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Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Announces Finalists for the Elizabeth Loker International Concerto Competition
The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) has selected the three finalists for the final round of the fifth annual Elizabeth Loker International Concerto Competition, presented as a live concert on Sunday, March 15 at 3:00 PM at the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Maryland, bringing outstanding young instrumental soloists from across the United States and around the world to the Eastern Shore.
Backed by the more than 40 musicians of the full Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, the final round features three finalists selected from an international applicant pool through two preliminary rounds of adjudicated video submissions. Over the past three years alone, 398 young musicians from 27 states and 16 countries across Europe, Asia, the Pacific Rim, the South Pacific, and North America have participated in the competition, reflecting its rapidly growing international reputation. The Competition is unique in the world of similar events for young instrumental musicians. Almost all other major competitions for young soloists are performed only with piano accompaniment or solo. This singular opportunity to perform and compete backed by a leading professional symphony orchestra is very rare and attracts record entries.
The three finalists will perform their complete concertos in a unique concert and competition all in one, offering a remarkable experience for both performers and audiences. In addition to international recognition and professional exposure, the Competition awards $9,000 in cash prizes, including $5,000 for First Prize, $2,500 for Second Prize, $1,000 for Honorable Mention, and a $500 Audience Prize, and offers finalists the opportunity to perform with the full Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Grammy Award–winning Music Director Michael Repper.
This year’s finalists represent extraordinary artistic achievement and promise. Violinist Sophia Werner of New York City will perform Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. A Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School, Werner won the 2024 Juilliard Concerto Competition and has appeared as a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. She regularly serves as Concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra and has performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and David Geffen Hall.
Pianist Brielle Perez, also based in New York City, will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major. Praised for her expressive artistry and musical sensitivity, Perez is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at The Juilliard School and has performed extensively across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. She is a First Prize winner of the 2025 Juilliard Mieczysław Munz Piano Scholarship Competition and was recently featured on WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase.
Violinist Mio Imai of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will perform Dvořák’s Violin Concerto. At just fifteen years old, Imai has already appeared as a soloist with major orchestras in the United States and Europe, including the Nashville Symphony and Vancouver Symphony. A multiple international competition laureate, she studies with Kimberly Fisher of The Philadelphia Orchestra and is widely recognized as one of the most compelling young violinists of her generation.
The final round will be judged by a distinguished panel including Edward Polochick, longtime Music Director of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and a respected conductor and educator; Dr. Laura Colgate, Concertmaster of the National Philharmonic and co-founder and Artistic Director of the Boulanger Initiative; and Qing Li, Principal Second Violin of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to the final competition concert, MSO will host a Preview Evening on Saturday, March 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Academy Art Museum, where each finalist will present a short recital. This informal event offers audiences an intimate preview of the artistry and talent that will take center stage with the orchestra the following afternoon.
According to Maestro Repper, the Elizabeth Loker International Concerto Competition has become “world class” in just a few short years. “Young musicians can tell when something is genuine,” Repper says. “This Competition treats them with respect, care, and seriousness, and word spreads quickly when that happens. Its growth comes from trust—and from the feeling that this is a place where young artists are truly supported, not just evaluated.”
Tickets and additional information are available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.
ABOUT THE MID-ATLANTIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is the only professional symphony orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore with a full season of programs. The MSO is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Talbot County Arts Council, the Worcester County Arts Council, the Sussex County (Delaware) Council, and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.
A complete schedule of the 2025-2026 season’s Masterworks and Ensembles programs, including venues, times, and other details, is available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.
