Arapahoe Philharmonic’s 2018–2019 T. Gordon Parks Concerto Competition Accepting Applications in November

Denver – The Arapahoe Philharmonic (AP), in support of its ongoing mission to recognize emerging talent in the classical music field, announces the opening of its 2018–2019 T. Gordon Parks Concerto Competition beginning Thursday, November 1, 2018.

This season’s competition is for orchestral wind, brass and percussion players between the ages of 18 and 25 as of March 23, 2019. The winner will be the featured soloist in performance with the Arapahoe Philharmonic on March 23, 2019. Cash awards of $2,000, $1,000 and $500 will be presented to the top three finalists.

The competition is sponsored by Universal Music Company in Thornton, Colorado, and owners Jim and Millie Patterson.

Full eligibility and application requirements are available on our website at http://www.arapahoe-phil.org/competitions/concerto-competition/. All applications must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 16, 2018.

About the Arapahoe Philharmonic

Founded in 1953, the Arapahoe Philharmonic is among the longest established musical resources in Colorado. The organization is dedicated to engaging, enriching and inspiring our community through musical performance, education and outreach. The orchestra’s musicians are primarily volunteers playing for the love of music, with a core of compensated section principals who provide technical leadership and support the excellence of performance.

Concerts feature repertoire spanning the centuries, from the great masters to composers of the current day. The Philharmonic is invested in future generations, presenting an annual Children's Discovery Concert, sponsoring outreach to schools, working with area student honor orchestras, sponsoring a Play-In side-by-side event for high school students  and presenting three collegiate-level competitions, the T. Gordon Parks Concerto Competition and the Vincent C. LaGuardia, Jr. Conducting and Composition Competitions. New initiatives this year include a Family Concert and music therapy-inspired programs for individuals with developmental disabilities and dementia.

About the Music Director

Devin Patrick Hughes is highly regarded for his exhilarating score interpretations, advocacy for music accessibility and promotion of music of our time. He is concurrently serving as Music Director and Conductor of the Arapahoe Philharmonic and Boulder Symphony, and was recently named the Mattie Kelly Distinguished Chair in Music and Conductor for the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in Niceville, FL. He has established himself as a musical leader in the region through previous positions with the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, Denver Young Artists Orchestra, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and Denver Contemporary Chamber Players. In 2010, Hughes was the only American selected with eleven other finalists in the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition in Parma, Italy. He was also selected from hundreds of his peers across the globe to compete in the 2017 Solti International Conducting Competition in Hungary. Hughes was a conducting fellow at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen and has conducted ensembles across North America and Europe, including the Winnipeg Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Green Bay Symphony and Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini. More information may be found at www.devinpatrickhughes.com.  

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