Virtuosi Concerts

Virtuosi Concerts - Young Artist Program auditions 2024-2025

Virtuosi Concerts is inviting pre-professional classical musicians to apply for our Young Artist Program. The YAP is a unique performance experience for emerging classical musicians in Manitoba. This year, we are offering two exceptional opportunities: to perform at the opening of a season concert for our attentive and enthusiastic audience, and/or to share the stage with professional musicians as part of the Roots & Branches Mentorship Concert Project on January 12, 2025. Auditions will remain online.

This year’s application invites performers to consider two opportunities:

Audition to open a season concert with a short performance ($80 concert fee for each performer, promotion on all our platforms, complimentary tickets for all performers). Soloists, duos, and chamber groups are welcome to apply.
Audition to participate in the Roots & Branches Mentorship Concert Project on January 12, 2025 (full concert fee, full-length program, performing alongside established local musicians).

The Roots & Branches Mentorship Concert Project was successfully launched in January 2023 to feature serious pre-professional music students alongside established professional musicians from Manitoba, playing chamber music side-by-side. Chosen artists will be expected to be active participants of the entire concert experience, from curation to performance. Artistic input, timely communication, maintaining deadlines and overall professionalism are all part of this process, and are expected from all successful applicants.

The requirements to apply for either of these opportunities:

A video performance (7-10 minutes, multiple pieces welcome) uploaded onto a sharing platform (YouTube or Vimeo)
A bio paragraph describing your musical education and experience

If you are also applying for the Mentorship Concert Project, in addition to the above, please include:

An additional 10-minute video in a chamber music setting (for a total of 20 minutes of video)
An email and telephone number for a reference. This reference should be prepared to express to us your readiness to be featured in a full-length chamber music recital.

Other Important Information:

For both of these opportunities, Virtuosi Concerts expects timely communication from successful applicants. Please ensure that you provide a valid and regularly monitored email address, and check your junk mail periodically to ensure you are receiving and responding to all communications.

Repertoire used in audition materials does not necessarily have to be chosen for the concert. Audition repertoire may feature any solo material. Therefore, orchestral excerpts where the performer is not featured as a soloist will not be accepted.

The application is due on Wednesday May 31st 2024. Please send video links and documents to Virtuosiyap@gmail.com.

Young Artist Program 2023

Virtuosi Concerts is inviting pre-professional classical musicians to apply for our Young Artist Program. The YAP is a unique performance experience for emerging classical musicians in Manitoba. This year, we are offering two exceptional opportunities: to perform at the opening of a season concert for our attentive and enthusiastic audience, and/or to share the stage with professional musicians as part of the Roots & Branches Mentorship Concert Project on January 14, 2023. Auditions will remain online.

This year’s application invites performers to consider two opportunities:

1. Audition to open a season concert with a short performance ($80 concert fee for each performer, promotion on all our platforms, complimentary tickets for all performers) Soloists, duos, and chamber groups are welcome to apply.

2. Audition to participate in the Roots & Branches Mentorship Concert Project on January 14, 2024 (full concert fee, full-length program, performing alongside established local musicians).

The Mentorship Concert Project was successfully launched last year to feature serious pre-professional music students alongside established professional musicians from Manitoba, playing chamber music side-by-side.

The requirements to apply for either of these opportunities:

- A video performance (7-10 minutes, multiple pieces welcome) uploaded onto a sharing platform (YouTube or Vimeo)

- A bio paragraph describing your musical education and experience

If you are also applying for the Mentorship Concert Project, in addition to the above, please include:

- An additional 10-minute video in a chamber music setting (for a total of 20 minutes of video)

- A reference letter from your primary teacher outlining your readiness to be featured in a full-length chamber music recital

The application is due on Wednesday May 31st 2023. Please send video links and documents to Virtuosiyap@gmail.com.

Please forward this to any interested students. Any questions can be directed to Virtuosiyap@gmail.com.

Madeline Hildebrand,

Virtuosi Concerts Young Artist Program Coordinator

Virtuosi presents our newest Young Artist Program initiative! The Mentorship Concert Project features exceptional professional musicians, Caitlin Broms-Jacobs (oboe), Layla Roberts (flute), Minna Rose Chung (cello) and Madeline Hildebrand (piano) and serious pre-professional music students, Anica Warkentine (piano) and Hwan Gyu Cho (clarinet) playing chamber music side-by-side. Join us in celebrating the bridge between current and future generations of chamber musicians in our province! This project is generously supported by the Manitoba Arts Council.

