On the afternoon of May 18, 2024, an amazed and eager audience gathered in the beautiful theater of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts once again to hear five incredible young musicians perform with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in the final round of HSO’s 46h Young Artists Competition.

This year’s competition began in the Fall of 2023, with an application deadline of February 1, 2024. As in every year, the competition is open to all Connecticut high school students, grades 9 through 12. When the application deadline closes, judges begin the arduous task of selecting the ten semi-finalists, who are invited to perform in a live second round. Five finalists are selected for the final round, in which each finalist performs with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, conducted by HSO Assistant Conductor Adam Boyles, in a thrilling public performance, a rare opportunity for a high school musician.

Our five finalists and prize winners were:

First Place winner: Michael Sigal, a senior at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, performed the first movement of the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor. Michael will be attending the University of Indiana in the fall as a double major in foreign policy and violin performance.

Second Place winner: Eli Gold, a junior at Simsbury High School, performed the first movement of the Séjourné Concerto for Marimba.

Third Place winner: Jackson Hill, a home-schooled student from West Hartford, who performed the first movement of the Walton Concerto for Viola. Jackson, already a student in the Juilliard Pre-College division, has been accepted to Juilliard College in the fall.

Our two runners up this year were: 

Matthew Li, a sophomore at the Loomis Chafee School in Windsor, CT, performed the first movement of the Mozart Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major for French Horn;  

Max Salzinger, a junior at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT, performed the first movement of the Dvo?ák Concerto in B minor for Cello.

This year, our three judges included:

Dr. Luis Victor Markiw, pianist, Distinguished Lecturer at the University of New Haven; 
Sophie Shao, cellist, Associate Professor of Music, University of Connecticut, and 
Dr. Gaylon Robinson, Director of Choral Activities, Central Connecticut State University. 

The remarkable artistry, musicianship and maturity of our five finalists treated the audience to an exceptional afternoon. The event was free and open to all, as was the post-concert reception, giving all audience members the opportunity to meet our young musicians.

The high level of talent makes this one of the premier high school competitions in the northeast. Money for the three finalists and a chance to perform with a professional orchestra is a rare opportunity indeed. 

As we all know, none of this is possible without the generosity of an incredible group of donors, who know that without the support of the community, opportunities such as this would be impossible. We gratefully acknowledge our sponsors and donors:

Lead sponsors:

The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Nancy and Jeffrey Hoffman

With additional support from:
Acorn Alcinda Foundation
Donna Collins
Hollis Dorman
Wendy M. Haller
Laura Harris & Joe Solodow
Barbara & Jerry Hess
Helen & Don Hughlett
Mary & Frank Petras
Diane & Gary Whitney

A huge thank you to ALL of our donors and to all who attended the performance, making this year’s competition a huge success! Stay tuned for information on the 2025 competition and please help spread the word!