Walter A. and Dorothy J. Oestreich Concerto Competition
"Winning that competition was a true gift for me, it came at a time when I was not sure what I wanted to do with my voice or with my life, and it encouraged me to continue on and pursue my masters in music." -- Leigh Akin
In memory of his late wife, long-time Concord Chamber Orchestra audience member Walter Oestreich established the Dorothy J. Oestreich Concerto Competition Scholarship Fund in 2000. Upon Walter's death in 2014, it was renamed by the CCO in order to honor him also. Income generated from this fund has provided scholarships to the winner of the CCO’s annual Concerto Competition since the fund’s inception. The competition, held each December, gives an outstanding young musician the opportunity to perform with the Concord Chamber Orchestra in the Concerto Competition Concert in March.
The competition is open to musicians (instrumentalists, pianists and vocalists) who are residents of Wisconsin and/or attend a Wisconsin high school, college or university, and who are aged 25 or younger as of the application deadline. If you would like to be notified when applications are being accepted for the next competition, contact our General Manager.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Concerto Competition
Winner - Jason Xue (piano)
Jason is a senior, majoring in piano performance and environmental science in University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although, unlike his peers, he applied to the School of Music during his sophomore year, he has the honor to work with Prof. Christopher Taylor to hone his performance skills. An aspired enthusiast of piano literature, he is expanding his repertoire relentlessly and is learning and refining difficult repertoires such as 4 Ballades by Frédéric Chopin, Piano Sonata in B minor by Franz Liszt, and Piano Concerto No.1 in F-sharp minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff -- the piece he performed during his CCO audition. Jason also used this concerto to advance to a finalist in the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. As a passionate and enthusiastic performer, he recently performed Liszt Sonata in B minor and Brahms Piano Pieces Op.118 in several churches and community centers. He believes that every performer will find their own unique voice in their performance and express their voice to the audiences in the form of giving music to communities.
1st Runner Up - Grace Kim (cello)
2nd Runner Up - Owne Xayboury (viola)
Honorable Mentions: Nicholas Ortiz (saxophone); Ian Wasserman (cello); Lucy Wu (cello)
The competition is open to musicians (instrumentalists, pianists and vocalists) who are residents of Wisconsin and/or attend a Wisconsin high school, college or university, and who are aged 25 or younger as of the application deadline. If you would like to be notified when applications are being accepted for the next competition, contact our General Manager.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Concerto Competition
Winner - Jason Xue (piano)
Jason is a senior, majoring in piano performance and environmental science in University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although, unlike his peers, he applied to the School of Music during his sophomore year, he has the honor to work with Prof. Christopher Taylor to hone his performance skills. An aspired enthusiast of piano literature, he is expanding his repertoire relentlessly and is learning and refining difficult repertoires such as 4 Ballades by Frédéric Chopin, Piano Sonata in B minor by Franz Liszt, and Piano Concerto No.1 in F-sharp minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff -- the piece he performed during his CCO audition. Jason also used this concerto to advance to a finalist in the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. As a passionate and enthusiastic performer, he recently performed Liszt Sonata in B minor and Brahms Piano Pieces Op.118 in several churches and community centers. He believes that every performer will find their own unique voice in their performance and express their voice to the audiences in the form of giving music to communities.
1st Runner Up - Grace Kim (cello)
2nd Runner Up - Owne Xayboury (viola)
Honorable Mentions: Nicholas Ortiz (saxophone); Ian Wasserman (cello); Lucy Wu (cello)
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