Young Artist
Competitions
Bolz Young Artist Competition
2024 Competition Information
There will be three rounds of competition:
Preliminary Round: Saturday, January 6, 2024
Semi-Final Round: Friday, January 12, 2024
Final Round (The Final Forte): Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at Overture Center for the Arts
Register for the Competition by Friday, December 15
About The Final Forte
The Bolz Young Artist Competition is a highly-regarded statewide competition in which Wisconsin’s young musicians compete for scholarships and the opportunity to perform as soloists with the MSO. The competition is open to Wisconsin residents in grades 9-12. Previous winners may not compete in consecutive years on the same instrument. Contracted musicians of the MSO are ineligible.
The four semi-finalists compete in The Final Forte, which will be broadcast on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio. Each winner receives a $2000 scholarship and the Marian Bolz Prize for Distinguished Musical Achievement or the Steenbock Youth Music Award. Up to two Honorable Mention scholarships of $1000 may also be awarded.
Contact Director of Education and Community Engagement Lisa Kjentvet at with any questions.
Thank you to our partners
The Bolz Young Artist Competition is made possible by a generous endowment from
The Eugenie Mayer Bolz Family Foundation
Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte concert and broadcasts are the result of a historic partnership among
Major funding provided by
Diane Ballweg
W. Jerome Frautschi
Fred and Mary Mohs
Additional funding provided by
Irving and Dorothy Levy Family Foundation, Inc.
Elizabeth Olson
Sentry Insurance Foundation
Darcy Kind and Marc Vitale
James Dahlberg and
Elsebet Lund
Kato Perlman
Trust Point
James Baldwin and
Alexis Buchanan
Friends of PBS Wisconsin
Julie and Larry Midtbo
Cyrena and Lee Pondrom
Dr. A. Beyer-Mears
Focus Fund for the Arts
Special thanks to Farley’s House of Pianos for providing the pianos for our Young Artist Competition auditions
