About

The James Yannatos Concerto Competition, named in honor of HRO’s Music Director Emeritus, is held annually to select a soloist to perform a concerto with the orchestra in one of its concerts.  The competition is only open to members of HRO, however, musicians outside of HRO who play non-orchestral instruments (piano, saxophone, guitar, etc.) are also welcome and encouraged to apply.

This year, the competition will be held in Paine Hall on Saturday, September 20th, 2025 from 9:30 am to 5 pm.

Concerto Performance

The winner of the James Yannatos Concerto Competition will play with HRO in one of the concerts of HRO’s 218th season, in Sanders Theatre. This is likely to be the second concert, on Saturday, November 8th, 2025.

Any piece for soloist and orchestra is permitted, although HRO reserves the right to disqualify any concerto for logistical reasons (e.g. length of the piece or instrumentation).

What to Prepare

All candidates must be prepared to play the entire concerto of their choosing. Judges may ask candidates to play any portion of their selected concerto.

Application Procedure

All candidates must submit the

 by 11:59pm on Sunday, September 14, 2025. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Applications must be filled out completely and accurately; changes to the proposed audition repertoire must be communicated in writing to the HRO no later than four days prior to the competition date (Tuesday, September 16th).

Auditions

Audition times are difficult to reschedule. If you are absolutely unable to make your audition time, please reach out to the HRO as soon as possible to work out a solution. A warm-up room will be available 30 minutes before your audition.

All pianists will use the same piano. For all candidates, an accompanist is advisable but not required; each candidate is responsible for arranging their own accompanist for their audition if desired. Music must be memorized, and each soloist is required to provide three scores of their concerto for the judges.

Contact

Please contact

 with any questions or concerns about the concerto competition.