Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Auditions

Ben participated in these two days ago. I thought he played the best he’d ever played his piece (the last movement of the Brahms Violin Concerto) but he didn’t make it to the finals or honorable mention list. He was presumably competing against the best 13-16 year old string players in the state – who wouldn’t want to be a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra? So I’m sure the competition was stiff.

Five students from his high school were in it but none of them made it to the finals or honorable mention list.

Only parents and the teacher were permitted to listen to the auditions but the final (March 15) is open to anyone. We might go – Ben and West’s teacher wants her to go hear the finalists so she knows what she will be up against in 3 years when they next do string player auditions. Not that he’s thinking ahead or anything. (West was 6 months too young to enter this year) I expect it will be a good concert and I would be interested to hear the finalists.

Meanwhile Ben is continuing to practise the Liszt Piano Concerto no. 1. He’s going to play it in the CSO Youth Auditions next year when they do pianist auditions. He’s thinking he’ll enter the same competitions next year as a pianist that he did this year on violin. West will probably do some of them too, on violin. She’s learning the last movement of the Beethoven Violin Concerto now and enjoying it a lot.

Next weekend it’s the annual ensemble recital for the piano teacher’s student – every piece in this is a piano duet or quartet or a concerto. Ben’s playing the Liszt and West and I are playing a short duet (yikes).