Above: Raymond Feng, 2017 Hertzog winner, performing Frédéric Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor Op. 11
I. Allegro Maestoso with the OSFL on March 11, 2018
I. Allegro Maestoso with the OSFL on March 11, 2018
The Doreen B. Hertzog Concerto & Aria Competition for Young Artists
CompetitionHistory
The Doreen B. Hertzog Concerto/Aria Competition originated as a program of the Elmira Symphony and Choral Society, known as the Young Artists’ Competition that began in the late 1960s. It was later renamed in honor of one of its founders, Doreen B. Hertzog. The merged successor of the Elmira Symphony and Corning Philharmonic, now known as the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, has continued the competition since its formation in 1995. Designed to showcase the finest young musicians, the Hertzog Competition is a vehicle for the OSFL to nurture and support talented young performers throughout the region, from Rochester, NY to Mansfield, PA and beyond. Award and Eligibility The 2023 Doreen B. Hertzog Competition winner will perform one movement of a concerto or aria with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes during the 2023-2024 Season. Students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to audition. Eligible instruments are: piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and voice. The Audition Preliminary Round Contestants will submit a good quality audio recording, performing one movement from a concerto or aria with accompaniment. Recordings should not exceed ten minutes; movements of longer duration must be cut appropriately. Format should be MP3 audio only. No video recordings please. Applications and recordings are due by 12 PM noon on Monday, May 22, 2023. Final Round A maximum of 12 contestants will be selected for the final round, to be held in-person on Saturday, June 3, 2023 in Horseheads, NY. Contestants will perform the same movement as submitted in the preliminary round, from memory. It is mandatory that each student bring his or her own piano accompanist; the OSFL will not provide an accompanist to contestants. Hertzog Competition auditions are very competitive; only one student will be selected to perform with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, and the judges may, at their discretion, decide not to select a winner. The decision of the judges is final. |
Above: Sophia Werner, 2018 Hertzog winner, performing the first movement of Mendelssohn's Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 with the OSFL on March 17, 2019
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Application & Payment
Recording:
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$35 Application Fee
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Pay Fee |
2022 Winner
Isabel Metz, violin
2022 Runner-up
Claire Russell, double bass
Isabel Metz, violin
2022 Runner-up
Claire Russell, double bass
Isabel Metz lives in Alfred Station, NY. She started playing the violin at the age of 5. Her first experiences were as part of a "Twinkle" class offered to the community by Alfred University and taught by OSFL violinist, Lisa Lantz. She previously studied violin with Eugenia Frith Meltzer, and currently studies with OSFL concertmaster, Augusto Diemecke.
Isabel has been a member of the Junior String Orchestra and the University Orchestra at Alfred University. Additionally, she has been a member of the OSFL Junior String Ensemble and the Youth Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes. Isabel has spent multiple summers attending the Ithaca Institute, and will attend the Heifetz International Institute (VA) and the Greenwood Camp (MA) in Summer 2022. Isabel has participated in masterclass with pedagogues Soovin Kim, Almita Vamos, and Midori. In 2021, she was invited to perform as part of a group of kids from around the nation, with soloist Randall Goosby, as part of the Kennedy Center Honors for Midori, televised nationally. Isabel was the winner of the 2021 Heddy Killian Empire State Competition, Junior Instrumental Division. Beginning in Fall 2022, Isabel will attend the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA. |
Claire Russell is a senior at Ithaca High School in Ithaca, NY. She studies double bass with Tristen Jarvis, lecturer at Ithaca College, and Elizabeth Simkin, cello professor emerita at Ithaca College, as well as piano with Andi Merrill at Opus Ithaca. Claire has been studying piano and bass for eleven and eight years, respectively. She has been principal bassist of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra since its founding in 2017, and has had the honor of performing in the NYSSMA All-State Symphony Orchestra in 2021 and 2022, as principal bassist.
This past year, 2022, Claire won the SUNY Fredonia Bass Festival High School Competition and was featured as a performer in the festival’s faculty recital, and she also placed third in the CCO Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. She has studied at several summer music programs, most recently the double bass workshops at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Domaine Forget Academy. Claire takes an active role in the music community at her high school, not only in the orchestra as a performer and co-president, but also in the wind ensemble, pit orchestras, choirs, and various chamber groups. She has taught several masterclasses and mentorships around Ithaca, through the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra outreach program, Opus Ithaca School of Music, and at Boynton Middle School, and she has taught beginning piano students in a private studio. Claire is applying to conservatory for double bass performance this fall. |