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 2021 Concerto Competition
Winner - Sophia Jiang (piano)
Sophia is a high school freshman and has been playing piano for nine years and is currently studying with Mr. Bill Lutes. In 2017, Sophia debuted at the Overture Center in Madison and has performed multiple times as the piano soloist with the Madison and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras. Sophia was recently featured in the Madison Symphony’s Home Is Where the Art Is, Young Artist Series, and represented Wisconsin in the Junior Piano category of the 2020 Music Teachers National Association National Competitions. She was invited to perform at the 2019 PianoArts North American Piano Competition. Sophia has won numerous competitions, including the National Steinway Junior Piano Competition (2018 & 2019), the 2017 Wisconsin Youth Piano Competition, the 2017 Madison Symphony Orchestra Fall Youth Concerto Competition, and the WMTA State Badger Keyboard Competition (2017-2019). She also received honorable mention in the Midwest Young Artists Walgreens National Concerto Competition in 2017.
Watch Sophia perform her winning piece -- Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major
1st Runner Up - Ian Rucker (voice)
2nd Runner Up - Clayton Hancock (violin)
Honorable Mention: Hung Nguyen (piano), Ethan Shuler (bassoon), and Roshini Traynor (viola)
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 2021 Concerto Competition
Winner - Sophia Jiang (piano)
Sophia is a high school freshman and has been playing piano for nine years and is currently studying with Mr. Bill Lutes. In 2017, Sophia debuted at the Overture Center in Madison and has performed multiple times as the piano soloist with the Madison and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras. Sophia was recently featured in the Madison Symphony’s Home Is Where the Art Is, Young Artist Series, and represented Wisconsin in the Junior Piano category of the 2020 Music Teachers National Association National Competitions. She was invited to perform at the 2019 PianoArts North American Piano Competition. Sophia has won numerous competitions, including the National Steinway Junior Piano Competition (2018 & 2019), the 2017 Wisconsin Youth Piano Competition, the 2017 Madison Symphony Orchestra Fall Youth Concerto Competition, and the WMTA State Badger Keyboard Competition (2017-2019). She also received honorable mention in the Midwest Young Artists Walgreens National Concerto Competition in 2017.
Watch Sophia perform her winning piece -- Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major
1st Runner Up - Ian Rucker (voice)
2nd Runner Up - Clayton Hancock (violin)
Honorable Mention: Hung Nguyen (piano), Ethan Shuler (bassoon), and Roshini Traynor (viola)
Donate to the Concerto Competition Fund