Young Artists Auditions

69th Annual DuPage Symphony Orchestra
Young Artists Auditions

Auditions took place on Sunday, February 2, 2025
Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville, IL

Please check back in the fall for details on our 2026 Young Artists Audition!

Through its annual Young Artists Auditions, the DuPage Symphony encourages serious study and musical excellence among young musicians, and provides an important performance opportunity for the winner. The audition experience itself is designed to be both educational and rewarding for all participants. All entrants will be evaluated by experienced judges, and will receive written comments and suggestions based on their auditions.

The First Place Winner receives a cash award of $500 and the opportunity to appear as a soloist with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra. The Second Place Winner receives $300 in cash.

2025 Winners:

Second Prize Winner
Elle Cho

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First Prize Winner
Joseph Gallwas

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Honorable Mention
Adi Bawiskar

coming soon

2025 Judges:

Pattie Barnes

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Mara Gallagher

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Emma Germann

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Past Winners & Judges

2024 Competition Winners

Photo credit: CYSO/Ed Spinelli

First Place

Henry Auxenfans, violin

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Second Place

Kenneth Gallwas, piano

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Honorable Mention

Joseph Gallwas, piano

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2024 Judges:

Daniel O'Connell

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Katherine Petersen

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Brayer Teague

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2023 Competition Winners

Tristan Zhu_YAA First Prize 2023

First Place

Tristan Zhu, violin

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Second Place

Jeffery Tong, cello

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Honorable Mentions

Sofia Radovic
violin and viola

Elizabeth Romanyuk
piano

Elle Cho
violin

2023 Judges:

Joanne May

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Ani Gogova

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Sean Kelley

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2022 Competition Winner

William Tan

First Place

William Tan, cello

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Second Place

Ella Saputra, violin

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Honorable Mention

Sofia Radovic, Viola
Melody Xu, Piano
Recognition: Landon Kim 

2022 Judges:

Susan Chou

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Kevin Kosobayashi

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Gail Sonkin

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Support the DuPage Symphony Orchestra

Through its annual Young Artists Auditions, the DuPage Symphony encourages serious study and musical excellence among young musicians, and provides an important performance opportunity for the winner. The audition experience itself is designed to be both educational and rewarding for all participants. All entrants will be evaluated by experienced judges, and will receive written comments and suggestions based on their auditions.

The First Place Winner will receive a cash award of $500.00 and the opportunity to appear as a soloist performing for 10-15 minutes with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra during the 3:00 PM concert on Sunday, March 16, 2025. The Second Place Winner will receive $300.00 in cash.