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

DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers

Students in piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon in 12th grade or younger are invited to audition for the annual DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers.
All participants are provided with written performance evaluations from outstanding judges. Winners perform a movement of a concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago.


Important Dates & Registration Details  

  • Registration Deadline is December 3, 2019
  • Auditions on January 11 and 12, 2020
    • Saturday, January 11: Piano, Cello, Winds
    • Sunday, January 12: Violin, Viola
  • Winners Concert on Sunday, February 16, 2020
    • Winners Concert Rehearsals: Tuesday, February 11 & Thursday, February 13

Fees
  • Entry fee: $75
  • All fees are non-refundable.
  • Online payment available.
  • Checks made payable to DePaul University.

Audition Location
  • DePaul School of Music, Holtschneider Performance Center, 2330 N. Halsted St.
  • Warm-up rooms available.
Eligibility 
  • Open to students in 12th grade or younger.
  • A student who was a winner in the 2019 Concerto Festival may not audition for the 2020 Concerto Festival on the same instrument.
Accompanist
  • You must secure an accompanist who is available to play at your assigned time. Times will be sent out by December 8.
  • Please note: We no longer ask for accompanist names and contact information prior to assigning times.
  • We are unable to make changes due to accompanist conflicts.
  • 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.
  • Audition times are scheduled according to repertoire -- e.g. All Bach A Minor violin concertos are grouped together.
Repertoire
  • Participants must perform one of the selections on the repertoire list.
  • 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.

2019-2020 Concerto Festival Repertoire    

Piano

1. Bach, J. S.: Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052 – Mvt. 1

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

3. Beethoven, L. van: Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 – Mvt. 1 

4. Beethoven, L. van: Concerto No. 2 in Bb Major, Op. 19 – Mvt. 3 

5. Beethoven, L. van: Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 – Mvt. 3

6. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in D Major, Hob. XVIII:II – Mvt. 1 or 3

7. Grieg, E.: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16, Mvt. 1 or 3

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

9. MacDowell, E.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 23 - Mvt. 3

10. Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25 – Mvt. 1

11. Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 40 – Mvt. 1

12. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414 – Mvt. 1 or 2 

13. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 – Mvt. 3

14. Mozart, W.A.: Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466 – Mvt. 1 or 2

15. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488 – Mvt. 1

16. Saint-Saens, C.: Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 - Mvt. 1 or 3

17. Shostakovich, D.: Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102 – Mvt. 1

18. Schumann, R.: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 – Mvt. 1​

Violin

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

2. Bach, J. S.: Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042 – Mvt. 1 

3. Bruch, M.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 – Mvt. 1, 2, or 3

4. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in G Major, Hob. VIIa:4 – Mvt. 1 

5. Kabalevsky, D.: Concerto in C Major, Op. 48 – Mvt. 1 

6. Kreisler, F (Pugnani): Preludium and Allegro

7. Massenet, J.: Meditation from Thais 

8. Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 – Mvt. 3

9. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in G Major, K. 216 – Mvt. 1 

10. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in D Major, K. 218 – Mvt. 1 

11. Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 219 – Mvt. 1 

12. 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. Hoffmeister, F. A.: Concerto in D Major, Mvt. 1
  3. Telemann, G. P.: Concerto in G Major, Mvt. 1, 2, or 4
  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. Bruch, M.: Kol Nidrei, Op. 47
  3. Elgar, E.: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85, Mvt. 1 & 2, or 4
  4. Fauré, G.: Élégie, Op. 24
  5. Haydn, F. J.: Concerto in C Major, Hob. VIIb:1, Mvt. 1, 2, or 3
  6. Kabalevsky, D.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 49, Mvt. 1 or 3
  7. Lalo, E.: Concerto in D Minor, Mvt. 3
  8. Popper, D.: Hungarian Rhapsody, Op. 68
  9. Saint-Saens, C.: Allegro Appassionato in B Minor, Op. 43 
  10. Saint-Sae​ns, C.: Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33, any movement

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

Winners
  • Multiple winners will be chosen from the piano and string divisions.
  • One overall winner will be chosen from the woodwind division.
  • Only winners and honorable mentions will be awarded; there will be no alternates.
  • Winning soloists 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 e-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 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 of Chicago 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. 

Today the DePaul Concerto Festival attracts nearly 150 participants in piano, strings, and woodwinds from the Midwest who audition for a chance to perform with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. We invite and encourage young musicians to audition for an opportunity to participate in the Concerto Festival.