DePaul University School of Music > Community Music > Concerts & Events > Concerto Festival

DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers

The DePaul Concerto Festival has been expanded this year to include the following two divisions:
  • Senior Division for students in 12th grade or younger (previously called the Open Division)
  • Junior Division for students in 8th grade or younger
Students may compete in only one division in a given year. Specific repertoire selections are listed for each division below. All participants are provided with written performance evaluations from outstanding judges. Winners perform a movement of a concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. Please review the Festival Guidelines below and register for the appropriate division.

Senior Division 

Students in piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon are invited to audition for the Senior Division of the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers.

Important Dates & Registration Details    

  • Applications due Saturday, December 2, 2017
  • Auditions - January 6 and 7
    • Piano and Winds - Saturday, January 6, 2018
    • Violin, Viola, and Cello - Sunday, January 7, 2018
  • Winners Concert - Sunday, February 12, 2018
Fees
  • Entry fee: $65
  • All fees are non-refundable.
  • Checks must be made payable to DePaul University.
Eligibility 
  • Open to students in 12th grade or younger.
  • A student may not be chosen as a winner for two consecutive years on the same instrument, regardless of repertoire choice.
  • A student may not audition in both the Senior and Junior division.
2017-2018 Senior Division Concerto Festival Repertoire    

Piano

  1. Bach, J.S.: Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052, Mvt. 1
  2. Beethoven, L. van: Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15, Mvt. 1
  3. Beethoven, L. van: Concerto No. 2 in Bb Major, Op. 19, Mvt. 3
  4. Beethoven, L. van: Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37, Mvt. 3
  5. Grieg, E.: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16, Mvt. 1 or 3
  6. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in D Major, Hob. XVIII:II, Mvt. 1
  7. Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, Mvt. 1
  8. Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 40, Mvt. 1
  9. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414, Mvt. 1 or 2 
  10. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467, Mvt. 3
  11. Mozart, W.A.: Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466, Mvt. 1 or 2
  12. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488, Mvt. 1
  13. Shostakovich, D.: Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102, Mvt. 1 
  14. Schumann, R.: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54, Mvt. 1

Violin


  1. Bach, J. S.: Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042, Mvt. 1 
  2. Bruch, M.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26, Mvt. 1 or 2
  3. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in G Major, Hob. VIIa:4, Mvt. 1
  4. Kabalevsky, D.: Concerto in C Major, Op. 48, Mvt. 1​
  5. Kreisler, F (Pugnani): Preludium and Allegro
  6. Massenet, J.: Meditation from Thais
  7. Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, Mvt. 3
  8. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in G Major, K. 216, Mvt. 1
  9. Mozart, W.A.: Concerto in D Major, K. 218, Mvt. 1
  10. Mozart, W.A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 219, Mvt. 1
  11. Wieniawski, H.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22, Mvt. 1

Viola

  1. Casadesus, H.: Concerto in B Minor in the style of Handel, Mvt. 1
  2. Casadesus, H.: Concerto in C Minor in the style of J.C. Bach, Mvt. 1or 3
  3. Hoffmeister, F. A.: Concerto in D Major, Mvt. 1
  4. Stamitz, C.: Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Mvt. 1
  5. von Weber, C.: Andante & Rondo Ungarase Op. 35 (Primrose edition only)

Cello

  1. Boccherini, L.: Concerto in Bb Major, G. 482, Mvt. 1
  2. Elgar, E.: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85, Mvt. 1 & 2, or 4
  3. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in C Major, Hob. VIIb:1, Mvt. 1, 2, or 3
  4. Kabalevsky, D.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 49, Mvt. 1 or 3
  5. Lalo, E.: Concerto in D Minor, Mvt. 3
  6. Saint-Saens, C.: Allegro Appassionato in B Minor, Op. 43 
  7. Saint-Sae​ns, C.: Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33, any movement
  8. Shostakovich, D.: Concerto in Eb Major, Op. 107, Mvt. 1

Flute

  1. Bach, J.S.: Suite in B minor - Overture
  2. Chaminade, C.: Concertino, Op. 107
  3. Griffes, C.: Poem, A. 93
  4. Hue, G.: Fantaisie
  5. Ibert, J.: Concerto (1934), Mvt. 1
  6. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in G Major, K. 313, Mvt. 1
  7. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in D Major, KV. 314, Mvt. 1 ​

Oboe

  1. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in C Major, Hob. VII:C1, Mvt. 1
  2. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in C Major, K. 314, Mvt. 1
  3. Cimarosa, D.: Concerto in C Minor, Mvt. 1 & 2 or 3 & 4
  4. Marcello, B.: Concerto in C Minor, Mvt. 1 & 2 or 2 & 3
  5. Barber, S.: Canzonetta for Oboe and Strings
​

Clarinet

  1. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 622, Mvt. 1
  2. Rossini, G.: Introduction, Theme and Variations in Eb Major
  3. Stamitz, C.: Concerto No. 3 in Bb Major
  4. von Weber, C. M.: Concertino, Op. 26
  5. von Weber, C. M.: Concerto No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 73
  6. von Weber, C. M.: Concerto No. 2 in Eb Major, Op. 74 ​

Bassoon

  1. Elgar, E.: Romance, Op. 62
  2. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in Bb Major, K. 191, Mvt. 1
  3. von Weber, C. M.: Concerto in F Major, Op. 75, Mvt. 1

Register for Senior Division

Junior Division

Students in piano, violin, and viola are invited to audition for the Junior Division of the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers.


