The Henry and Gertrude Lasker Young Soloist Competition is named in memory of the late Henry Lasker, beloved Newton music educator, and in honor of his wife Gertrude. The competition is open to young, talented school-age musicians from Newton.

• Open to: Newton residents in elementary through high school
• Competition date: To be announced, October, 2005
• Time: To be announced
• Location: Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium, 330 Homer Street, Newton Centre
• Application deadline: Friday, September 30, 2005
• Concert date for winners: Saturday December 3, 2005

Categories and qualifications

A winner will be chosen from each of three age categories:

• Elementary school
• Middle school
• High school

Performers on all orchestral instruments, piano, guitar, and voice are invited to apply. Applicants must not have completed 12th grade at the time of the audition, and must reside in Newton.

Prizes

Competition winners perform their audition pieces at the Newton Symphony Orchestra annual Family Concert on Saturday, February 12, 2005. Winners must perform their audition pieces at the concert. Winners will also recieve a cash prize. In the unlikely event that there are no eligible candidates in a given age category, the Newton Symphony reserves the right to eliminate that performance category from the February concert.

Auditions

Auditions will take place on a date to be announced in October, 2005 at the Newton Free Library. The competition will be open to the public, and may be videotaped for archival purposes. The competition piece must be a single movement of standard concerto, concert piece, or aria with orchestral accompaniment, and must not exceed ten minutes in length. For the competition, you must provide your own accompanist; cost and arrangements for such are the responsibility of the applicant. Pianists must perform without accompaniment since only one piano is available.

Applications

You can download the application form here [an Adobe PDF file; viewing and printing it requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader]. You can also request an application by phone at (617) 965-2555 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Applications must be submitted to the NSO Office, showing postmarks no later than September 30, 2005. A letter of recommendation from the applicant's private lesson teacher must accompany the application. Applicants will be invited for auditions pending selection by the Music Director of the Newton Symphony Orchestra, and will be notified of their audition times by a date to be announced in October, 2005.

Inquiries

Please address questions to the Newton Symphony Office at (617) 965-2555, by fax at (617) 965- 0450 or by e-mail at [email protected].

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