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Massachusetts high school musicians can earn cash prizes, feedback from UMass faculty

The UMass Amherst Department of Music & Dance has created a new online music competition, UMass Young Artist Awards, open to high school students who are residents of, or attend school in Massachusetts.  With performance opportunities so limited by the pandemic, the music faculty conceived of this event as a means of providing younger artists with assistance in furthering their classical musical studies, as well as a chance to perform, compete, and receive professional feedback. The competition will be conducted via video recordings submitted by the entrants.

The competition offers 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash awards of up to $1,000 in each of five categories: Voice (9th/10th grade and 11th/12th grade), Winds/Brass/Percussion, Piano and Strings.  In addition, valuable Honorable Mention awards are offered by several sponsors of the event: Stamell Stringed Instruments, S.E. Shires Co., Virtuosity Musical Instruments, David French Music, Osmun Music, Gerry’s Music Shop, Vic Firth Mallets and Yamaha.  All entrants to the competition will receive written feedback on their recorded performances by UMass music faculty and guest jurors. 

Applications, including video recording submissions, are due on May 1, 2021.  Interested students, parents and teachers can find more information, including awards, repertoire requirements and guidelines for recording their performances, at www.umass.edu/music/umass-young-artist-awards-2021.

The competition, which is expected to become an annual event, is one of several festivals and clinics hosted by the department to encourage and support talented young instrumentalists and vocalists, as well as give them a taste of the college experience. These include the High School Honor Band, High School Jazz Festival, and day-long events hosted by the wind, choral, operatic and string faculty.