeker, Kandiyohi, Pope, Stevens, Douglas, Todd, Morrison, Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, Isanti, or Stearns. College Age Division contestants must be enrolled in an institution located within those counties, or have a permanent address therein.
4. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories
School Age Division: Piano
School Age Division: Brass, Woodwind, String, Percussion and Vocal
College Age Division: Piano
College Age Division: Brass, Woodwind, String, Percussion and Vocal
5. Eligible concerto movements must not exceed 15 minutes in length, and orchestra parts must be readily available. Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Major, Mvt. 1 by Max Bruch is not eligible for the 2026 competition.
Competition
All applications and fees must be received by Date TBD. Applications must include a $25 application fee, which is non-refundable. The competition will be held at a venue TBA. Winner(s) will be announced the day after the competition.
1. Each contestant will present a concerto movement that they are prepared to perform with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra. All movements submitted as an entry (including cadenzas) must be prepared in their entirety, although the actual competition auditions will be limited to 8 minutes. Necessary cuts should be made carefully so that the judges have the opportunity to evaluate the most important segments. If the entry represents two movements, both movements must be represented in the audition.
2. All contestants (including pianists) must perform the audition with an accompanist, at their own expense. Two pianos will be provided at the audition site.
3. Contestants must provide the panel of judges with 3 copies of the music score of the prepared concerto movement. Memorization is strongly recommended but not required.
Judging
A panel of judges, including the SCSO Artistic Director, will select the scholarship winners in each category and the Grand Prize Winner. Artistic, logistic, and financial considerations of the orchestra will be taken into consideration. All decisions are final.
Grand Prize Winner
The Grand Prize winner must be available to perform with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra in December, 2026 and will attend rehearsals as agreed upon between the winner and the conductor.
How to Apply – Application form will be available June 1, 2026. Deadline is TBA.
2025
Young Performer Competition
Scholarship Winners
Joshua Makalinao is a fifteen-year-old sophomore at Alexandria Area High School. He began taking piano lessons at six years old, but has explored his love of music as a multi-instrumentalist, learning to play violin, saxophone and guitar along the way. He has studied piano with Dr Paul Wirth for the last 2 years. He also plays violin for the Central Lakes Symphony Orchestra, as well as for his school’s chamber and top orchestras. Josh enjoys video games and computer programming, and is a member of the AAHS speech, math, and track teams.
Gabrielle Sobania is a senior at Little Falls High School and has been playing piano since eight years old. She studied with Dr. Turley and is currently studying with Angela Ringsmuth. Gabrielle is part of the Little Falls band and enjoys accompanying the choir. She plays for church services and other activities in the community. While not playing, she loves hanging out with friends and playing racquetball. In the future Gabrielle plans on going to UMD to major in biology and music.
2025 Grand Prize Winner
Arriana Schwab, violin
Arriana Schwab is a 19 year-old homeschool graduate from Royalton, MN, currently attending Concordia College in Moorhead, where she is majoring in violin performance and studies under Dr. Victor Avila Luvsangenden. Arriana has been playing violin for six years. Besides playing violin, Arriana also enjoys drawing and drinking coffee!
2024
Young Performer Competition
Grand Prize Winner
Alex Rodriguez, piano
Alex Rodriguez, 14, is from Alexandria, Minnesota and attends Alexandria Area High School as a ninth grader. Alex had his first piano lesson at five. In 2019, he started taking lessons at the Wirth Center for the Performing Arts and has studied with Dr. Paul Wirth since 2021. In 2022, he started participating in piano competitions. He was a 2022 Thursday Musical Young Artists Scholarship Competition award winner and the 2022 St. Paul Piano Teachers Association Concerto Competition winner which earned him the opportunity to perform with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra. Alex also plays the violin and viola. He is a member of the Central Minnesota Youth Orchestra, the Central Lake Symphony Orchestra, and his high school’s Rainbow Strings Orchestra. He was selected to join the Minnesota Mid-level Honors Orchestra in 2021 and 2022. He participates in his school’s Math League and enjoys biking, skiing, and volunteering at his church’s music ministry.
2023
Young Performer Competition
Scholarship Winners
Laina Burris, violin
Laina Burris is a senior at Saint John’s Preparatory School. She has been playing violin for seven years and studying with Michael Zellgert for the last four years. Laina is a part of the Central Minnesota Youth Orchestra and has played in the All State Orchestra for the past two years. She enjoys calculus, classical music, and making jewelry. She plans to study music and physics next year at Cedarville University.
TJ Stang, piano
TJ is a sixteen-year-old pianist who enjoys playing the piano, coding on his computer, and volunteering his time at church. He is a member of the church worship team. He enjoys competing in local and state piano competitions, especially concerto contests. He is also a post-secondary student at St Cloud Technical and Community College working on his general education along with his high school classes. TJ hopes to study music in the future and make a career in the world of music.
Grand Prize Winner
Lorelei Schoenhard, Violin
Lorelei Schoenhard studies violin with Marion Judish, professor emeritus of Saint Cloud State University. She plays in the Central Minnesota Youth Orchestra and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony. Earlier this season, she won the Music Teachers National Association competition – Minnesota junior strings division and the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Association competition – intermediate division. With equal joy, Lorelei studies piano with Bonnie Sorensen-Ernst at her Saint Germain Music Studio. She has won multiple divisions of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association annual piano contest and consistently earned superior ratings in the Minnesota Federation of Music Clubs annual piano festival. She attends Saint John’s Preparatory School. When she’s not practicing, Lorelei likes to read novels and build Lego.
