Each spring the California Youth Symphony holds its Young Artist Competition to select soloists for the following season. The competition is open to pianists and instrumental soloists under age 19. A panel of three non-CYS judges choose two young artists to perform a complete concerto or concert piece with the CYS Orchestra during the November or March concert series of the following season.
IMPORTANT: The application fee of $90 for the 2025 Competition is non-refundable, and payments are only accepted through PayPal. Before applying, please pay careful attention to the competition rules and guidelines for acceptable/non-acceptable concerti.
For general competition questions, please contact CYS Operations Manager, Brian McKee, at bmckee@cys.org.
Congratulations to our 2025-26 season prize winners!
The California Youth Symphony is thrilled to announce the winners of this year's Young Artist Competition.
Violinist Kayla Lee will perform Erich Korngold's Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 35, and cellist Aiden Kim will perform Ernest Bloch's Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque with the CYS Senior Orchestra in the 2025-26 season. Honorable Mention goes to violinist Jessie Shang who performed Max Bruch's Violin Concerto no. 1 in G minor.
The competition took place on March 29, 2025, at Cha Chi Ming Recital Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Bowes Center. This year, 20 young musicians participated in the competition, which consisted of a preliminary round and a final round.
All musicians exhibited exemplary musicianship and artistry and showed a broad depth of outstanding talent within the Bay Area. We encourage all applicants to continue their musical studies and further their artistic growth.
Introducing Jessie Nucho | Chair, Young Artists Competition
San Francisco-based flutist Jessie Nucho (she/her) is passionate about sharing both traditional and contemporary music as a chamber musician, soloist, and educator. Jessie performs regularly with the new music ensembles After Everything and Ninth Planet, where she also serves as Artistic Director. As a soloist, Jessie has performed at the National Flute Association Convention, SF’s Center for New Music, the Berkeley Arts Festival, the Hot Air Music Festival, and the Legion of Honor. Jessie is a member of Stolen Time Ensemble and the band Love Can't Save You, Padmé, and she also performs as a substitute flutist with the SF Contemporary Music Players, Empyrean Ensemble, Eco Ensemble, Earplay, and Opera Parallèle. Jessie was a founding member of Siroko Duo, a flute duo dedicated to commissioning and presenting new works in creative spaces. Jessie holds an MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Tim Day. Previous instructors include Alberto Almarza and Jeanne Baxtresser at Carnegie Mellon University.
With over a decade of teaching experience of students at all levels and ages, Jessie currently works as the flute instructor with Music for Minors in the San Mateo Foster City School District, is on faculty at Little Mission Studio in San Francisco, and maintains private studios in San Francisco and on the Peninsula.
