Concert info
Author: tg4kcco
2024 Chatelain Young Artist Competition
KCCO is excited to announce our 2024 Chatelain Young Artist Competition!
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Atonement Lutheran Church, Overland Park, KS
Begins at 2:00PM (specific times will be assigned)
RULES & GUIDELINES
- Competitors will perform in front of an audience and competition judges on Sunday, January 14, beginning at 2:00pm. Results will be announced after recital performances.
- The concerto competition is for ages 11–19.
- Perform from standard concerto/art piece between 8–22 minutes. Piece must be memorized.
- Applicants will perform their entire selected movement/work. Cuts can only be taken in the accompaniment.
- The competition is open to all instrumentalists except piano, saxophone, and percussion.
- First Prize: Performance with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra on May 5, 2024, at Helzberg Hall (Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts) and a cash award of $500.00.
- Second Prize: Recognition in our March/May concert program.
- Both first and second place winners may be invited to perform at the May concert.
- Winner(s) must be available for rehearsals on Tuesday, April 25 and May 2 (between 7:30pm–9:30pm) and Saturday, May 6 at Helzberg Hall (between 1–3:30pm.) Specific times within these rehearsals will be assigned at a later date.
- All room/board/transportation is at the expense of the competition participant.
- The $35.00 application fee is non-refundable.
- Competition recital date/time/place is non-negotiable.
- Competition participants must supply their own instrument at audition/performance.
- Competition participants must supply their own accompanist at audition.
- Judges may come from within or may be guests of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra.
- Winner selection will be announced immediately following judge’s deliberation at the end of the recital and emailed at the end of the audition day.
- Judges’ decision is final.
- The Kansas City Civic Orchestra may decide not to award winners/prizes.
Failure to abide by these guidelines and rules may result in participant’s disqualification.
Applications must be received by January 5.
Please contact Music Director Chris Kelts with questions.

Current Season
KCCO’s 64th Season
An Epic Finale!
Our final concert of the 2021/2022 season takes place on May 15 at Helzberg Hall. The performance will open with Borodin’s exciting Polovtsian Dances. Also featured will be Fauré’s beautiful Pelléas et Mélisande Suite and the finale movement of Anton Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 8.
KCCO is also excited to present the first and second place winners of the 2022 Chatelain Young Artist Competition. Making their debuts at Helzberg Hall will be William Savage (11, performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major) and Sophia Monroe (15, playing Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole).
Please note that, while the concert is free, tickets are required. Tickets may be reserved on the Kauffman Center website or by calling the box office at 816.994.7222. Parking is also available ($10, or $18 for valet parking) and may be purchased when you reserve your tickets.
Concert Program
Polovtsian Dances (Alexander Borodin)
Chatelain Young Artist Solos
William Savage (cello) performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major
Sophia Monroe (violin) performing Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole
Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80 (Gabriel Urbain Fauré)
Prélude (quasi adagio)
Fileuse (andantino quasi allegretto)
Sicilienne (allegro molto moderato)
Mort de Mélisande (molto adagio)
Symphony No. 8, in C minor, WAB 108, Haas Ed. (Anton Bruckner)
Finale: Feierlich nicht schnell – langsamer
2022 Chatelain Young Artists
This year’s Chatelain Young Artist competition drew several extremely talented musicians. For the first time ever, KCCO judges invoked the option to have both first and second place winners perform at our season finale concert at Helzberg Hall. Meet our winners!
First Place Winner, Will Savage
11-year old Will Savage is in fifth grade at Lakewood Elementary School in Overland Park. Will studies cello with Susie Yang and plays in the Youth Symphony of Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra. He started studying when he was three with Sheila Kilcoyne in Washington state, after falling in love with the cello and begging to start lessons as a one-year-old. Will dreams of playing Mahler as a cellist in the New York Philharmonic and writing a symphony someday. He also enjoys basketball, ping-pong, swimming, board games, Lego, math, reading, and cheering on the Chiefs.
Second Place Winner, Sophia Monroe
Sophia Monroe is a 15-year-old violinist from Overland Park, Kansas. Sophia began studying the violin at the age of two with Christy Paxton in Bentonville, AR. As a teenager she studied under the instruction of Rebecca Metzger-Cutler, and she currently studies with Dr. Zsolt Eder. Sophia has had the privilege of performing with the Ozark Festival Orchestra as a soloist. She was also thrilled to perform as a soloist with the Fort Smith Symphony as part of the “Earquake!” concert series. During the concert series, she was able to share her love of music and the arts as she performed for over 5,000 local children. Sophia has also been privileged to take masterclasses with various artists such as Time for Three, Elizabeth Pitcairn, and Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt. She also volunteers her time to perform at nursing homes and VA homes. In her free time, Sophia enjoys ice skating and origami.
Praise for Senior Outreach Performances (Jan/Feb 2022)
Our staff and residents are still talking about your amazing performance a week later. You brought so much joy to our community. We are looking forward to having you back very soon!!Kathy, Novel Place
Jennifer, Just wanted to say thank you so much for coming today! You are such a blessing to come every month and share your talent with us!Susan, Mission Chateau

