Young Artist Concerto Competition
The winner of our annual contest wins a cash prize and the opportunity to perform with the orchestra in our spring concert.
2026 Competition Info
Full competition details and registration will be available in late 2025. For your planning purposes, please note:
Eligibility
● Open to pre-college musicians between the ages of 13 and 18 on January 1, 2026.
● Student must be a resident of Orange, Chatham, Durham, or Wake county.
● Winners of other competitions as of Jan. 1, 2026 or who have been invited to perform with another orchestra as of Jan. 1, 2026 may enter with different repertoire.
● Past winners of this CHP contest may enter only with a different instrument.
Repertoire
● Orchestral parts of the piece must be available. Please check the UNC Orchestra Library Holdings.
● Students must perform a complete concerto movement or comparable concert piece from memory.
● WE STRONGLY ADVISE SELECTING A PIECE THAT HAS NOT BEEN PERFORMED BY A WINNER WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS. See the slideshow below for past winners.
Please check back here in the fall for more information on applying, or to be notified about application availability, please submit our contact form. Thank you!
Past Winners
2025
Eric Sun, Piano
Eric, who has been playing piano since he was five years old, won the Young Artist Concerto Competition while a junior at East Chapel Hill High School. He performed the first movement of the Saint Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 with the CHP. When not playing piano, he also enjoys tennis, singing, and science.