Each year ULSO holds a concerto competition, open to its current and recent members. Winners are invited to perform a concerto with the Orchestra in a future project.
This season's competition will be held early in 2022. Applications will open in January; first round auditions will be held in February and the final round in mid-March. Winners will have the opportunity to perform in Summer 2022 or during the 2022-23 season.
Before the pandemic took hold, ULSO accompanied Gabrielė Bekerytė playing Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto in Duke's Hall at the Royal Academy of Music. We hope to share the recording of the performance soon!
The competition is held over two rounds:
In Round One, applicants are expected to play the first movement of a concerto lasting no longer than 10 minutes. Successful candidates will progress to Round Two.
In Round Two, for which the Music Director will be present, candidates should present selected passages from ALL movements of their concerto, totalling no more than 25 minutes. The panel may also ask to hear specific passages, so be prepared to play any part of your concerto.
For all rounds:
The winners of the 2018/19 competition were:
Anna Roder - Violin
Gabrielė Bekerytė - Piano
Alexei Watkins – French Horn
Previous winners of the competition include: