The finalists for this year's competition are:

SVYS welcomes this year's judges, and expresses appreciation for their participation:

Michael Luxner, Music Director and Conductor of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra since 1996, is a native of New York and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he earned the Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, and Ph.D. degrees during the 1970’s.  He studied conducting principally with Charles Bruck, at the Pierre Monteux School in Maine, and in Paris.  Before his appointment in Decatur, Maestro Luxner was Music Director and Conductor of the Owensboro (Kentucky) Symphony, Associate Conductor of the Savannah Symphony, and Assistant Conductor of the Colorado Philharmonic.  As a guest conductor he has worked most recently with the Orchestra of the Olympic Theatre in Vicenza, Italy, and also with the Peoria Symphony, the Cairo Symphony in Egypt, the Louisville Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Cleveland Philharmonic, and Radio France.  Dr. Luxner has served on the full-time faculties of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Millikin University, and on the part-time faculties of Georgia Southern College, Armstrong State College, and Kentucky Wesleyan College.  His published writings include analytical studies, pedagogical and popular articles, book and CD reviews, and numerous program annotations.  He has been a Fellow of the Franco-American Atlantique Foundation, a Regional Workshop presenter to the American Symphony Orchestra League, a member of the Artist’s-Initiated Review Panel of the Georgia Arts Council, and a lecturer for the Hilton Head Humanities Forum.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Council of Orchestras, and is a former officer of the Conductors Guild, an international music service organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of the highest standards of the art and profession of conducting.

Eric Lenz, assistant professor of cello and music theory at the SIUC School of Music, holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and mathematics from St. Olaf College, where he graduated with distinction for his work in both fields.  He also holds a Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Alabama, where he was awarded the Moody String Fellowship.  He has also studied cello in France and the Czech Republic.  He has performed at the Spoleto Festival USA, at the Institut Franco-tchèque, and at the Brevard Music Festival, where he served as an orchestral fellow.  His chamber music coaches include the Juilliard, Emmerson, Guarnari, Cleveland, and Cavani quartets.  Dr. Lenz served previously on the faculty at the Cleveland Music School Settlement and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  He is currently assistant principal cellist for the Missouri Chamber Orchestra, and has recently performed with the Alabama Symphony, the Huntsville Symphony, the Charleston Symphony, and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra.  He has soloed with orchestras throughout the US.  In the field of early music, he has performed on baroque cello with the Cleveland Camerata and on viola da gamba with the Case Western Reserve Viol Consort.  He is a founding member of Neoteric, a new music ensemble at SIUC which is scheduled to premier several new works this spring.  Lenz is an active member of Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the Southern Illinois Chamber Music Society, which sponsors visiting artists and offers scholarships to many SIUC students who play string instruments.

SVYS Concerto Competition Rules:

The Concerto Competition is open to all current Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony members. Entrants may perform on any regular orchestral instrument, including piano and voice.

The winner will have the opportunity to perform as a soloist at the May concert with the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony.

The previous year’s winner will not be eligible to compete.

Selection of Performance Piece

Each entrant must receive approval from the Music Director prior to the preliminary audition as to whether the selected piece is appropriate for the orchestra. Works featuring a soloist or soloists that are non-traditional concerto repertoire will be considered. Additional considerations include the availability and cost of sheet music for the orchestra. The total playing time of the piece should be limited to approximately 10 minutes.

Preliminary Auditions

At a preliminary round of judging the Music Director will hear the entrants and select candidates to perform in the finals competition. Accompanists are permitted, but not required, at the preliminary audition. The number of finalists will be determined by the Music Director.

Finals Competition Recital