The Montana Association of Symphony Orchestras (MASO) is pleased to announce the next cycle of its statewide Young Artists Competition (YAC), along with the launch of a new companion initiative, the Montana Symphony Summit, a bold step forward in connecting Montana’s emerging artists with professional orchestral opportunities.
Held biennially, the Young Artists Competition identifies and celebrates Montana’s most promising young musicians. Open to Montana residents performing on orchestral instruments, the competition features four divisions: Junior, Senior, Collegiate, and Post-Collegiate. Applicants submit recorded auditions, with selected finalists advancing to a live final round.
The 2027 YAC Final Round will take place on Saturday, January 9, 2027, at the University of Montana Music Recital Hall in Missoula. Finalists will perform before a panel of nationally recognized adjudicators, receive professional feedback, and compete for the opportunity to appear as soloists in a landmark statewide performance.
New in this cycle, YAC winners will be featured as soloists in the inaugural Montana Symphony Summit, a statewide festival bringing together musicians from Montana’s seven symphony orchestras.
The Montana Symphony Summit will be held May 21–23, 2027, at the Mother Lode Theatre in Butte, culminating in a public concert on Sunday, May 23. The Summit Festival Orchestra will accompany the four YAC winners in their winning concerto movements and will also feature performances of the two most recent winners of the Montana Youth Symphony Composition Competition.
Inspired by MASO’s historic Montana Summer Symphony, the Summit revives the spirit of statewide collaboration by uniting professional musicians from across Montana in a shared artistic experience. In addition to rehearsals and performances, participating musicians will engage in professional development sessions designed to strengthen connections and support the long-term vitality of orchestral music in the region.
“This is an exciting evolution of MASO’s work,” said Kassidy Conlon, Executive Director of MASO. “The Young Artists Competition has long been a cornerstone of our mission to support emerging musicians. The Montana Symphony Summit builds on that legacy, creating a clear pathway from student achievement to professional performance, while bringing together artists from across the state in a truly meaningful way.”
Applications for the 2027 Young Artists Competition will open in November 2026. Additional details, including application guidelines, ticketing information, and event schedules, will be announced in the coming months.
