Annual Concerto Competitions
Community Education Program
Music Matters.
The Symphony’s Community Education Committee presents annual Concerto Competitions which are open to vocalists and instrumentalists in high school, and instrumentalists in college. Winners in the Junior and Senior Divisions win cash awards to support their professional development, and are presented with exciting opportunities both on and off stage. The winner of our Junior Division will be invited to perform at our Discovery Concert; the winner of the Senior Division will be invited to perform as part of our annual Sounds of the Season concert. Applicants cannot be a previous Santa Fe Symphony Concerto Competition winner.
The application period for our 2024 Annual Concerto Competition has closed.
We are currently reviewing materials. As soon as we hear back from our competition judges, we will share a list of performers who will advance
to the next level. Thanks to all who entered — we appreciate your talent as well as the time and effort you gave to preparing your audition.
The funds awarded through The Symphony’s Annual Concerto Competitions can make a significant difference to a music students’ professional development, especially during their first year of college. For example, the Senior Division Third-Prize winner at The Symphony’s 2023 Concerto Competition can potentially cover the cost of a student’s textbooks in their first year of college. Textbook prices are rising roughly 3 times the rate of inflation. Educational date shows that:
- the price of textbooks increases by an average of 6% each academic year, doubling every 11 years;
- while less expensive, the cost-per-student of eTextbooks also increased by 36.8% over 12 months;
- college tuition/fees have risen over 80% in the past 12 years;
- the average postsecondary student spends between $600 and $1,200 annually for books and supplies each academic year;
- 25% of students reported they worked extra hours to pay for their books and materials;
- 11% of first year college students skipped meals in order to afford books and course materials;
- 66% of college students skipped buying and renting course materials such as textbooks at some point in their career as they were too expensive.
Will you consider supporting The Santa Fe Symphony’s community and education programs today? A donation of any size can help us make these programs available to aspiring young orchestral and choral musicians in more communities across New Mexico. Your gift will also support our expansive music education programs—reaching deeper into the community and fostering the extraordinary artistic talent of our future musicians.
You can earmark your contribution for a specific community education program, or help support all of our community programs by becoming a Friend of Music Education.