Young Artist
Competitions
The Final Forte
The 2026 Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte, FREE Live Concert and Competition will take place on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m. in Overture Hall!
Meet our 2026 Final Forte Finalists
Lorenz Fradkin-Annen
Violin
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Cadenza & 4th movement
Cordelia Momo Fredrickson
Violin
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1, 1st movement
Zachary Lemke
Marimba
Abe Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra
André Peck
Piano
Prokofiev Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, Op. 10
About The Final Forte
Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte is a free concert that is broadcast live on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio. This competition has captured an enormous following and numerous honors, including an Emmy nomination, First Place in the “Special Interest” category from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association in 2007, and fifth most-watched program in the February 2007 Nielsen ratings. The 2008 broadcasts reached more than 60,000 viewers and listeners in the Madison market alone and the 2009 broadcasts reached an estimated 200,000 statewide.
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 finalists compete in The Final Forte, which will be broadcast on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio. Each winner receives a $2,000 scholarship and the Marian Bolz Prize for Distinguished Musical Achievement or the Steenbock Youth Music Award. The first place winner will perform at the Spring Young People’s Concert for an audience of their peers on Thursday, March 5, at 10:00 a.m. Two Honorable Mention scholarships of $1,000 will also be awarded.
Discover more about our past winners and presentations of The Final Forte!
2024
Read the Recap Story
2023
Read the Recap Story
2020
Press Release
The Final Forte and Spring Young People’s Concert
2019
Meet our Final Forte Finalists
Congratulations to The Final Forte 2019 Winners
Performing with the Madison Symphony Orchestra is really a remarkable experience. Working with so many great musicians and Maestro John DeMain inspired me to bring my own playing to a new level. It brought my understanding of my own musicianship and my piece to a different place. It is rare for anyone to work with such a skilled orchestra and conductor, let alone musicians of my age. To be given the entire experience of performing with an orchestra, from speaking with the conductor to the rehearsals and to the concerts, is an experience and opportunity of a lifetime. It has taught me so much as a musician and a person.
This was a deeply meaningful event for me because it was my first solo appearance with an orchestra. It truly felt like a dream.
It is an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to feel the commitment and energy of these young performers and to reflect on the central role the arts play in our lives. I look forward to these events with great joy
View photos from The Final Forte, previous performances.
Click images for captions.
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 for Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte is provided by:
W. Jerome Frautschi
Diane Ballweg
Barbara and Norm Berven
Elizabeth Olson, in memory of Modesta Olson
Additional funding provided by:
James Dahlberg and Elsebet Lund
Cyrena and Lee Pondrom
Julie and Larry Midtbo
Kato Perlman
Sonya Beutler Sauer, in memory of Robert Sauer
Sentry Insurance Foundation
Trust Point
Darcy Kind and Marc Vitale
Joan, Carolyn, Julia, Cathy, and John, in honor of their grandparents Eugenie & Adolph Bolz and parents Marian & Jack Bolz
Dr. A. Beyer-Mears
Nick and Judith Topitzes
Jim and Jessica Yehle
Charles and Anita Williams
The Focus Fund for the Arts
Friends of PBS Wisconsin