2022/2023 young artists

Congratulations to our 2022/2023 Virtuosi Concerts Young Artists!

Duo: Shea Carter, mezzo soprano and Grace Lu, piano

Albert Chen, piano

John Himes, guitar

Alice Macgregor, soprano

Duo: Georg Neuhofer, piano and Liana Fonseca, violin

Duo: Eli Granger, euphonium and Anna Schwartz, piano

Hwan Gyu Cho, clarinet

This year, for the first time ever, we took the step of pairing a few solo auditionees together to form duos. We are very excited about the new partnerships and collaborations this will create.

Below is a message from our adjudicator, Sonia Lazar:

"I would like to congratulate everyone who auditioned for the Virtuosi Concerts on your beautiful performances! It was truly inspiring to listen to so many local Young Artists putting their best foot forward after much hard work and preparation. The performances were very moving, and I enjoyed listening to every one of you; each of you has their own unique style and personality that shone through in your performance. Selecting the musicians to open the Virtuosi Concerts was an extremely difficult task, as all of you are clearly accomplished, hard-working, and talented musicians, and show tremendous potential to go far in the professional field. Congratulations again, I look forward to seeing where your careers take you and hope to get a chance to hear you again in person!"

Sonia’s honourable mentions went to:

Seanne Buenafe

Sam Ferguson

Steven Hwang

Find out more

2022 Young artist auditions now closed

Dear Manitoba music community,

Virtuosi Concerts is inviting music students to apply for the Virtuosi Young Artist Program. The Virtuosi Concerts Young Artist Program has become Winnipeg’s most unique performing experience for senior music students. Our program unites two exceptional opportunities: performing for our attentive and enthusiastic audience, and interacting and sharing the stage with Virtuosi’s acclaimed international musicians.

This year, auditions for the Young Artist Program will remain online. The application requirements are:

1. A performance video (7-10 minutes, multiple pieces welcome) uploaded onto a sharing platform (YouTube or Vimeo)

2. A bio

Applications are due on Tuesday May 31, 2022.

Please send your video link and bio to Virtuosiyap@gmail.com.

Successful auditions result in a performance opportunity at the beginning of a Virtuosi subscription concert in the 2022/23 season, an $80 honorarium for each performer, and two complimentary tickets for each performer for the concert in which they are featured.

Please forward this message to any interested students. Ensembles are welcome to apply.

Also, stay tuned for an exciting announcement from our Young Artist Program! We will be inviting students to submit applications for a new initiative which will feature advanced music students alongside celebrated Manitoba chamber musicians in a Virtuosi season concert. Applications for students will open in August 2022. Details to be announced soon! Madeline Hildebrand, Virtuosi Concerts Young Artist Program Coordinator Madeline Hildebrand at virtuosiyap@gmail.com.

Young artist program

The Young Artist Program was launched in 2015, as part of Virtuosi's 25th Anniversary season. The program's mandate is to provide music students with performance experience in a professional concert setting. Performers are selected each April through juried auditions. Virtuosi Young Artists receive an honorarium, concert tickets, program and social media profile, and an interview on Classic 107 FM.

2022 Young Artists:

January 16: Alice Macgregor, soprano (postponed to April 2)

February 11: Anica Warkentine, piano (postponed to May 8)

March 13: Miona Milovanovic, violin

April 2: Alice Macgregor, soprano

May 8: Anica Warkentine, piano

“The Virtuosi Concerts Young Artist Program has become Winnipeg‘s most unique performing experience for senior music students. Our program marries two exceptional opportunities: performing for our attentive and enthusiastic Virtuosi Concerts patrons; and, interacting and sharing the stage with Virtuosi’s acclaimed international musicians,” says Madeline Hildebrand, Young Artist Program Coordinator.

For more information on the Young Artist Program contact
Madeline Hildebrand at virtuosiyap@gmail.com.

Congratulations to our 2024 - 2025 Young Artists

Jammie Lee, piano

Emily Ann Dueck, violin

Anna-Lucia Mena Shevchenko, piano

Raymond Ding & Victoria Lee, piano duo

Sophie Reimer-Epp, violin

Angela Ng, piano

Eli Granger, euphonium