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MSO Cello Fellowship 2008-10
$30,000 Stipend per nine-month season

In 1989, The Montgomery Symphony Orchestra (MSO) established a program to promote the concert careers of promising young violinists through its violin fellowship program. Based on the overwhelming success of the violin fellowships, the Symphony expanded the program in 1996 to include a cello fellowship, as well.

The Cello Fellow is encouraged to perform solo engagements, enter competitions, and accept significant outside performance opportunities that may further his or her career during the Fellowship engagement. The Association Board requires, however, that the Fellow establish a residence in Montgomery, Alabama.

Candidates for the 2008 - 2010 Cello Fellowship should have completed their formal musical education and be at the beginning of their professional performing careers.

Fellowship Duties:
As a Guest Artist: Perform a concerto with the MSO on the October 2008 and 2009 classical subscription concerts.

As a Recitalist: Perform three scheduled solo recitals each season in Montgomery. A modest artist fee is provided for pianists.

As the Principal Cello: Serve as the MSO Principal Cello at weekly rehearsals and at the 10 scheduled classical and pops concerts each season of the MSO from October 2008 to May 2010.

Stipend: $30,000 per nine month season

Engagement:
September, 2008 through May, 2010 with June, July and August free. The second season continuation will be jointly agreed upon by the MSO and the Fellow.

About the Orchestra:
The Montgomery Symphony is a volunteer community ensemble of 65 players. Its season runs September through May with five subscription concerts, a pair of educational concerts, and two outdoor pops concerts, plus occasional special performances. The group rehearses each Monday night with two additional rehearsals during the week before a subscription concert.

In designing the Fellowship, the Association Board has taken care to limit the amount of time spent in activities not directly related to furthering the Fellow’s concert career. It is the Board’s intention that this fellowship will assist a young, talented cellist to realize his or her full potential as a concert artist. In turn, the Fellow’s presence in Montgomery assists the Montgomery Symphony in enriching the cultural life of the city and region.

Audition Procedures:
Candidates should submit a CD of a major concerto and at least two contrasting works suitable for recital, a resume, and the names, addresses (regular and email) and telephone numbers (both studio and home) of three people who will serve as references.

Submission Deadline: Postmarked by March 20, 2008
Finalists will be notified in early-April. Final auditions will be held in Montgomery, Alabama on April 28-30, 2008, with travel expenses paid inside the United States.

Final Round

Finalists will be notified in early April. Because travel expenses will be paid within the United States by the Montgomery Symphony, finalists must be completely available all three days of the competition.

Mail to:
Montgomery Symphony
301 N. Hull Street
Montgomery, AL 36104

Montgomery Symphony Violin and Cello Fellows
Violin	Cello
Sun-Young Gemma Shin 2007-2009	Katerina Juraskova 2006 - 2008
Benjamin Sung 2005-2007	Hrant Parsamian 2004 - 2006
Elena Hirsu 2003-05	Alexei Romanenko 2002 - 2004
Peter Rovit 2001 - 2003	Leonardo Altino 2000 - 2002
Yosuke Kawasaki 1999 - 2001	Bo Li 1998 - 2000
Xiang Gao 1998 - 1999	Dariusz Skoraczewski 1996 - 1998
Denitza Kostova 1997 - 1998
Emi Ohi Resnick 1995 - 1997
Rachel Varga 1993 - 1995
Alexander Simionescu 1991 - 1993
Damien Pegis 1989 - 1991

Commonly Asked Questions

Q Does the concerto recording I have to send need to be a complete work?

A No. Send what you have. It does not matter if your concerto is with piano or with orchestra.


Q Does it matter which other pieces I send?

A Yes and No. You do not have to send any specific work but the strongest applications always demonstrate a good knowledge of performances practices across the repertoire and a technique and tone that can support your musical ideas. Simply said, your Bach shouldn’t sound like your Brahms and you need to show some fireworks in addition to a beautiful tone as you put forth your musical ideas. You may send as much music as you need.

