Dr. William Morse,
Music Director & Principal Conductor
2021/22 JSO*YAC
**Updated January 2022**
The Jefferson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition (JSO*YAC) returned for its 62nd year. Each season, JSO*YAC attracts rising musicians to Colorado for a live-audition competition and performance opportunities. This year, the contest welcomed string musicians (violin, viola, cello, bass, harp and classical guitar), ages 23 and younger, from national and international music institutions. The JSO*YAC live-finals took place at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colo. on January 15, 2022. The top finalist of JSO*YAC performs their winning repertoire with Maestro Arturo Gonzales and the
Jefferson Symphony Orchestra in March 2022 in Golden, Colo. and receives $5000 in cash prizes.
JSO*YAC - First Place
Ji Eun Park, 22, attended Yewon Music School in Seoul, South Korea. Recently, she finished her Bachelor and Master's studies from the Julliard school in an accelerated program. She is currently pursuing her Artists Diploma from the Royal College of Music in London.
She will perform her winning repertoire, William Walton's Viola Concerto, with Jefferson Symphony and guest conductor Arturo Gonzalez. Our annual Young Artists concert is March 27, 2022 at the Green Center in Golden.
Second Place
Roni Shitrit, 22, was born in Israel where she began her violin studies at the Ramla Conservatory. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Roni was the first prize winner in the 2021 MTNA Young Artists Competition, and prize winner in the 2021 Moscow International online competition.
Third Place
Ethan Blake, 21, is currently a senior at CU-Boulder. He received fellowships from Accademia Musicale Chigiana and the Aspen Music Festival & School. He recently won first prize at the T. Gordon Parks Competition of Arapahoe Phil, the Pikes Peak Concerto Competition, and the Undergraduate Honors at CU.
Previous Winners of JSO*YAC
Daniel Gostein
YAC 2020, marimba
Samuel Vargas
YAC 2019, violin
Kamalia Freyling
YAC 2017, clarinet
Alexander Hersh
YAC 2016, cello
Each year the instrumental focus changes: JSO*YAC '23 for pianists performing concerto repertoire or similar works; and JSO*YAC'24 for brass, woodwind and percussion. Jefferson Symphony invites you to contact jso.yac@gmail.com for any further inquiries and we will continue to post updates on this page.
Application
JSO*YAC utilizes the network ACCEPTD for the competition process; interested artists should visit our profile on ACCEPTD in March for competition guidelines and application materials.
JSO*YAC Experiences
“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to come to Colorado and play for the judges, audience and my peers. It is sometimes very hard as a young musician to find rewarding venues to play for. Here, the music is obviously treasured by the listeners and participants alike. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I could not have hoped for a better weekend.”
– Finalist
“The finalists are all winners! It was a very exciting event to judge. It was revitalizing to be able to listen to such high quality performances, which reflect the musicians' dedication to their art. It made me want to go home and practice!”
– Judge
History