2023 Annual Youth Festival
A very important part of Tri-County Concerts' program is its Annual Youth Festival, established in 1943. This is one of the area's most prestigious competitions for aspiring young musicians living in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Auditions are open to high-school and middle-school students in a wide variety of instruments, including piano, strings, winds, voice, and ensembles, as well as a musica diversa category that includes harp, classical guitar, and percussion.
The Youth Festival offers talented students an opportunity to audition before and receive critiques from professional judges. Each year those students deemed outstanding by the judges are given monetary awards; their photos and accomplishments are featured on the Tri-County web site; and they perform at a live winners' recital.
Both teacher pre-registration and student registration are done online. Students must be pre-registered by their teachers by February 28, 2023 before they can register to audition. Auditions are limited to those students who complete registration by April 6, 2023.
Pre-Registration by Teachers
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - Teachers' Pre-Registration Starts
Students must be pre-registered by their teachers by February 28, 2023 before they can register to audition.
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 - Teachers' Pre-Registration Deadline
Registration by Students
Monday, March 13, 2023 - Students' Registration Starts
Students can register starting March 13th. Registration is limited to students who were pre-registered by their teachers by the February 28th deadline.
On the registration form, the student specifies the audition piece he or she will be performing. Please be sure to review the 2023 Youth Festival Guidelines before you register.
Student registration and payment are done online.
Note that registration is not complete until the non-refundable registration fee has been paid using PayPal. Your PayPal receipt is your registration confirmation.
Thursday, April 6, 2023 - Students' Registration Deadline
The last day for students to register, including payment of the registration fee, is April 6th.
Check here if you have registered but not yet made payment.
2023 Auditions
Auditions are limited to those students who complete registration by April 6, 2023.
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Held at Swope Music Building, West Chester University in West Chester, PA (S. Walnut Street).
Morning - Jr. and Sr. Ensembles, Musica Diversa
Afternoon - Jr. Piano
All day - Sr. Piano; Jr. and Sr. Strings, Voice, Winds, and Brass
Winners' Recital
Saturday, June 3, 2023, 7:00 PM
Winners' recital in the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre at Swope Music Building, West Chester University in West Chester, PA 19383
2023 Pre-Registration Materials
Letter to teachers -- important information about pre-registration and the 2023 Youth Festival (PDF file)
For further information, please contact the Youth Festival Directors at tricountyyouthfestival@gmail.com.
Wendy Schmid and Eleanor James, Co-Directors, Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival
We gratefully acknowledge the generous grants from:
We also thank our season sponsors.
Find out more about them by clicking their logos.
