GRAND PRIZE – $750
Howard Cinnamon Scholarship Fund
Sunday May 18th, 2025
St. Peter’s By-the Sea Episcopal Church
500 South Country Road, Bay Shore
Application Deadline: January 31, 2025
Finalist in-person Auditions: February 23, 2025
(from 1:00 – 3:00pm @ Sachem Library)
Winner announced: February 24, 2025
Video and live performance piano accompanist
Application Fee: $25 required
The Island Symphony Orchestra’s Young Performers Competition is an opportunity for music students across Long Island to vie for the opportunity to win a scholarship award and perform as a soloist with the orchestra.
This competition provides young musicians with much needed experience that prepares them for the challenges of a future career in music. Since this program began, the ISO has granted more than 25 performance opportunities to our First and Second Prize winners.
Oliver Mar is a 13-year-old New Zealand-born cellist who relocated to New York in 2022 after being accepted into the Juilliard Pre-College program, where he studies with Dr. Clara Minhye Kim.
Oliver has earned top prizes in many competitions, such as the 2024 Camerata Artists International Competition and performed with the Camerata New Jersey Orchestra, the 2024 Young Soloists International Competition, the 2023 International Grande Music Competition in New York, and the 2023 New York International Classical Music Competition. He attended the 2024 Morningside Music Bridge summer program at the New England Conservatory, where he took lessons and masterclasses with Laurence Lesser, Hans Jensen, Paul Katz, Zvi Plesser, Qin Li-Wei, Wei Yu, Andres Diaz and Maciej Kulakowski. Recently, he has been selected as a Fellow with From the Top, a platform dedicated to fostering and promoting talented young classical artists.
Oliver is also a composer. His works have been performed by members of the New York Philharmonic and featured on WQXR, New York’s classical music station. Outside of music, Oliver loves to read, ski, and play tennis.
Lauren Kang, a 14-year-old violinist from Long Island, New York, attends Plainview Old-Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School and studies with Eric Tsai and Rose Hsien at Musart Music. She previously trained with Wanchi Huang at the Heifetz Institute of Music in 2023 and was accepted to the Manhattan School of Music Precollege in 2021. In 2022, she won the Musart Music Competition, leading to a performance with Musart faculty at Adelphi University. Lauren has also played at Mary Baldwin University during the Heifetz Institute’s Junior Division events and often volunteers to perform at senior homes. She collaborates with other musicians in chamber settings, gaining valuable experience from various coaches. Achieving top scores in the Level 6 NYSSMA Festival from grades 6 to 9, Lauren also participated in LISFA, All-County Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra as a second violin section leader. At school, she actively supports her orchestras and holds leadership roles. Academically, Lauren excels, earning awards for her dedication to studies, and while not heavily involved in sports, she enjoys going to the gym and playing tennis with friends.
- The competition is eligible for all musicians, 18 years or younger, residing in Nassau or Suffolk County.
- Eligible instruments include, but are not limited to, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French Horn, trombone, tuba, percussion, violin, viola, cello and bass.
- Participants must submit a video performance of one movement of a concerto, or other selection that has an orchestral accompaniment. VIDEO PERFORMANCE MUST INCLUDE PIANO/ORCHESTRA ACCOMPANIMENT and must be received by January 31, 2025.
- An application fee of $25 is required of all applicants
Payments can be made by Zelle or a check - Finalists MUST perform with piano accompaniment.
- Fill out the form at this link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OEmJAXgd0BNOZdrY2pq8Vu5Ld1tapo5m24wT0QhRUbY/edit