In October BYSO held its annual Concerto Competition for members of Repertory Orchestra and Boston Youth Symphony and we are delighted to announce the following winners:

Boston Youth Symphony

Winner: Emily Qiu, Bassoon. Concerto in F Major - Weber "My experiences with BYSO have influenced me in many ways, but most of all, they’ve pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone - to play out and make my voice heard. Being part of such a high-caliber group is often demanding, and as a result, I’ve been able to develop more confidence in myself and my abilities as a player. Whether it’s a bad reed day, rough rehearsal, or anything in between, BYSO has taught me to face every challenge head on, which has definitely been an important skill in my life." - Emily Qiu, Bassoon, BYS Concerto Competition Winner

Repertory Orchestra

Winner: Liam Barthelmy, Violin. Concerto for Violin in E minor, mvt. 1 - Mendelssohn "BYSO has given me the incredible opportunity to play music every week with a high level orchestra, both as an ensemble member and now as a soloist! BYSO also has a great community which has connected me with many other kids who share my love of music. The thing I love most about BYSO is the way it constantly challenges both my technical and ensemble skills in a way that I’ve never been challenged before, and the incredible feeling when performing the beautiful music that we have worked on for so long ." -Liam Barthelmy , Violin, REP Concerto Competition Winner   Emily will perform her piece on May 27th at Kresge Auditorium at MIT and Liam will perform his piece on February 11th at Tsai Performance Center. Congratulations to all who entered. The panel of judges for both competitions were overwhelmed by the amount of talent and hard work displayed by all of the musicians.