March 2023

Dear Music Community:

In Spring 2023, Santa Cruz Baroque Festival offers its 21st annual Youth Chamber Music Competition for musicians age 18 and younger in chamber ensembles.

The competition will be held on Saturday May 6, 2023 at Messiah Lutheran Church – 801 High St. Santa Cruz. Judging slots are available from 8am to late afternoon. 

Following the competition on May 6, the awards ceremony takes place at the Emerging Artists Showcase, May 21, at Holy Cross Church. 

• Benefits: Monetary awards of $500, $300, and $200 will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ensembles respectively, to be divided equally among ensemble members. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ensembles, and honorable mentions at our discretion will perform at our Emerging Artists Showcase, May 21, 2023 at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz. Attendance and performance at the Showcase is required in order to receive prize money. Additionally, ensembles performing Baroque era music may be invited to perform in concert IV or V of our regular festival season. Please see scbaroque.org for more information.
• Application Deadline: Competition appointments can be scheduled by completing the google form at https://forms.gle/QDZW4AxdHPC4im5R9 by Friday April 21st. You will then receive confirmation of your appointment by email.
• Competition: The competition will be held on Saturday May 6, 2023 at Messiah Lutheran Church – 801 High St. Santa Cruz. Judging slots are available from 8am to late afternoon, under the supervision of our artistic director, Dr. Linda Burman-Hall. While we take into account schedule preferences for auditions, groups are recommended to be available at any time during the planned judging block. 
• Repertoire: For the competition, all classical music is accepted without bias. 
• Eligibility: The competition is open to musicians 18 years of age or younger on the date of the competition residing in Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Monterey, Santa Clara, or San Benito counties.

By entering the competition, ensemble members affirm their ability to attend the Emerging Artists Showcase on Sunday, May 21. Admission is free for family members and the public, although a $10 donation is appreciated.

Winners of the 2022 YCMC competition, Bellovio Quartet, appeared in our Music in the Parks free concert series, April 3, 2022. Video may be viewed at this link: https://youtu.be/ciBprmc-KUU. 

For additional information about our organization you may visit our website at www.scbaroque.org, email manager@santacruzbaroquefestival.org, or call (831) 457-9693.

Thank you for sharing this opportunity with your talented young musicians and their parents. Please feel free to forward this notice to other interested teachers.

On behalf of the SCBF Board of Directors,

Kate Smit, General Manager