2022 Chatelain Young Artist Competition
2022 Chatelain Young Artist Competition
Thank you to the young artists who registered for this season’s competition! Stay tuned for the announcement of our winner.
How to enter:
- Review the competition rules below.
- Download the application form.
- Mail the form and your $35 application fee to Kansas City Civic Orchestra, P.O. Box 224, Shawnee Mission, KS 66201.
- (Registration is closed.)
Competition Rules and Guidelines
- All entries will perform in front of competition judges on Sunday, February 27, 2:00pm.
- The concerto competition is for ages 11-19.
- Perform from standard concerto/art piece of substantial length, between 8 – 22 minutes total.
- Applicants will perform their entire selected movement/work. Cuts can only be taken in the accompaniment.
- The competition is open to all instrumentalists except piano, saxophone, and percussion.
- First Prize: Performance with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra on May 15, 2022, at Helzberg Hall (Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts) and a cash award of $500.00.
- Second Prize: Recognition in our March and May concerts.
- Kansas City Civic Orchestra reserves the right to have both first and second place winners perform at the May performance.
- Winner(s) must be available for rehearsals on: Tuesday, May 3 & 10 (between 7:30pm–9:30pm) and Sunday, May 15 at Helzberg Hall (between Noon–2pm.) Specific times within these rehearsals will be assigned at a later date.
- All room/board/transportation is at the expense of the competition participant.
- The $35.00 application fee is non-refundable.
- Competition recital date/time/place is non-negotiable.
- Competition participants must supply their respective instrument at audition/performance.
- Competition participants must supply their own accompanist at audition.
- Judges may come from within or may be guests of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra.
- Winner selection will be announced and emailed at the end of the audition day.
- Judges’ decision is final.
- The Kansas City Civic Orchestra may decide not to award winners/prizes.
Failure to abide by these guidelines and rules may result in participant’s disqualification.
Dementia360/KAIROS Memory Cafe’ Outreach
Corinth Elementary Outreach
Outreach coordinator Jennifer Mitchell’s visit to Corinth Elementary on October 7 was a big hit! Beautiful weather allowed for a safely distanced outdoor performance.

2019-2020 Chatelain Young Artist Theodore Ohly
KCCO was honored to be joined by Theodore Ohly, winner of our 2019-2020 Chatelain Young Artist Competition, at our April concert at Yardley Hall. Due to Covid safety precautions, this performance was pre-recorded without a live audience. It is available to view on our YouTube channel. Theodore performed symphonie espagnole (mvt. 1).
Theodore Ohly, 14, began studying violin at age 5. He took Skype lessons with Julian Meyer of Philadelphia, who had been his mother’s teacher for three years. When the Ohly family moved to the Kansas City area in 2015, he began studies with Noah Geller, concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony. Currently, he studies with ChiaFei Lin, associate concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony. Theodore is a member of the Ohly trio, along with his brother Oscar (cello) and sister Lucy (violin). He was concertmaster of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City Academy Orchestra during the 2019-2020 season. Theodore also plays soccer, runs, and is on the SMNW tennis team. He is currently a freshman at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.
We look forward to resuming our Chatelain Young Artist Competition in our 2021-2022 season.