2023-24 / Musical Opportunities

This page is designed to inform our members of musical opportunities available: concerto competitions, concert offers, scholarships, and other musical opportunities. Please use the contact information provided in the listings below for more information

Performance Opportunities

Walnut Hill School for the Arts String Quartet Intensive

The Walnut Hill String Quartet Intensive provides advanced young string players (ages 12–18) an exceptional week of coachings, masterclasses and a private lesson with inspiring faculty dedicated to each students’ growth. Students are placed in a string quartet according to age and level and will work extensively on two pieces from different eras, culminating in a performance at the end of the week. Pre-formed string quartets are also invited to apply. 

The String Quartet Intensive takes place on the beautiful campus of Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA, outside of Boston. Click the link above to learn more.

String Crossings – Belmont University

String Crossings is Belmont University’s annual week-long summer camp where current high school string students learn and perform music from a diverse set of genres including classical, jazz, rock, celtic, swing, and bluegrass. Held from June 18-23, 2023, students have the opportunity to study with Belmont's world-renowned faculty, explore creative musicianship and technique in all styles, participate in interactive performances, and immerse themselves in an exciting week of making music with new friends. Click the link above to learn more.

California Orchestra Academy

Formerly COJAC, the California Orchestra Academy will focus on a different theme each year, combining a premier orchestral experience with mentorship, conducting fellowships, masterclasses, leadership training, and more for participants of all backgrounds. COA faculty and Festival Orchestra players hail from professional orchestras and top universities around the country, and perform side-by-side with Academy participants.
Past performers and instructors include members of the LA Phil, Monterey Jazz Festival, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Monterey Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and professors from Indiana University, Michigan State University, Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, New England Conservatory, UCLA, and more.
Audition applications and excerpts must be submitted by May 15. Full, need-based scholarships are available to students from El Sistema/El Sistema-inspired programs, or to those with qualified financial need. Click the link above to learn more.

Listening & Viewing Opportunities

Nightly Met Opera Streams 

Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall

BSO at Home

Tiny Desk Concerts from NPR

IDAGIO – Classical Music Streaming Service

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Listen to Boston’s premier professional orchestra. Click the link above to view the 2022-2023 season programming. Be sure to get your BSO Family to pass here.

Boston Lyric Opera
Check out the 2022-2023 season schedule by clicking the link

Competitions & Special Opportunities

Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award

The Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award is a one-time, non-renewable, need-based grant of up to $10,000 given in conjunction with full participation in From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship.

Each year, From the Top chooses approximately 20 pre-collegiate musicians ages 8-18 to receive the Award. The Award is given to driven and committed pre-collegiate musicians with financial need to help offset the often prohibitively expensive costs of studying classical music at a high level. Full details regarding the award, including eligibility requirements and application forms, can be found by clicking the link above. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2023.

Charles Williams Scholarship

The Charles Williams Scholarships for Excellence in Music and in the Visual Arts recognize achievement by college-bound Seniors whose families are resident in Concord. The program is supported by The Williams Fund, which was established by one of the Library’s original benefactors, Mr. Charles Williams, at the end of the 19th century.  Applicants are selected by The Williams Scholarship committee, a group of subject matter experts in music and the arts which advises the Library Corporation with regard to the application process. Full details regarding the program, including eligibility requirements and application forms, can be found by clicking the link above. The deadline for submissions is May 5, 2023.

Kronos Quartet Masterclass with the Luna Composition Lab

One of the most celebrated and influential ensembles, the Kronos Quartet joins us for a conversation and workshop on their adventurous approach, commissioning history, and collaborative ethos. Click the link above to register for this free Zoom webinar being held on Monday, April 3 at 7:00pm EDT.