The VPO offers a tri-annual Concerto Competition which provides an opportunity for aspiring musicians to gain experience performing with a full orchestra and to win cash prizes. The goal of this competition is to support BC’s local young musicians to further develop their artistic talents. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a secondary or post-secondary institution. Finalists are selected through a competitive process for a rare opportunity to perform a featured work with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra.
Current Competition
The 2022/23 competition took place on February 18, 2023. The finalists were:
- Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 – Austin Ng
- Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 – Norah Mix
- Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 – Claire Mindell
- Dvořák: Violin Concerto – Melissa Du
- Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2 – Lily Jinglin Yuan
- Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 – Rachel Wei
Stay tuned for our 2023/24 season which will feature a performance by pianist Austin Ng!
The next concerto competition will take place in the 2025/26 season. Applications will be due in November 2025 with the competition held in February 2026.
For future reference, the 2022/23 competition poster is included below.
The application form can be viewed here.
Previous Competitions
Previous competition finalists were:
2019/20
- Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 (Mvt. 1) – Augustin Wright
- Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (Mvt. 3) – Ashley Jimin Kim
- Shostakovich: Cello Concerto (Mvt. 4) – Aireleen Zhu
- Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Mvt. 1) – Mina McKenzie
- Michael Conway Baker: Harp Concerto (Mvt. 3: Siguirya) – Renee Qin
- Doppler: Concerto for two flutes and orchestra – Gregor Gasovich-Varga & Una Rodaljevic
2016/17
- Elgar: Cello Concerto in E Minor (Mvt. 1 & 2) – Sarah Baek
- Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K.488 (Mvt. 1) – Barry Tan
- Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Mvt. 3) – Ariel Ziqian Wang
- Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor (Mvt. 1) – Susan Xia
- Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Mvt. 1) – Sean Gao
- Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor (Mvt. 1) – Madeline Hocking
2013/14
- Liszt: Piano Concerto – Aydan Con
- Bottesini: Double Base Concerto (Mvt. 1) – Jesse Lu
- Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Mvt. 1) – Tomo Wakiyama Newton
- Elgar: Violin Concerto (Mvt. 1) – Doreen Dasol Yun
- Beethoven: Piano Concerto (Mvt. 1) – Keaton Ollech
- Liszt: Piano Concerto – Monica Han
2010/11
- Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello, Op.33 – Diane Min Hye Yeo
- Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No 3 in B minor, Op. 61 (Mvt. 3) – Henry Liao
- Chopin: Concerto no 2, in F minor, Op. 21 (Mvt. 1) – Emma Woo
- von Weber: Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op. 75 (Mvt. 1) – Sarah Ellis
- Rachmaninoff: Concerto no. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, (Mvt. 3) – Tami Lin
- Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, (Mvt. 1) – Esther J Hwang
