Scholarships for young artists offered by Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Most notably, the winner is given an opportunity to perform in concert with the FWSO.

This young artist is a little on the young side.

FORT WORTH — The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, a national leader in music education, is offering a new scholarship opportunity to talented young artists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Lowe Foundation has committed $5,000 a year for the next five years to provide a scholarship to the FWSO’s Young Artist Concerto Competition winner. The scholarship will be named the Erma Lowe Young Artist Award.

“As a young music student at Paschal High School, I was selected for the Leo Potishman Award,” said FWSO President Ann Koonsman. “This prize had a great impact on my desire to continue my studies as a violinist and pianist, which in turn led to my career in arts administration. I am fortunate to have found my passion, and to have been spurred on with tangible recognition.

“We of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association are deeply grateful to Mary-Ralph Lowe for supporting our music education program in such a meaningful way. The Erma Lowe Young Artist Award will ignite the love of learning and spark musical careers for decades to come.”

Education is one of the most important components of the FWSO’s mission, in the classroom and beyond. Now in its sixth year, the young artist competition helps prepare talented young musicians for a career in the field. They gain valuable experience as they go through the audition process, a finalist selection, and then a live performance of a concerto during the final round -- just as they would in a professional competition or audition. Each round is judged by a committee of FWSO musicians, FWSO Music Director Harth-Bedoya, and Germán Gutiérrez, music director of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth. Perhaps most important, the winner is given an opportunity to perform in concert with the FWSO, an invaluable artistic experience.

The 2011 Young Artist Concerto Competition will take place on April 12. Preliminary round recordings and applications are due by March 18. For more information, visit www.fwsymphony.org/education.

Source: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra