The Youth Concerto Competition concert is a highlight of the year’s season for the Preston Symphony Orchestra. Six finalists are chosen from two rounds of auditions, following which they rehearse their chosen work with the conductor and orchestra in preparation for the competition concert. Concerts generally feature a range of instruments and works from different periods. Applications for the competition open in April and the concert program is announced in June. The concert in 2025 will be conducted by Carlos del Cueto.
The Contestants & Music
Six finalists for the 2025 Youth Concerto Competition were selected at auditions held at Bernie’s Musicland in Ringwood in late May. Many thanks to all those who participated in the auditions, as well as those who entered the competition.
The following young musicians will play at the competition concert on Sunday 14 September (names in alphabetical order).
Raistlin Chan violin
Concerto No. 3 in B minor Op. 61, Camille Saint-Saëns, 3rd movement
Yuelin Cui violin
Symphonie Espagnole, Eduoard Lalo, 1st movement.
Tyler Li piano
Piano Concerto No.2, Rachmaninoff, 1st movement
Gabriel Liu cello
Cello Concerto no. 1 in E minor, Edward Elgar, 4th movement.
Lieun Park cello
Cello concerto Op. 129, Robert Schumann 1st and 2nd movements
Jayden Wayne piano
Piano Concerto No.13 in C major, K.415, Mozart, 1st movement
Carlos del Cueto
Preston Symphony Orchestra is delighted to welcome guest conductor Carlos del Cueto for this concert, the 36th Youth Concerto Competition.
Carlos is now based in Melbourne; he began his music education in his native Mexico, and studied in the US and Britain. He has been Junior Fellow in Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, as well as a BBC Performing Arts Fellow. He has conducted orchestras such as The Hallé, the Manchester Camerata, and the Britten Sinfonia, and was also principal conductor of the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra.
As well as working with the symphonic repertoire, much of Carlos’s work has been with opera, ranging from Monteverdi to modern works, including several world premieres. He was recently chorus master for Victorian Opera’s production of Eucalyptus, and will return with the company next year to conduct The Lyrebird’s Voice.
Carlos is the music director of The Tudor Choristers, holds a PhD in Music from the University of Cambridge, and facilitates programs with Leading Teams Australia, a national leadership and culture organisation that works in the corporate, education, and sports sectors.