Masterclasses & Competitions

2023-2024
MASTERCLASS SERIES

Each year WYSO hosts a series of amazing musicians who conduct masterclasses both virtually and in-person.
Many times the series features WYSO alumni who are now working as musicians nationally and internationally.

Stay tuned for the 2023-2024 Masterclass Series!

DAWN DONGEUN WOHN MASTERCLASS

The Masterclass will be held on Sunday, December 17th from 1:15pm to 3:15pm at Madison Country Day School. All are welcome to attend!

Praised as having “warmth and crystal-clear tone” by Whole Note Magazine, violinist Dawn Dongeun Wohn has performed in concert halls in North and South America, Asia, and Europe, including Carnegie Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, and the National Theater in Taiwan. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras such as the Korean Broadcasting Symphony, Daejeon Philharmonic, and the Aspen Conducting Orchestra, and internationally as a chamber musician. Her debut album Perspectives, features diverse works by female composers.

A dedicated teacher, she is on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Violin at Ohio University’s School of Music. As a guest clinician and recitalist, she has presented and performed at schools across the United States, and has been on the faculty of numerous festivals.

Dawn began her musical studies at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division as a full scholarship student. She completed her undergraduate studies at Juilliard, and received a Master of Music as well as an Artist Diploma from Yale University. Her Doctor of Musical Arts degree was awarded from Stony Brook University under the direction of Philip Setzer and Soovin Kim. Dawn performs on a 1732 Nicolo Gagliano violin.

URI VARDI
Masterclass Series

2021-22 Guest masterclass artists are pictured above (from left to right):  Derek Powell, Alicia Lee, Naha Greenholtz, Samantha Rodriguez, Susan Babini, Sonora Slocum and Megumi Kanda.

Master classes are funded by the James R. Smith Guest Artist Fund. *Denotes WYSO Alumni.

Competitions

Each year, WYSO holds the Concerto Competition for Youth and Philharmonia Orchestra members. Students will compete for the prizes of soloing with the Youth and Philharmonia Orchestras in the the Winter or Spring concert.

TIMELINE

2023 – 2024 Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition:

    • September 16, 2023: Applications open.
    • Select your repertoire. Refer to the list of pre-approved repertoire for Youth Orchestra and contact Yanzel Rivera at yanzel@wysomusic.org ASAP if your choice is not on the list.
    • January 7, 2024: Online Application DUE with $50 Fee.
    • January 21, 2024 : In-person auditions will be held at the WYSO Center for Music between 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.
    • Honorable Mentions will perform at the WYSO Honors Recital on February 10, 2024 at 7:00pm.
    • May 19, 2024: Winner will perform with the Youth Orchestra at the Bolz Family Spring Concert at 7:00pm
    • This competition is also used to apply for the Murphy Family Interlochen Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship to assist with the six-week camp tuition. (Members may audition for the Interlochen Scholarship only, the Concerto Competition only, or both. This is the last question on the form.)

2023 – 2024 Philharmonia Orchestra Concerto Competition:

    • December 1, 2023: Applications open.
    • Select your repertoire. Refer to the list of pre-approved repertoire for Philharmonia and contact Yanzel Rivera at yanzel@wysomusic.org ASAP if your choice is not on the list.
    • January 8, 2024: Online Application DUE with $50 Fee.
    • January 21, 2024: In-person auditions will be held at the WYSO Center for Music from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
    • Honorable Mentions will perform at the WYSO Honors Recital on February 10, 2024 at 7:00pm.
    • May 18, 2024: Winner will perform with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Bolz Family Spring Concert on May 18, 20234 at 7:00 pm.

AUDITION DETAILS

    • Your choice of repertoire must be approved before your application will be accepted. Refer to the list of pre-approved repertoire for your orchestra and contact Yanzel Rivera at yanzel@wysomusic.org ASAP if your choice is not on the list.
    • Members who have previously won the competition with a specific WYSO orchestra may not compete with the same orchestra again.
    • Auditions are limited to 8 minutes of an approved concerto. Competitors should prepare a section or movement of their concerto that fits within this time frame and best represents their ability. The time-keeper will indicate when time is up. (Winners will perform their concert/movement without cuts, although pieces should be limited to 12 minutes for Philharmonia and 18 minutes for Youth.)
    • Competitors must secure an accompanist for the audition. Please inform the accompanist in advance that the auditions will be recorded for study purposes.
    • Memorization is encouraged but is not required.