Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra

GDYO Chamber Showcase

The GDYO Chamber Showcase is a unique opportunity for musicians of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.

The competition/showcase will be held in front of a live audience with winners announced at the end of the performance. Afterward, the ensembles will have a chance to meet with the judges and receive feedback on their performance at a post-concert reception.
Attending this concert is free and open to the public.
Deadline to enroll is April 10, 2024

This year’s showcase will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 2:30 pm at the Sammons Center for the Arts.

Rules

  • Musicians can be a member of any GDYO ensemble but must be in grades 9 – 12
  • Musicians from outside the program are welcome to be a member of your ensemble, but 50% of the ensemble must be made up of GDYO members. These musicians must be also in grades 9-12.
  • $40 entrance fee per ensemble. The fee is due with the application. The fee is non-refundable.
  • Ensembles may be any size from duo to larger.
  • Eligible instruments: strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, and piano. [No concertos or piano 4 hands]
  • Work must be no longer than 10 minutes (5-7 is preferred)
  • Ensembles are responsible for selecting and providing their own music.  Must own at least one original copy. Work selected must be originally written for instrumentation performing it. No arrangements or transcriptions are allowed that are outside the traditional repertoire. When in doubt, please ask before submitting, we reserve the right to disallow any piece.
  •  Work must be performed on the instruments it is written for.
  • The previous grand prize-winning group may participate again but must select a new work.
  • Only 10 ensembles in total may compete. The first 10 completed entries turned in will be the ensembles selected to compete.

Prizes

The top ensemble will be the official GDYO Chamber Ensemble and will be the featured ensemble at a pre-concert performance of a Chamber Music International concert (depending on winning ensembles availability)

CMI Concert Saturday, May 27 Location TBD (pre-concert starts at 7 pm)

The top three ensembles may be invited to perform at outside events

Please email: patrick@gdyo.org if you have questions.

Chamber Music FAQ

Is there a cost?

$40 per ensemble.

Who can participate?

Any member of a GDYO ensemble that is in 9th – 12 grade or any 9 – 12 grade students outside the program, as long as the ensemble is made up of 50% or more GDYO members.

What is a GDYO member?

If you are in a GDYO ensemble, you are a GDYO member.

I am in the GDYO, but the other members of my ensemble are in the Philharmonic, can we still enter?

Yes. Anyone in any GDYO ensemble is eligible, as long as they are in 9th – 12th grade.

I am in a trio and two of the other members are not in a GDYO ensemble.

No. That would be 33% GDYO then and therefore not eligible.

One of our members is in Sinfonietta, but she is in 8th grade. Can we enter?

No, your ensemble is not eligible. Students must be in grades 9-12.

Can I have a student accompanist and play a concerto?

No. We already have a concerto competition. This is different.

What music is acceptable?

Anything that is an original chamber composition. No arrangements that are outside the standard repertoire. We want to hear you play Mozart, not an arrangement of Mozart. All selections are subject to approval, so if you are unsure, please ask.

No really, what is chamber music?

For this competition’s purposes, any small ensemble from a duo to a larger, that performs music without a conductor. A quartet is usually the standard example of this, but we allow duos, trios, etc.