Jeanne Selander Memorial Concerto Competition

The Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra proudly announces that its 2025-2026 Jeanne Selander Memorial Concerto Competition is open for applications. The competition is open to anyone who will be under 18 years of age/still in high school as of May 2026 and resides in MA.

The winner of the concerto competition will be invited to perform with the Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra on May 9, 2026 at 2pm.  The winner will need to attend a portion of three Lowell Philharmonic rehearsals prior to the performance.  Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 - 9:30pm. The winner also receives a $500 scholarship.  

The deadline for applications is December 14, 2025. The competition is limited to fifty applications. There will be two rounds in this year’s competition. The first round will consist of a video submission (maximum of 10 minutes in length) that showcases your talent with or without an accompaniment. The videos will be reviewed and the top 10 participants will be invited (participants are notified of the judges’ decision by email by January 15, 2026) to perform in-person in front of a judges panel on Saturday February 14, 2026 between 9am and 12pm. Contestants will be notified through email regarding the outcome of the competition within approximately one week of the competition

Audition applications must be submitted through the Concerto Competition page on our website. Applicants are not officially registered until both the form and the audition fee have been submitted. We will hold the registration spot for one week awaiting payment and then release the spot if payment is not received.  Instructions for submitting the fee is on the application page.

COMPETITION RULES

Participants may prepare any single movement from a major orchestral work for any orchestral instrument (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion) or voice, provided that orchestral parts are available. If you are unsure about part availability, please contact Hannah Syndergaard at concerto@lowellphilharmonic.org before applying.

To qualify for the first round, each participant must submit a video performance via YouTube, Vimeo, or another accessible platform by including the link in the application form. The selected concerto movement must not exceed 10 minutes in length. Accompanists are permitted for the video submission.

If you advance to the in-person round, you must provide the judges with:

• One physical copy of the full orchestral score or piano reduction at the audition, and

• One electronic file of your musical selection

Memorization is not required; however, please ensure page turns are smooth and do not disrupt the performance. Accompanists are welcome during the live audition if you choose.

Please note, those who have won the competition within the past four years are not eligible to audition.