Offered during the Spring Quarter, students may qualify to compete in the Junior Division (up through grade 7) or Senior Division (grades 8 - 11). The Senior Division Competition offers cash prizes ($100, $50, and $25).

Students are judged in private audition with a recognized music authority, such as conductors of the Knoxville Symphony, the KSO Youth Orchestra, or the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra; the head of the UT Music Department; or the WUOT Music Program Manager.

To qualify, students:

• Must be nominated by their instructor
• May not have previously won first prize in their division
• Must be presently studying and have studied with their instructor for a minimum of the past two full quarters
• Must have all accounts currently paid

All participating students and their instructors receive written synopses of the judge's comments, suggestions, and praise. First prize winners in their divisions are not be eligible to compete in the same division the following year.

Past judges have included:

• Carroll Freeman, director of the UT Opera Theater
• Norris Dryer, WUOT Music Director
• Kirk Trevor, Knoxville Symphony Conductor
• Sande MacMorran, Assistant Conductor of Knoxville Symphony and Conductor of Knoxville Youth Symphony
• Kenneth Keeling, Chairman of Music Department of UT

Typically, auditions include no more than eight students, nominated by their instructors. If more than eight in either division are nominated, a preliminary audition is held one to two weeks prior (mid to late April). The auditions are private, although interested family members may wait outside the door if they don't make noise.

Meet the participants from the:

• 1998 Peformance Competition
• 1999 Performance Competition
• 2000 Performance Competition

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