APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 26, 2026 (8:59PM PT/11:59PM ET)-- NO EXCEPTIONS!
2027 APPLICATIONS WILL OPEN IN NOVEMBER 2026.
Please download an application below to participate in the February 21, 2026 Young Artists' Concerto Competition
Auditions will be held:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2026
William and Jane Bristol Civic Auditorium
16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower, CA 90706
Young Musicians in the Following Age Groups Will Be Able to Participate:
PRIMARY: 10 and under
JUNIOR: 11 through 14
INTERMEDIATE/SENIOR: 14 through 20
2027 APPLICATIONS WILL OPEN IN NOVEMBER 2026.
Please download an application below to participate in the February 21, 2026 Young Artists' Concerto Competition
Auditions will be held:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2026
William and Jane Bristol Civic Auditorium
16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower, CA 90706
Young Musicians in the Following Age Groups Will Be Able to Participate:
PRIMARY: 10 and under
JUNIOR: 11 through 14
INTERMEDIATE/SENIOR: 14 through 20
APPLICATION -CLOSED
For virtual applications, please ensure that you answer all 15+ questions. We recommend doing this on a desktop/laptop rather than a mobile device.
PDF applications can be submitted by snail mail: P.O. Box 256, Bellflower, California 90707 or by emailing [email protected]
RULES
1) These rules may be updated without notice.
2) Judges' decisions are final.
3) One Standard Movement from a Concerto, Concert Piece, or Duet/Quintet;
4) orchestral accompaniment must be available—string accompaniment might be required if there are Mask Mandates.
5) Concert pieces must have been composed during the period of 1678-1900, for example: Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Weber, Beethoven
6) Please emphasize solo passages and minimize accompaniment passages during audition. Contest will be limited to no more than 7 min during addition.
7) Applicants must provide their own accompanist for Competition.
8) Solo should be performed from memory.
9) Decisions of the Judges are final.
10) Duos or trios are allowed, but one application and fee are required for each contestant.
11) Contestant may enter multiple times (i.e., Duos or trios, different instrument or concert piece) But contestant may only win once per event.
12) Any application submitted on-line or postmarked after the deadline, OR received by mail more than 2 business days after deadline date, will be returned.
13) Please send NO CERTIFIED MAIL!!
14) On day of competition, contestants and guardians must sign consent form for photography and videography.
15) If orchestral accompaniment is not available at L.A. Public Library, winner may be expected to provide it.
16) Participants will be notified of their audition time by email/letter mailed by IN EARLY FEBURARY.
17) ASSIGNED TIME IS NOT ADJUSTABLE. Please be available from 7am to 6pm on the Audition Saturday.
18) Audition fee: $125 per contestant (non-refundable)
19) Winners will be announced by letter or email dated EARLY MARCH.
20) First Place winners in all categories will perform as soloists with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra at the Concert for Young Artists, IN APRIL, under the direction of the BSO Conductor.
21) Two additional contestant may be invited to play, as “conductors’ choice”, based on time and at the sole discretion of the conductor.
22) Any other winners are expected to attend the concert to receive their certificates and cash prizes.
23) For further information, email [email protected]
24) No practice room is provided
25) A warm up room is provided for no more than 7 min of warm up
26) Accompanist is not allowed to warm up in warm up room.
27) REFUNDS will NOT be provided if you submit a Concerto composed outside of the years allowed for that year. However, you will be allowed to play for comments from the judges, If they are not allowed, they will be refunded $100 of the audition fee. ($25 is keep for fees and cost)
28) No refund for rejected or incomplete applications. While a refund may be offered on a case by case basis, no refund is the policy and rule. Any offer of refund is at the sole discretion of the competition administer.
29) In the event that your application is rejected by BSA, and thus you are NOT allowed to at least play for judges comments, you will be refunded $100 of your audition fee. ($25 is kept for fees and costs) Rejection reasons include, but are not limited to:
-- a) Wrong composer year
-- b) Late application
-- c) Incomplete application and failure to submit a complete paper application timely when requested.
30) BSA may limit the competition to as few as 35 applicants. When more than 35 applications are submitted, and BSA limits it to between 35 and 50 applicants, BSA will decide how to choose the 35-50 applicants of all submitted applications based on ANY of the following factors, including number of applications per age group, number of applications per instrument, number of applications auditioning with the same Concerto, Concert Piece, or Duet/Quintet, when application was submitted, years of practice, past participation, and potential lottery system, etc. The need to limit to 35 is due to the 35 participants taking over 8 hours on competition day, while 52 participants as in 2026, takes from 7:00am - 8:00pm, a 13 hour day. (about 1 hour for every 5 participants , + lunch, set up and tear down.)
