Young Artists Competition - Holland Symphony Orchestra

Norbert Mueller Memorial Young Artist Competition

January 11, 2025

Hope College Howard Recital Hall

And the 2024 winners were:

Eli Zheng, a freshman violinist at Zeeland East High School, won the top prize of $500 playing the Intermezzo movement of Lalo’s “Symphonie Espagnole.” Nathan McCoy, a sophomore at West Ottawa High school, won second place, $250, with the first movement of Shostakovich’s second piano concerto. Evan Talsma, a senior also saxophonist from Hamilton High School, won third place, $150, playing “Penqueña Czardas” by Pedro Iturralde. Other participants shown above included Greta Bast, violin; Charlotte Beckman, violin; Beret Anna Hilsman, violin; Barrett Huffman, viola; Caroline Johnson, tuba; Annika Johnson, French horn.2024

Eligibility: Students must be in grades 9-12. Participants must live in Ottawa or Allegan Counties and/or be a current member of Holland Symphony Youth Orchestras. A current student of any Holland Symphony Orchestra member (regardless of geographic area) is eligible. All instruments including piano are eligible. The previous winner may perform but will be ineligible to win a prize. Prize consideration will be given a second time after the one-year ineligibility.

Awards: The winner will receive $500.00. The second-place winner will receive $250.00 and the third-place winner will receive $150.00.

Repertoire: The choice of music is up to the participant but the piece must have accompaniment. (No solo piano pieces or unaccompanied pieces for other instruments will be allowed.) It does NOT need to be a concerto or have orchestral accompaniment available–piano accompaniment is sufficient. If in doubt, please check with your private teacher, band/orchestra teacher, or HSO (email hso@hollandsymphony.org). The recommended total playing time is between 3-12 minutes. The work does NOT need to be performed by memory. Participants must provide their own accompanist for the performance. (Check here for a list of accompanists.)

The recital will begin at 1:00 PM and will be held in the small recital hall at the Jack H. Miller Center for the Arts at Hope College in Holland. The recital will be open to the public. Performance order will be randomly selected and is not negotiable, but HSO will try to honor requests made ahead of time. Warm-up rooms are available throughout the music building.

Registration is closed for the January 11, 2025 competition. Any added forms will be considered for the 2026 competition.

Interested in registering?

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Applicant Name *

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Grade *

Your current grade in the 22-23 school year.

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Instrument *

Email *

Years of playing instrument *

Phone *

Address

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City

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Zip Code

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School *

Accompanist

Private Lesson Teacher *

Competition Piece *

List composer, complete title, and movement name and number that you will be playing.

Length of piece *

Number of minutes it takes you to play your piece with piano.

Media Release

Please complete the media release below.

I grant to Holland Symphony Orchestra, its representatives and employees the right to use photographs for purposes of marketing and promotion. I authorize Holland Symphony, its assigns and transferees to copyright, use and publish the same in print and/or electronically. I agree that Holland Symphony Orchestra may use such photographs of me with or without my name and for any lawful purpose, including for example such purposes as publicity, illustration, advertising, and Web content.

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No, I do not grant to Holland Symphony Orchestra, its representatives and employees the right to use photographs for purposes of marketing and promotion.

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