Concerto & Aria Competition

UT San Antonio Symphony Orchestra  
Concerto & Aria Competition, 2026-27 

The UTSA School of Music Concerto & Aria Competition provides outstanding music students with the opportunity to perform as featured soloists with the university's premier large ensembles: the Symphony Orchestra and the Wind Symphony. The competition consists of a Preliminary Round held within each applied area and a public Final Round adjudicated by a panel of distinguished external judges. 

 Interpretation of these rules and procedures is determined by the Ensemble Directors in consultation with the School of Music Area Coordinators. 

Eligibility 

• All full-time, degree-seeking music majors enrolled in private instruction during the semester of the competition may audition with approval from their applied professor.  

• Candidates must remain enrolled full-time and be in good standing with the School of Music during the semesters of the competition AND the performance.  

• Students may win once as an undergraduate and once as a graduate student.  

Dates and Locations 

Application Deadline 

• Monday, November 23, 2026, 4:30 p.m. 

Preliminary Round 

• Held during each area's jury examinations in the Final Exam Week (December 7–9, 2026). 

• Applicants should contact their Area Coordinator for the exact jury date, time, and location. 

Final Round 

• The Final Round will be held in the UTSA Recital Hall on Thursday, December 10, 2026, beginning at 4:00 p.m. 

Final Round 

• The Final Round will be held in the UTSA Recital Hall on Thursday, December 10, 2026, beginning at 4:00 p.m. 

Application 

• Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 23, 2026. 

• Repertoire must be approved by the student's applied instructor AND the respective ensemble director (Director of Orchestras or Director of Bands) before the application deadline. 

• Students may submit a maximum of two applications, each for a different work (e.g., one concerto and one double concerto).  

• A non-refundable $30 entry fee must be submitted online. Applicants who need financial assistance to cover the entry fee should contact the Director of Orchestras. 

Application      Application Fee

Competition Procedure 

The competition consists of two rounds. 

Preliminary Round 

• For all students applied for the competition, the regular jury examination will also serve as the Preliminary Round of the Concerto & Aria Competition. Each applied area will conduct its Preliminary Round during Final Exam Week. 

• Each area may advance up to two finalists to the Final Round. 

• Areas are encouraged to advance only their most outstanding performers, regardless of the accompanying ensemble for which the student is auditioning. (For example, an area may advance two finalists whose selected repertoire is to be performed with the Wind Symphony.) 

Final Round 

• The Director of Orchestras will serve as the competition chair and coordinate all Final Round logistics, including the rehearsal/performance schedule and communication with the students and judges. 

• The Final Round is open to the public and will be conducted as a formal performance. 

• All judges' decisions are final. 

Distinguished Jury 

• The Preliminary Round jury will be determined by the Area Coordinators. 

• The Final Round jury will consist of three external judges invited by the Director of Orchestras. Faculty and Area Coordinators may nominate potential judges early in the fall semester. 

• Winners will be announced via email immediately following the judges' deliberations. 

• Written comments from the Final Round judges will be provided to all finalists. 

Repertoire Requirements 

• Eligible repertoire includes concerto movements, solo works with Orchestral or Wind Band/Concert Band accompaniment, and operatic or concert arias. 

• Works for one to four soloists are accepted. 

• The selected work must have published Orchestral or Wind Symphony parts and scores that are commercially available for rental or purchase. 

• If published accompaniments are available for both ensembles, applicants should indicate their preferred ensemble on the application form. Final ensemble assignment will be determined by the external judges in consultation with the competition chair. 

• Maximum repertoire length is 20 minutes for instrumental works and 15 minutes for vocal works. 

Accompanists 

• All finalists are responsible for providing their own accompanists for both rounds. 

• Students must include the name of their accompanist on the application form. 

Audition Format 

• Applicants must prepare the entire selected work or movement for both the Preliminary and Final Rounds. The judges reserve the right to stop a performance at any time after hearing sufficient material for evaluation. 

• Memorization is strongly encouraged for both the Final Round and the winners' performance. 

• The Final Round schedule will be posted two days prior to the competition.  

• Each finalist will receive a scheduled rehearsal time in the hall between 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on the day of the Final Round. 

Winners 

• Up to two winners will be selected to perform with each of the premier ensembles. (up to total of 4 winners) 

• Winners must perform the same work presented during the competition. 

• Competition winners will perform as guest soloists with the:  

• Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, April 15, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. in the UTSA Recital Hall. 

• Wind Symphony on Sunday, April 25th, 2027, at 3:00p.m. in the UTSA Recital Hall 

• Applicants must confirm their availability for the concert date of the ensemble for which they are applying. If a winner is unavailable for the scheduled performance, the opportunity will be forfeited, and the performance will not be rescheduled. 

• Winners must be available for all ensemble rehearsals during the month preceding the performance. Regular rehearsal times are: 

• Symphony Orchestra, MWF, 12:00–1:30 p.m. 

• Wind Symphony, MWF, 2:00-3:30 p.m. 

Questions 

For questions regarding the competition, please contact: 

Director of Orchestras: Asieh Mahyar — asieh.mahyar@utsa.edu 
Director of Bands: Ron Ellis — ron.ellis@utsa.edu  

Area Coordinators 

For jury dates, times, and locations, please contact your Area Coordinator. 

Brass: Oswaldo Zapata Correa — Oswaldo.Zapata@utsa.edu  
Guitar: Isaac Bustos — Isaac.Bustos@utsa.edu 
Keyboard: Kasandra Keeling — Kasandra.Keeling@utsa.edu  
Percussion: Sherry Rubins — Sherry.Rubins@utsa.edu  
Strings: Nicole Cherry — Nicole.Cherry@utsa.edu  
Voice: John Nix — John.Nix@utsa.edu  
Woodwinds: Rachel Woolf — Rachel.Woolf@utsa.edu