2) Judges' decisions are final.
3) One Standard Movement from a Concerto, Concert Piece, or Duet/Quintet;
4) orchestral accompaniment must be available—string accompaniment might be required if there are Mask Mandates.
5) Concert pieces must have been composed during the period of 1678-1900, for example: Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Weber, Beethoven
6) Please emphasize solo passages and minimize accompaniment passages during audition. Contest will be limited to no more than 7 min during addition.
7) Applicants must provide their own accompanist for Competition.
8) Solo should be performed from memory.
9) Decisions of the Judges are final.
10) Duos or trios are allowed, but one application and fee are required for each contestant.
11) Contestant may enter multiple times (i.e., Duos or trios, different instrument or concert piece) But contestant may only win once per event.
12) Any application submitted on-line or postmarked after the deadline, OR received by mail more than 2 business days after deadline date, will be returned.
13) Please send NO CERTIFIED MAIL!!
14) On day of competition, contestants and guardians must sign consent form for photography and videography.
15) If orchestral accompaniment is not available at L.A. Public Library, winner may be expected to provide it.
16) Participants will be notified of their audition time by email/letter mailed by IN EARLY FEBURARY.
17) ASSIGNED TIME IS NOT ADJUSTABLE. Please be available from 7am to 6pm on the Audition Saturday.
18) Audition fee: $125 per contestant (non-refundable)
19) Winners will be announced by letter or email dated EARLY MARCH.
20) First Place winners in all categories will perform as soloists with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra at the Concert for Young Artists, IN APRIL, under the direction of the BSO Conductor.
21) Two additional contestant may be invited to play, as “conductors’ choice”, based on time and at the sole discretion of the conductor.
22) Any other winners are expected to attend the concert to receive their certificates and cash prizes.
23) For further information, email [email protected]
24) No practice room is provided
25) A warm up room is provided for no more than 7 min of warm up
26) Accompanist is not allowed to warm up in warm up room.
27) REFUNDS will NOT be provided if you submit a Concerto composed outside of the years allowed for that year. However, you will be allowed to play for comments from the judges, If they are not allowed, they will be refunded $100 of the audition fee. ($25 is keep for fees and cost)
28) No refund for rejected or incomplete applications. While a refund may be offered on a case by case basis, no refund is the policy and rule. Any offer of refund is at the sole discretion of the competition administer.
29) In the event that your application is rejected by BSA, and thus you are NOT allowed to at least play for judges comments, you will be refunded $100 of your audition fee. ($25 is kept for fees and costs) Rejection reasons include, but are not limited to:
-- a) Wrong composer year
-- b) Late application
-- c) Incomplete application and failure to submit a complete paper application timely when requested.
30) BSA may limit the competition to as few as 35 applicants. When more than 35 applications are submitted, and BSA limits it to between 35 and 50 applicants, BSA will decide how to choose the 35-50 applicants of all submitted applications based on ANY of the following factors, including number of applications per age group, number of applications per instrument, number of applications auditioning with the same Concerto, Concert Piece, or Duet/Quintet, when application was submitted, years of practice, past participation, and potential lottery system, etc. The need to limit to 35 is due to the 35 participants taking over 8 hours on competition day, while 52 participants as in 2026, takes from 7:00am - 8:00pm, a 13 hour day. (about 1 hour for every 5 participants , + lunch, set up and tear down.)
FAQs
1) If I submit/perform a Concerto composed in 1901, will I be disqualified?
Yes, you will be unable to win. We may or may not allow you to play infant of the judges to get comments.
2) In the past you used during the life of and two composers, why did you change that?
In 2023, we decided using "composed during the lifetime of" was confusing, and we switched to the new wording: "Concert pieces must have been composed during the period of _____ - ____", with the years changing annually.
Yes, you will be unable to win. We may or may not allow you to play infant of the judges to get comments.
2) In the past you used during the life of and two composers, why did you change that?
In 2023, we decided using "composed during the lifetime of" was confusing, and we switched to the new wording: "Concert pieces must have been composed during the period of _____ - ____", with the years changing annually.
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