DePaul National Concerto Competition for Young Performers

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2025 violin concerto winner Kai Isoke Ali-Landing plays with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra behind her

Students in piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and saxophone in 12th grade or younger are invited to audition for the annual DePaul National Concerto Competition for Young Performers. Violin, viola, and cello students may also enter the new string duo category.
What sets the DePaul CMD National Concerto Competition apart from other competitions is the selection of multiple winners performing on different instruments and the new duo string category. Selected applicants have the unforgettable experience of performing with a full, professional orchestra.

Winners perform a movement of a concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago

Concerto Competition for Young Performers Winners 2026

Cello

Winner
Katarina Kenney - Dvorak, A.: Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 – Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention with Distinction
Amelia Baisden - Elgar, E.: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85, Mvt. 4
Ella Wimbiscus - Dvorak, A.: Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 – Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention
Cara Wang - Dvorak, A.: Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 – Mvt. 1
Ruoyi Wu - Elgar, E.: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85, Mvt. 4
Philip Jeong - Dvorak, A.: Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 – Mvt. 1

Piano

Winner
Kenneth Gallwas - Beethoven, L. van: Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 – Mvt. 3

Honorable Mention with Distinction
Mika Matsuyama - Saint-Saens, C.: Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 - Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention
Cole Delgado – Saint-Saens, C.: Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 – Mvt. 3
Aaron Gil – Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25 – Mvt. 1
Jeremy Liu – Grieg, E.: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16, Mvt. 1
Edie Park – Schumann, R.: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 – Mvt. 1
Dylan Zhang – Mozart, W. A.: Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 – Mvt. 3

String Duo

Winner
Aiden Yu & Jacob Zhao - Bach J. S.: Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 – Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention with Distinction
George Wang & Xiruo Wang - Vivaldi, A: Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 8 (RV 522) – Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention
Lev Sakae Taira & Vitali Sei Taira - Mozart, W. A.: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in E-Flat Major, K. 364 – Mvt. 1

Violin

Winners
Neal Eisfeldt - Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 219 – Mvt. 1
Hana Tsai - Mendelssohn, F.: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 – Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention with Distinction
Sebastian Manning - Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 219 – Mvt. 1
Claire Lee - Wieniawski, H.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 – Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention
Daniel Bae – Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 219 – Mvt. 1
Alexandra Dreesen – Wieniawski, H.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 – Mvt. 1
Florence Lau – Wieniawski, H.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 – Mvt. 3
Raymond Lim – Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 219 – Mvt. 1
Indre Raghavan – Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in G Major, K. 216 – Mvt. 1
Annalise Song – Wieniawski, H.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 – Mvt. 1
Ingrid Updegraff – Bruch, M.: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 – Mvt. 3
Beatrice Valenzuela – Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in G Major, K. 216 – Mvt. 1
George Wang – Saint-Saens, C.: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Marcus Wong – Wieniawski, H.: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 – Mvt. 1

Viola

Winner
Brayden Wu - Bruch, M.: Romance in F Major Op. 85

Honorable Mention
Olivia Doolin - Hoffmeister, F. A.: Concerto in D Major, Mvt. 1
Darren Song - Stamitz, C.: Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Mvt. 1

Winds

Winner
Alyson Lee, flute - Reinecke, C.: Flute Concerto in D Major, Op. 283, Mvt. 1

Honorable Mention
Gabriella Joew, flute - Chaminade, C.: Concertino, Op. 107
Suah Lee, flute - Chaminade, C.: Concertino, Op. 107
William Pereira, oboe - Vaughan Williams, Ralph: Oboe Concerto Mvt. 1
Michael Sun, clarinet - Mozart, W. A.: Concerto in A Major, K. 622, Mvt. 1

 
DePaul CMD National Concerto Competition Winner's Concert & Recording Sessions
  • March 2, 2026, 6:30pm​
  • March 23, 2026, 6:30pm
Please read through all guidelines carefully to ensure a complete understanding of the competition.

  • Audition Information & Eligibility

  • Important Deadlines

  • Fees

  • How to Submit Competition Materials

  • Repertoire

  • Accompaniment

  • Winners

  • Additional Guidelines

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2025-2026 Concerto Competition Repertoire​

  • Bassoon

  • Cello

  • Clarinet

  • Flute

  • Oboe

  • Saxophone

  • String Duo

  • Piano

  • Viola

  • Violin


DePaul Concerto Competition History    

Click here to learn about past Concerto Competition 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. 


I
n 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 Competition 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 Competition.