Irving Ludwig Youth Competition
Irving Ludwig Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto/Aria Competition
The Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra’s Irving Ludwig Young Artists Concerts feature Young Artists’ Auditions winners performing with the LSO. The competition draws contestants from Pennsylvania and nearby states. Running since 1957, countless LSO Young Artist soloists over the years have gone on to win other prestigious competitions, and have become professional musicians with illustrious performing careers.
Rules:
Instrumentalists must be between 12–20 years of age (singers between 15–22) as of October 17, 2026, and must be prepared to perform one movement of a solo (one player) concerto or an equivalent piece. Please choose a selection (complete movement/scene/aria) between 5–12 minutes in length: selections outside this length are not eligible. The selection should be performed from memory in all rounds, and is the piece you would perform with the orchestra if selected.
Round 1 is online, through this link [https://forms.gle/
For this round, we require:
- Contact information for the student, a designated family member, and teacher.
- Audio or video of the piece, performed/recorded with piano accompaniment.
- A PDF copy of your music (solo or piano reduction).
- $20 entry fee, payable using PayPal. The 17-digit confirmation ID (from the receipt email) will be required to complete the registration process.
Please ensure that your performance is uploaded to a service (such as YouTube, Vimeo, or another streaming service) with the link viewable to “anyone with the link” — a link requiring special access or permission may prevent us from viewing your submission.
Round 1 results will be emailed to competitors on or before Saturday, October 3, 2026. Finalists must confirm their acceptance of a Round 2 invitation within 48 hours of receiving their Round 1 result, so we can finalize a schedule that accounts for collaborative artists.
Round 2 will be in-person on the afternoon of Saturday, October 17, 2026, and will involve approximately 4–8 finalists. It will be at Settlement Music School’s Wynnefield Branch: 4910 Wynnefield Ave., Philadelphia. We anticipate having one hour for sound-checks starting around 12:30 pm, and will begin hearing performances at 1:30 pm.
Winners will receive an honorarium and invitations to perform with the LSO on our May 2 2027 concert attending one or two Tuesday evening rehearsals prior to that (we rehearse in Merion Station, Havertown, or Drexel Hill), in coordination with the conductor. The orchestra also requires performer biographies (200-word limit) and a photo for the concert program, one month before their performance. This is a requirement.
FAQ:
Will my piece be acceptable? Probably. The LSO is an excellent orchestra and plays repertoire from a wide variety of composers and levels of difficulty (for the orchestra). Works rented from publishers are no problem.
Can I audition with a different piece than the one I’d like to play with the orchestra? No; to ensure the competition is fair, young artists perform the same piece for each round.
Is there a prize? Yes: winners receive at $250 honorarium.
Can I help publicise this competition? Yes, please! Here’s a printable poster to forward or print.