A Review of IAA’s Annual Concerto Competition

Written by Alex Zampedri & Xiye Chen

IAA’s annual Concerto Competition is an opportunity for young aspiring musicians to demonstrate their abilities as soloists. Students competed in the Concerto Competition Finals in Corson Auditorium on Oct. 26.

The Concerto Competition has two rounds: a preliminary and a final round. The preliminary round is held within instrument groups: strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, voice, and piano. Students play in front of the instructors of their division, and depending on the number of students who audition, a proportionate number of students are passed to the final round. 

After the preliminary round, students will compete in front of acclaimed musicians around the United States to be judged in the finals. This year's judges included: Pianist Logan Skelton from the University of Michigan; Voice Coach Casey Robards from the University of Illinois; and Violinist Ida Kavafin at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Three winners are selected at the end of each Concerto Competition. This year's winners included vocalist Grace Coon, pianist Olivia Ajero, and cellist Caleb Ryu. These young artists will perform their pieces accompanied by the IAA Orchestra during the second semester, sometime in April. A variety of pieces from composers Rossini, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky will be performed.

Each competitor has a different story behind their piece. For vocalist Grace Coon, “Una Voce Poco Fa” has a very exhilarating story behind it. Grace has been working on this piece for an extremely long time and has loved the piece for an even longer time. 

“I had been wanting to sing it for so long, so when I was assigned it I was extremely happy. I love the piece and the opera it’s from,” said Grace. “The text is so silly so it gives me the ability to act which is always fun.”

She spent a lot of time working on this piece, and this competition meant a lot to her. This piece has had a significant impact on her development as a vocalist, and she has only improved from it. Grace commented, “Well, it’s the hardest piece I’ve ever been assigned to, so the process has taken a long time. I’ve put a lot of care into it and made sure that I am intentional about every note and aspect of the piece.” 

With active participation from different departments across the Music Division, including strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and voice, the 2025 Concerto Competition was extremely intense. Competition winner Caleb Ryu from the cello studio described the level of competition as “exceptionally high.”

He recalled his experience in the process: “Preparing for this competition really pushed my physical and mental limits. In the end, I was extremely proud of all my peers for great performances, and I really enjoyed this experience.”

Each performance in the finals showcased distinct qualities. If you would like to see the webcast for the Concerto Competition finals, you are able to access the webcast here.