Thinking through the pieces (or movements) you will submit, make sure you have given us a good representation of your capabilities as a performer. Sending only four pieces from the 20th century (or Baroque era, etc.) will not do this.


Q If I get to the finals, what will I be expected to play?

A All five finalists will play a movement of a concerto and a movement of an unaccompanied work, both of your choice. The two movements together should not go over about 20 minutes. We will provide a pianist.

Again, try to select music of different eras to give us a fuller understanding of you as a player. Your final round performance can be less than 20 minutes, just not much longer. The finals will be open to the public and the winner will be announced at the end of the night.


Q What if I can’t be in Montgomery all three days of the competition?

A Because we are paying your travel expenses, we need to have complete control of your schedule to insure that we can coordinate the five finalists’ travel arrangements. That said, we will do what we can to work with you.


Q What is the schedule for the final round?

A On Monday, you will come to Montgomery and hear a performance of the Orchestra that night. Tuesday you will interview with the judges, rehearse with the pianist and compete. Wednesday you will go home.

Q Can international students studying in the United States apply for the Fellowship?

A Yes, if they can be authorized to work.  Everyone's situation is a little bit different so it is worth a call to the Symphony office to talk things through.

Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama, the state’s capital city, has a metropolitan population of over 318,000, with more than a half a million people within a 50-mile radius. Montgomery is two and a half hours from Atlanta, an hour and a half from Birmingham, and less than three hours from the beaches of the Gulf Coast.

Its vibrant cultural life is highlighted by the Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park, home of the internationally acclaimed Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which offers varied performances year-round, and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, which has outstanding collections and offers diverse exhibits. Numerous local art, folk, and history museums as well as antique galleries can also be found around the city.

As a southern center for the arts, Montgomery has two dance companies, a chamber music series, and several vocal ensembles.

Central Alabama is home to nine universities and colleges including the University of Alabama’s masters in theatre arts program in conjunction with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

In addition to the Orchestra and Fellowship Series, the Montgomery Symphony Association and its support League sponsor a regional youth orchestra, a summer music camp for strings, a national concerto competition for junior and senior high school students and hosts the Alabama auditions for the Tanglewood Institute.

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MSO Violin Fellowship 2009-11
$30,000 Stipend per nine-month season

In 1989, The Montgomery Symphony Orchestra (MSO) established a program to promote the concert careers of promising young violinists through its violin fellowship program. Based on the overwhelming success of the violin fellowships, the Symphony expanded the program in 1996 to include a cello fellowship, as well.

The Violin Fellow is encouraged to perform solo engagements, enter competitions, and accept significant outside performance opportunities that may further his or her career during the Fellowship engagement. The Association Board requires, however, that the Fellow establish a residence in Montgomery, Alabama.

Candidates for the 2009-2011 Violin Fellowship should have completed their formal musical education and be at the beginning of their professional performing careers.

Fellowship Duties:
As a Guest Artist: Perform a concerto with the MSO on the October 2009 and 2010 classical subscription concerts.

As a Recitalist: Perform three scheduled solo recitals each season sponsored by the MSO Association. A modest artist fee is provided for pianists.

As the Concertmaster: Serve as the MSO’s Concertmaster at weekly rehearsals and at the 10 scheduled classical and pops concerts each season from October 2009 to May 2011.

Stipend: $30,000 per season

Engagement:
September 2009 through May 2011, with June, July and August free. The second season continuation will be jointly agreed upon by the MSO and the Fellow.

About the Orchestra:
The Montgomery Symphony is a volunteer community ensemble of 65 players. Its season runs September through May with six subscription concerts, a pair of educational concerts, and two outdoor pops concerts, plus occasional special performances. The group rehearses each Monday night. Many concerts are on Monday night, too. All concerts will have a dress rehearsal the day before. The four classical concerts will also have an extra rehearsal on the Thursday before the concert.

