There is no other musical event on the Delmarva Peninsula quite like the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s Elizabeth Loker International Concerto Competition. Held annually, this year’s event will take place on March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills.
This competition is a rare occasion for young musicians ages 12 to 25. Ultimately, three finalists will be selected to compete as instrumental soloists, accompanied by the entire 40-plus-musician Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO), conducted by Music Director Michael Repper, a 2023 Grammy winner and 2025 two-time Grammy nominee.
In the last two years, 270 young musicians from 27 states and 16 countries have competed in the Loker Competition.
Violinist Rebecca “Poppy” Song, winner of the 2023 competition, said of the experience, “I was blown away. It was an amazing and unreal experience. Playing with a full symphony orchestra was like performing with millions of maestros.”
Harpist Rebekah Hou, the 2024 winner, was amazed by the audience: “It was a complete surprise to me that the MSO audience was so open to hearing a different kind of music—basically a harp solo. The competition was an awesome experience.”
Twenty semifinalists are chosen from all applicants (through submitted video performance recordings) by a five-judge panel of Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra principal musicians.
The three finalists are selected by Music Director Michael Repper, who sums up what the judges look for: “All the competitors are so talented and exhibit extraordinary technical proficiency. What we look for beyond that is their ability to move you as an audience.” The young musicians compete for $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000 awards, as well as a $500 Audience Choice Award selected in an electronic poll at the concert’s end. The three finalists are judged in concert by a renowned national panel.
Tickets for the competition concert are available at
midatlanticsymphony.org. Music students recommended by their band or orchestra directors or teachers will receive complimentary tickets to the event as part of the MSO’s educational outreach program.
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