Would YOU like to be our soloist in 2026?
Win the chance to perform a concerto with the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra, one of London’s leading and longest established amateur orchestras plus a prize of £150. The winner will perform their chosen concerto with ERSO in our October 2026 concert.
Check out the rules and how to apply at Entering ERSO’s Soloist of the Year competition
We will select up to 4 finalists to share an afternoon of rehearsal working on their chosen concerto with ERSO and will receive extensive feedback from the orchestra, our conductor Chris Stark and professional leader John Crawford.
Applications are open to anyone over 18 years of age, of any nationality, who has played in at least one ERSO concert in the 2025-26 season and also the June 2025 concert.
All orchestral instruments are eligible other than piano.
The competition is a key part of our year and we love hearing the amazing contestants at audition and working with the four finalists in a half day rehearsal. Choosing the winner is always really hard, but once that’s done then we have a great time working with the winner in rehearsal and performance.
Winners to date:
2018 – Callie Brennan, violin, who played Walton’s Violin Concerto
2019 – Henry Hargreaves, cello, who played the Schumann Cello Concerto
2020 – Grady Hassan, tuba, who also had a special piece composed for him by Alex Papp, the winner of our composer competition. Grady performed the Vaughan Williams tuba concerto with ERSO in June 2021 and the new Papp piece “Flashes of Light in a Hall of Mirrors” at the Dukes Hall for our 90th Birthday concert.
2022 – Iza Stocka, violin, who played the Brahms Violin Concerto
2023 – June Lee, violin, who played the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
2024 – Laura Kim, violin, who played Saint Saens Introduction Rondo and Capriccioso
2025 – Emily Ambrose (bassoon) and Basil Alter (violin) were chosen as joint winners and will perform the Hummel Bassoon Concerto and Korngold’s Violin Concerto in our 2025/6 season.
Over the 8 years that the competition has been in existence, we have offered solo opportunities to all of these winners and finalists:
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