Scholarships & Competitions
Scholarships
Concerto Competitions & Performances
2020-21 PYSO Concerto Competition
This year’s PYSO Concerto Competition will be virtual and will include cash prizes!
First Prize – $300 & professionally produced recording at a premier Pittsburgh venue
Second Prize – $200
Third Prize – $150
Video recordings will be due by January 15, 2021.
Maestro Lee and two guest artists will judge the competition:
Sean Duggan, O.S.B. – concert pianist and faculty at SUNY Fredonia
Pamela Stahel – flutist with the Zurich Opera (Switzerland)
The PYSO Concerto Competition is open to current PYSO members and this year, the winner(s) will be featured in a special youtube video that will be posted on PYSO’s youtube channel, on our website, and featured in our social media posts.
PLEASE NOTE:
• The competition is open to all current PYSO members.
• The audition piece does not have to be a concerto per se, but it must feature a soloist that has orchestral accompaniment.
• You can audition on the instrument that you play in PYSO, or on other instrument(s) that you play, including piano.
• Memorization is required.
• Please note that since this season’s competition is virtual, piano accompaniment is NOT required. You may choose to record your audition with or without a (live) pianist, but having or not having piano accompaniment will not factor into judging the outcome of the competition.
• Indicate below whether your piece has movements or sections. Your audition piece should be between 10 and 15 minutes in length. If your piece is longer and comprised of movements, you should choose which part of the piece you would like to perform.
• Previous winners are not eligible to re-audition.
• The audition video itself may be what’s used when we feature the winner(s). You should be appropriately attired and record in a setting that would be suitable for publication.
• Fill in the online form below by Friday, January 15, 2021 (you will be prompted to attach a video file with your audition. The audition video itself may be what’s used when we feature the winner(s). You should be appropriately attired and record in a setting that would be suitable for publication).
PYSO Membership Dues Scholarship Fund
Established with contributions
In honor of Lawrence Loh,
In memory of Marie Maazel and
In memory of Lucio Rossetti.
Additional funds provided by The Paul J. and Charlotta Ross Young Musician’s Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Paul (pictured to the left) was a member of the PSO from 1965 to 2000 and Charlotta (pictured to the right ) was a member of the PSO from 1968 to 2012.
Click here for the
PYSO Membership Dues Scholarship Application
PYSO Undergraduate Music Fellowship Application
Deadline for submission is Friday, August 27, 2021.
PYSO Private Study/Coaching Scholarship
PYSO Students may apply for private study assistance for their instrument lessons. These scholarships are based on financial need. There is no due date and applications are reviewed periodically throughout the year.
Download, print and complete this application form and return to the PYSO Office by:
1. Scanning and sending as an attachment to info@pyso.org
OR
2. Mailing to the PYSO Office at:
Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra
600 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
The Pittsburgh Foundation
There are a number of student scholarships that are available through designated funds at The Pittsburgh Foundation. Many have very specific restrictions, others do not. Here is a link where you can find more information including various deadlines.
Scholarships for College Applicants
Applying to a college or university? Here are two links where you can find more information.
Markus and Esther Klein Scholarship Fund - for String Players
Violin, viola, cello, or bass players in the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra who may be eligible* to apply to the Markus and Esther Klein Scholarship Fund, which was established by the friends and family of Markus and Esther Klein. Mr. Klein was a violinist and a very active and well-known teacher in the Pittsburgh area. Applications are due May 15, 2020.
*Eligibility: Applicants must have completed at least one full season prior to the time of application, and be a senior in high school at the time of application. Scholarship awards would be used for the continuation of violin, viola, cello, or bass study at the college level.
United States Marine Band High School Concerto Competition
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, in conjunction with the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, sponsors an annual concerto competition for high school woodwind, brass, or percussion musicians. The winner will appear as a guest soloist with the U.S. Marine Band and receive a scholarship from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. The runner up will also receive a scholarship. For more information about the United States Marine Band Educational Competition, visit their website.
Keynotes Music Scholarship Competition
Up to $10,000 can be awarded at Keynotes Music Scholarship Competition in the spring. Applicants must be full-time music majors currently enrolled at a music school or in the music department of a college or university – OR – graduating high school students that have been accepted for admission and will enroll as full-time music students.
Information on the 2020 competition and application can be found by clicking the button below.
Blackwood Music Scholarships
Over the past seventeen years, Blackwood Arts has awarded more than $284,000 in scholarships to the top high school musicians. Scholarship amounts range from $2500 to $5000 with an average of six recipients per year. Past recipients have attended some of the most renowned music schools in the country including Julliard, the New England Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College, Berklee College of Music and the Eastman School of Music.
Application Information for 2020.
Tuesday Musical Club Scholarships
The TUESDAY MUSICAL CLUB proudly announces its 2020 Scholarship Auditions with OVER $40,000 IN AWARDS!
Eligibility: anyone of exceptional musical talent who is a senior in High School (or its equivalent) or who has not reached the age of 25 by the time of auditions. For music study that includes instrumental, piano, vocal, and theater arts.
APPLICATION DEADLINE is 03-31-2020.
AUDITION DATE is 05-22-2020.
Auditions and Scholarship Opportunities with the Tamburitzans
We are looking for talented students attending any local college to join the Tamburitzans! If you enjoy performing and would like to be a part of a premier ensemble, then The Tamburitzans may be the place for you! Travel, perform – gain the experience of a lifetime while you earn your college degree! Substantial scholarship money is available to deserving & talented students. Visit the “Become a Tammie” section of our website at www.thetamburitzans.org to learn more! For more information, call us at 412-224-2071.
The Pittsburgh Philharmonic Young Artist Concerto Competition
The Pittsburgh Philharmonic invites applications from high school musicians performing on harp, strings, brass or woodwinds. Applicants must be residents of Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Washington or Westmoreland Counties. The Young Artist Competition Winner will be invited to perform with The Pittsburgh Philharmonic and receive a scholarship. More information.
The Pittsburgh Concert Society Young Artists Competition
The Pittsburgh Concert Society (PCS) holds auditions in the Young Artist category to provide recital performance opportunities and financial support to highly-qualified, young classical musicians who live in the Pittsburgh area.
For PYSO members needing help with pianists’ fees, financial assistance is available. Please send an email to info@pittsburghconcertsociety.org if you wish to ask for this assistance.
Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh Young Artists Competition
The Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh sponsors an annual Young Artists competition. Check their website for more information.
Musicians with a Mission
Musicians with a Mission encourage teens, college students, and professionals alike to bring their musical talents into local nursing and personal care homes partly by coordinating the logistics and giving a small honorarium per performance.
Contact Founding Director Devin Arrington for more information: devinarrington@gmail.com.
Funded Summer Programs
The National Youth Orchestra of the USA
Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute brings together the brightest young players from across the country to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), a free program for all participants. Following a comprehensive audition process and a three-week training residency with leading professional orchestra musicians, these remarkable teenagers embark on a tour to some of the great music capitals of the world, serving as dynamic music ambassadors.
The program provides room and board during the residency and covers all expenses related to instructional, rehearsal, performance, and tour activities (including tour-related visa costs, airfares, and other transportation, as well as hotels, meals and group sightseeing).
NYO2
NYO2, a summer orchestral training program with a particular focus on attracting talented students (ages 14-17) from groups underserved by and underrepresented in the classical orchestral field, runs in conjunction with NYO-USA’s annual summer residency in New York. NYO2 is free for all participants, including room and board, and all rehearsal, teaching, and performance activities.
Brevard Summer Institute
Brevard Music Center students may qualify for financial aid as determined through the application and audition process.