Important Dates

  • Applications due Saturday, February 3, 2018
  • Auditions - Sunday, March 4, 2018
  • Winners Concert - Sunday, March 25, 2018
Fees
  • Entry fee: $55
  • All fees are non-refundable.
  • Checks must be made payable to DePaul University.
Eligibility 
  • Open to students in 8th grade or younger. Students must be 14 years old or younger as of December 31, 2017.
  • A student may not be chosen as a winner for two consecutive years on the same instrument, regardless of repertoire choice.
  • A student may not audition in both the Senior and Junior division.

Piano

Concerto Category

1. Bach, J. S.: Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056, Mvt. 1

2. Haydn, F. J.: Concertino (Divertimento) in C Major, Hob. XIV:4 – Mvt. 1 or 3

3. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in F Major, XVIII:3 – Mvt. 3

4. Haydn, F. J. : Concerto in D Major, Hob. XVIII:11 – Mvt. 3

5. Kabalevsky, D.: Concerto in D Major, Op. 50 – Mvt. 1

6. Kasschau, H.: Concerto in C Major – Mvt. 2

7. Vandall, R.: Concerto in G Major – Mvt. 1

8. Mozart, W.A.: Concerto No. 1 in F Major, K. 37- Mvt. 1

 

Solo Repertoire with Orchestral Arrangements Category

1. Beethoven, L. van: Sonata in G Major, Op. 49, No. 2 – Mvt. 1 or 2

2. Clementi, M.: Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1 – Mvt. 1 (repeats)

3. Clementi, M.: Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 3 – Mvt. 1

4. Haydn, F.J.: Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI/35; L. 48, Mvt. 1

5. Kuhlau, F.: Sonatina in C Major, Op. 55, No. 1 – Mvt. 1 or 2

6. Mozart, W.A.: Sonatina No 5 in C Major (Divertimento IV) K 439B – Mvt. 1

Violin

1. Accolay, J. B.: Concerto No. 1 in A Minor – Mvt. 1

2. Bach, J. S.: Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041 – Mvt. 1 or 3

3. Seitz, F.: Concerto No. 2 in G Major – Mvt. 3

4. Seitz, F.: Concerto No. 5 in D Major – Mvt. 1

5. Vivaldi, A.: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 6 – Mvt. 1 or 3

6. Vivaldi, A.: Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 12, No. 1 – Mvt. 1

Viola

1. Teleman, G.P.: Concerto in G Major - Mvt. 2 or 4

Register for Junior Division

Festival Guidelines

Audition Location
  • DePaul School of Music, 804 W. Belden Ave., Chicago, IL, 60614 and the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave., Chicago, IL 60614
  • Warm-up rooms available
Repertoire
  • Participants must perform one of the selections on the repertoire list to the corresponding division for which they are applying.
  • Selections must be performed from memory with piano accompaniment.
  • Appropriate accompanist cuts are requested.
  • Participants must provide one copy of the work to be performed (piano score) for the auditions. Photocopies are not allowed.
Accompanist
  • Participants must provide their own accompanist; a list of area accompanists and email addresses will be provided upon request.
  • Teachers may accompany their own students.
  • To facilitate scheduling, the accompanist's name and contact information must be listed on the application form.
  • Audition times are scheduled according to repertoire -- e.g. All Bach A Minor violin concertos are grouped together.
  • Every effort will be made to accommodate accompanist schedules, although this may not be possible within the audition format.
Winners
  • Senior Division - Multiple winners will be chosen from piano and string participants. One winner will be chosen from woodwind participants.
  • Junior Division - Multiple winners will be chosen from piano and string participants.
  • Honorable mentions will be awarded.
  • Winners will perform with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. 
  • Winners must perform the same concerto movement for both their audition and Winners Concert performance.
  • If, in any division, the judges decide that no contestant is sufficiently qualified, no winner will be selected.

Additional Notes

  • Written performance evaluations will be mailed to teachers.
  • Auditioning with incorrect repertoire automatically disqualifies a participant.
  • No repeats, unless specified in repertoire list.
  • Judges will be selected by the DePaul University Community Music Division.
  • All decisions are final.
  • Judges are prohibited from judging their own students.

DePaul Concerto Festival History    

Click here to learn about past Open Division Concerto Festival Winners

The DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers was founded in 2003 to provide an opportunity for intermediate level pianists in the Community Music Division to perform with an orchestra. Repertoire was selected from sonatina movements and short piano pieces for which string accompaniments were available. Auditions were held and eight winners were selected to perform with the DePaul Youth String Orchestra. 

In 2004, the Festival was expanded to include violin students and also offered a wider range of repertoire for pianists. In 2006, cello and flute were added to the roster of instruments. To accommodate the increasing difficulty of repertoire, a decision was made to conduct the Festival with a full symphony orchestra. A partnership was formed in 2007 with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mina Zikri. That year, thirteen winners had the privilege of performing a concerto movement in concert. 

In 2008, the Festival was opened to students outside of the Community Music Division. Viola was added in 2009, clarinet in 2012, and oboe and bassoon in 2013. In 2018, the Festival expanded to include a Junior division for piano, violin, and viola.

We invite and encourage young musicians to audition for an opportunity to participate in the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers.