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Students & Educators

BSO Concerto Competition

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce a world-class educational opportunity for up-and-coming student musicians: the BSO Concerto Competition. This competition is open to all advanced instrumentalists in Massachusetts in grades 7-12. The winner will get the unparalleled opportunity to perform as a soloist onstage with the Boston Symphony Orchestra!
Christine Hong plays as soloist violinist at 2016 BSO Family Concert
2026-27 Concerto Competition Application Download Concerto Competition Flyer

Congratulations To Our 2025-2026 Winner!

Eliot L Arolovitch (piano) has been awarded the Cornelius A. & Muriel P. Wood Award as first place prize in the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Concerto Competition.

Full Bio

Audition Timeline

Preliminary Auditions
All applicants must fill out and submit the online application form and $30 registration fee by Tuesday, January 5, 2027. 
Please note: The BSO charges a $30 application fee, but a scholarship fund allows us to waive this fee for students with financial need. Just check the “Scholarship Fund” box in the application, and we will automatically waive your fee! 

Final Auditions
Selected applicants will be invited to Symphony Hall for the live final audition round on Saturday, January 30, 2027 (Snow date: Wednesday, February 3, 2027).

Awards

The top prize is the Cornelius A. & Muriel P. Wood Award; $5,000 cash prize; and the opportunity to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, March 27, 2027. Runners-up will also receive honorable mentions and cash prizes at the judging panel's discretion.

Preliminary Auditions/Online Application

  1. Repertoire: A list of your current repertoire saved as a PDF.
  2. Audition: An unedited video recording of you performing, with a piano accompanist, a piece or a movement from a work that can be accompanied by an orchestra, no longer than 10 minutes. Piano accompaniment is required. Please contact the BSO's Education and External Engagement Department if you need help finding an accompanist for your video: education@bso.org.
    1. PLEASE BE SURE TO TEST YOUR VIDEO RECORDINGS TO MAKE SURE THEY PLAY WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE AUDIO SHOULD BE OF THE HIGHEST AUDIO FIDELITY.
    2. ONLY the following video formats will be accepted by the performance application system: .mp4, .wmv, .mov, and .avi.
  3. Letter of Intent: A two–three sentence statement about your intent to enter the competition, verifying that you’re a Massachusetts resident, and signed by your parent/guardian and music instructor, saved as a PDF.
  4. Application fee*: A $30 check made payable to Boston Symphony Orchestra and mailed to the following address:

    Boston Symphony Orchestra 
    Education Dept./Concerto Competition
    301 Massachusetts Ave.
    Boston, MA 02115
    *NOTE: If you require a fee waiver, just check the “Scholarship Fund” box in the application 

All competitors will be notified by Tuesday, January 19, 2027, whether they have qualified for the live final audition round.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact us at (617)-638-9375 or education@bso.org.

2026-2027 Concerto Competition Application