SMTD Concerto Competition
Music students compete in the Undergraduate Concerto Competition and the Graduate Concerto Competition, held annually at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
The 2026 Concerto Competition finals took place in Hill Auditorium on January 8-9, 2026.
About
The SMTD Concerto Competition has two phases, beginning with departmental preliminary rounds in four categories – piano/keyboard, strings, voice, and winds & percussion. Each department advances up to two undergraduate and two graduate students to compete in the finals, which are held over two days each January. The judges’ panel consists of faculty members from 10 music departments at SMTD.
Winners earn the honor of performing a concerto, aria, or other short work at a future concert of one of SMTD’s large ensembles in the storied Hill Auditorium. They also win a monetary award, known as the Bossart Prize, which was endowed in 1991 by Clyde and Helen Wu in honor of Eugene Bossart, the Earl V. Moore Professor Emeritus of Chamber Music, who taught at U-M from 1954 to 1984.
Prizes
All winners receive a monetary award, the Bossart Prize, and earn the opportunity to perform their selected work at a future concert of the University Symphony Orchestra, the University Philharmonia Orchestra, the Chamber Choir, or another appropriate ensemble.
Eligibility
Students who are enrolled in a music degree program in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance or a music degree program in the Horace Rackham School of Graduate Studies are eligible to compete. Undergraduates must have at least junior standing. Acceptable repertoire for this competition consists of a complete concerto or a selection of movements of a concerto, arias, and other short works accompanied by an orchestra or wind ensemble. The entire work must be memorized by the performer for all rounds of the competition.
Student Applications
The application deadline is Friday, November 21, 2025 at 12:00 pm.
Past Winners
- Anne-Marie Atanga (BMA ’26, voice)
- Tieran Holmes (BM ’26, flute, music education)
- Cezary Karwowski (DMA ’28, piano; MM ’26, fortepiano)
- Grace Ryan (MM ’26, voice)
- Jinzhao Xu (DMA ’28, piano)
- Ellen Hayashi (BM ’25, violin)
- Lauren Troutman (BM ’26, saxophone, music education)
- Catherine Goode (DMA ’26, voice)
- Cheryl Pandora (MM ’26, piano)
- Karl Rueterbusch (BM ’26, percussion)
- Aleks Shameti (BM ’25, piano)
- Leo Schlaifer (MM ’24, saxophone, chamber music)
- Sarina Zhang (DMA ’25, cello)
- Ben Deighton (BM ’24, cello)
- Nathan Landers (BM ’24, clarinet)
- James Koo (MM ’24, percussion, chamber music)
- Nhi Luong (MM ’21, piano, chamber music; DMA ’26, piano)
2022
- Helen LaGrand (BM ’21, cello)
- Yuki Mori (BM ’22, trombone)
- Brian Kachur (BM ’21, MM ’23, saxophone)
- Aiwen Zhang (SM ’22, saxophone)
- Sua Lee (BM ’22, piano)
- Dana Rath (BM ’22, cello)
- Valentin Kovalev (MM ’22, saxophone)
- Alan Williams (MM ’20, SM ’22, voice)
- Salvador Flores (BM ’21, saxophone; MM ’22, saxophone, improvisation)
- Benjamin Penzner (BM ’21, viola)
- Arianna Dotto (DMA ’21, violin)
- Aleksandra Kasman (DMA ’23, piano)
- Krit Kosoltrakul (BM ’20, piano)
- Ayana Terauchi (BM ’20, flute)
- Xiaoya Liu (MM ’21, piano, chamber music; DMA ’21, piano)
- Meridian Prall (MM ’20, voice)
- Yu Chao Weng (BM ’19, violin)
- Jiyuan Zhang (BM ’18, piano)
- Danielle Gonzalez (MM ’19, percussion, chamber music)
- Christine Harada Li (BM ’12, SM ’17, DMA ’20, violin)
2017
- Stuart Carlson (BM ’19, composition, violin; MM ’21, violin; SM ’22, violin)
- Samuel Kidd (BM ’19, voice)
- Kelly Ann Bixby (BM ’06, DMA ’19, voice)
- Caroline Kim (DMA ’19, cello)