The Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association is accepting applications for young musicians in the Martha McCrory Young Artists Competition.
Area instrumentalists and vocalists in grades 10 through 12 are invited to participate in the 69th Annual Young Artists Competition on Saturday, Dec. 16. The winner(s) of this regional contest will receive a $300 cash prize and have the opportunity to perform as a guest soloist with the Quincy Symphony on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.
The purpose of the competition is to allow outstanding high school musicians to perform as a concert soloist, accompanied by a symphony orchestra. Such a performance can be a springboard to a lifelong commitment to the arts. The winners also receive special publicity which can improve their higher education scholarship opportunities.
The annual Young Artists Concert rewards excellence in musicianship and enriches not just the performer, but also the audience and orchestra members. “There are many wonderful young musicians in the area who should take advantage of this competition. Sometimes, musicians do not enter because of other activities in their busy lives,” says Jane Polett, Executive Director of the QSOA. “The opportunity to be a soloist with a symphony orchestra is extremely uncommon. Any former winner would tell them that the hard work and time commitment to prepare the concert piece was well worth it.”
The contest is named for Quincy native Martha McCrory who was an accomplished cellist and music faculty member throughout her life. McCrory performed with the All-American Youth Orchestra, Rochester (NY) Philharmonic, the San Antonio Symphony, the Tulsa Philharmonic, and the Chattanooga Symphony. In 1957 she helped create a summer music program at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and served with the organization until 1998. Today the Sewanee Summer Music Festival is one of the nation’s premier training grounds for young musicians.
In 1997 she founded the Martha McCrory Foundation to encourage the study of music among young students. A gift from that foundation provides perpetual income to support the QSOA’s Young Artist Competition.
The competition is open to current 10th-12th graders who attend school within a 70-mile radius of Quincy. The deadline for applications is Friday, Nov. 17, and is strictly enforced. Application forms, competition rules, and procedures are available at www.qsoa.org, or by calling the Symphony Office at 217-222-2856.
The auditions will begin at 11 a.m. Dec. 16 at First Union Congregational Church and are open to the public. Audience members should enter the building from the parking lot on the north side of the church and will be given a brief introduction to the procedures and protocol of the competition.
The Young Artists Competition is partially supported by Encore! Volunteer Council, the estate of Martha McCrory, and by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