In designing the Fellowship, the Association Board has taken care to limit the amount of time spent in activities not directly related to furthering the Fellow’s concert career. It is the Board’s intention that this fellowship will assist a young, talented violinist to realize his or her full potential as a concert artist. In turn, the Fellow’s presence in Montgomery assists the Montgomery Symphony in enriching the cultural life of the city and region.

Audition Procedures:
Candidates should submit a CD of a major concerto and at least two contrasting works suitable for recital, a resume, and the names, addresses (regular and email) and telephone numbers (both studio and home) of three people who will serve as references.

Application Deadline: All applications must be received by March 17, 2009.

Final Round

Finalists will be notified in early April. Final auditions will be held in Montgomery, Alabama in late April. Travel expenses will be paid within the United States and finalists must be completely available all three days of the competition.

Mail to:
Montgomery Symphony
301 N. Hull Street
Montgomery, AL 36104

Montgomery Symphony Violin and Cello Fellows
Violin	Cello
Sun-Young Gemma Shin 2007-2009	Katerina Juraskova 2006 - 2008
Benjamin Sung 2005-2007	Hrant Parsamian 2004 - 2006
Elena Hirsu 2003-05	Alexei Romanenko 2002 - 2004
Peter Rovit 2001 - 2003	Leonardo Altino 2000 - 2002
Yosuke Kawasaki 1999 - 2001	Bo Li 1998 - 2000
Xiang Gao 1998 - 1999	Dariusz Skoraczewski 1996 - 1998
Denitza Kostova 1997 - 1998
Emi Ohi Resnick 1995 - 1997
Rachel Varga 1993 - 1995
Alexander Simionescu 1991 - 1993
Damien Pegis 1989 - 1991

Commonly Asked Questions

Q Does the concerto recording I have to send need to be a complete work?

A No. Send what you have.


Q Does it matter which other pieces I send?

A Yes and No. You do not have to send any specific work but the strongest applications always demonstrate a good knowledge of performances practices across the repertoire and a technique and tone that can support your musical ideas. Simply said, your Bach shouldn’t sound like your Brahms and you need to show some fireworks in addition to a beautiful tone as you put forth your musical ideas. You may send as much music as you need.

Thinking through the pieces (or movements) you will submit, make sure you have given us a good representation of your capabilities as a performer. Sending only four pieces from the 20th century (or Baroque era, etc.) will not do this.


Q If I get to the finals, what will I be expected to play?

A All five finalists will play a movement of a concerto and a movement of an unaccompanied work, both of your choice. The two movements together should not go over about 20 minutes. We will provide a pianist.

Again, try to select music of different eras to give us a fuller understanding of you as a player. Your final round performance can be less than 20 minutes, just not much longer. The finals will be open to the public and the winner will be announced at the end of the night.


Q What if I can’t be in Montgomery all three days of the competition?

A Because we are paying your travel expenses, we need to have complete control of your schedule to insure that we can coordinate the five finalists’ travel arrangements. That said, we will do what we can to work with you.


Q What is the schedule for the final round?

A On Monday, you will come to Montgomery and hear a performance of the Orchestra that night. Tuesday you will interview with the judges, rehearse with the pianist and compete. Wednesday you will go home.



Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama, the state’s capital city, has a metropolitan population of over 318,000, with more than a half a million people within a 50-mile radius. Montgomery is two and a half hours from Atlanta, an hour and a half from Birmingham, and less than three hours from the beautiful white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast.

Its vibrant cultural life is highlighted by the Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park, home of the internationally acclaimed Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which offers varied performances year-round, and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, which has outstanding collections and offers diverse exhibits. Numerous local art, folk, and history museums can also be found around the city.

As a southern center for the arts, Montgomery has two dance companies, a professional chamber music series, and several vocal ensembles.

Central Alabama is home to nine universities and colleges including the University of Alabama’s masters in theatre arts program in conjunction with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

In addition to the Orchestra and Fellowship Series, the Montgomery Symphony Association and its support League sponsor a regional youth orchestra, a summer music camp for strings, a national concerto competition for junior and senior high school students and hosts the deep south auditions for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute at www.bu.edu/tanglewood