The Competition 

● Will be held Sunday, December 7th, 2025 at 1:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church, 228 W. 4th Street, Ottumwa, Iowa. Competitors may arrive at 12:00 PM. 

● Each contestant will receive his/her performance time by Sunday, November 30th, 2025. ● A panel of judges will select the winner. 

● First Prize is $300 and a performance on the March concert of the Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra* 

● Second Prize is $200 and 3rd Place is awarded $100. 

Note: Decisions of the Ottumwa Symphony Young Artist Competition committee are final and as a stipulation of participation, applicants agree to abide by those decisions. *Performance with the Orchestra will be at the discretion of the Conductor and the panel of judges. 

Eligibility 

● For strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, voice, harp and guitar. ● Must be in high school (grades 9-12) and have not reached 19 years of age on the application deadline date. 

● Contestants must live in Iowa. 

● Previous winners who have performed with the orchestra are not eligible to compete on the same instrument in successive years. 

● Contestants may audition in one medium (piano, voice, instrument) 

Audition Requirements 

● All contestants are expected to perform either a movement of a concerto or a composition for solo instrument/voice and orchestra. 

● Those auditioning are encouraged to perform from memory. 

● The use of piano accompaniment is required for all contestants. Each applicant is expected to provide his/her own accompanist. Please abbreviate lengthy tutti passages in the accompaniment. 

● Compositions must be no longer than 15 minutes. 

● One original score of each selection to be performed must be provided to the judges on the day of the competition. No photocopies are allowed. 

NOTES: 1. Because of the difficulty and cost of obtaining some orchestra parts, acceptability of your selection is at the discretion of the Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra. 2. Entrants must be available on Friday, February 20 for rehearsal, and Saturday, February 21 for rehearsal and concert. Other rehearsals may be arranged. Please contact Henry Weberpal at: henry.weberpal@ottumwaschools.com with additional questions. 

APPLICATION SUBMISSION & DEADLINE: Send application to: Henry Weberpal, 1106 North Jay Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501, or by email to henry.weberpal@ottumwaschools.com. Deadline: November 23, 2025