The Lima Symphony Orchestra’s Friends of the Symphony will be holding their annual Young Artists’ Competition on Saturday, April 28, at Yoder Recital Hall, Bluffton University.  This year’s competition is for voice and strings.

The Junior category consists of students from 17 to 21 years of age, while Senior category consists of students between the ages of 22 and 26.  Auditions will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are open to the public.

After auditions, the judges will determine eight finalists, two from each category, to perform at the Finalists concert on Saturday evening. The Finalists concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Yoder Recital Hall. This event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Competitors hail from throughout the United States and abroad and represent prestigious universities and conservatories all over the country, including the Eastman School of Music, Julliard, Oberlin, The Cleveland Institute of Music, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

Past award winners have gone on to perform at Carnegie Hall and tour internationally.

Finalists may have the opportunity to perform with the Lima Symphony Orchestra, and many have pursued professional careers with world-renowned orchestras.