STEEL CITY YOUTH
STRING COMPETITION

Presented by opus Overnight

Saturday, January 30, 2027

For more information, contact Lydia Miller Choorapuzha, [email protected].

STEEL CITY YOUTH STRING COMPETITION

Presented by opus Overnight | Sat, Jan 30, 2027

The Steel City Youth String Competition was founded in 2022 by violinist and educator Lydia
Miller Choorapuzha in response to a need for additional performance and growth opportunities
for young string musicians in the Pittsburgh region.

For its first five years, the competition was hosted by the PYCO School of Music. The
competition provided students with a meaningful goal to work toward, the experience of
performing in a competitive setting, and thoughtful feedback from distinguished adjudicators
from outside the Pittsburgh region. Past adjudicators have included James Lyon of Penn State,
Erin Ellis and Andrea Houde of WVU, and Roger Zahab of the University of Pittsburgh.

In its sixth year, the competition begins a new chapter as the Steel City Youth String
Competition, hosted by Opus Overnight. While the name and host organization have changed,
the purpose remains the same: to give young musicians an opportunity to prepare with
intention, perform with confidence, receive an independent professional perspective, and grow
through the experience.

The competition is now part of Opus Overnight’s expanding commitment to creating meaningful educational and performance opportunities for young string musicians.


Adjudicator: Mei LiuOriginally from Dalian, China, Mei Liu is a violinist currently pursuing a Master of Music in
Chamber Music as the first violinist of the Soha Quartet at the University of Texas at Austin with
Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer. She also earned her Artist Diploma and Master of
Music under the mentorship of Professor Sandy Yamamoto at UT Austin. Prior to her time in
Austin, she earned dual bachelor's degrees in Violin Performance and Psychology from Arizona
State University, studying with Dr. Katherine McLin. Mei has performed as Concertmaster and
Principal Second Violin with ASU and UT Austin and is a substitute section violinist with the
Austin Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, she was one of the winners of the Austin Civic
Orchestra Rising Stars competition and finalists of the Young Texas Artists Competition, and she
has performed with the Austin Civic Orchestra and the Central Texas Medical Orchestra. She
has played for world-renowned musicians such as Stella Chen, Frank Huang, Midori, Norman
Fischer, Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, and members of the Miró, St. Lawrence, Balourdet,
Isidore, Verona, and Borromeo Quartet. As a chamber musician, Mei has collaborated with
Zlatomir Fung, Anton Nel, Tim Cobb, Alice Yoo, Sandy Yamamoto, Susan Dubois, Shannon
Thomas, Lynn Chang, Ann Marie Brink, and Wilhelm Magner.

For more information, contact Lydia Miller Choorapuzha, [email protected].

STEEL CITY YOUTH STRING COMPETITION

Presented by opus Overnight | Sat, Jan 30, 2027

Eligibility:
- The Steel City String Competition is for students of violin, viola, cello, and bass.
- Participants must live or study in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
- The competition will take place on Saturday, January 30 th , 2027 from 9am-3pm. Audition times
will be sent in early January.
- The Winners Recital will take place on Saturday, February 13 th , 2027 at 7pm. Students MUST be
available to perform on the Winners Recital in order to be considered for a prize.
- Students are eligible to win the monetary Division Prizes once in each age category and the
Special Prize once per lifetime. Previous prize winners are always to welcome to participate for
consideration for the Winners Recital.
- All members of a chamber ensemble must be available for the Winners Recital in order to be
considered for a prize.
- Students may enter twice – once in the solo division and once in the chamber division.

Age and Requirements:
- Elementary Division (age 11 and under): Prepare one piece.
- Intermediate Division (age 12–14): Prepare one piece.
- Senior Division (age 15–18): Prepare two pieces in contrasting styles by different composers.
- Chamber Division: Prepare one piece or one movement of a piece.
- Determine your student’s age as of January 1, 2027. Students whose birthday is on January 1
should compete in the younger category.

Solo Division Competition Details:
Students in the solo division are required to play all works by memory, except Classical, Romantic or Modern sonatas. Students in the chamber division are not required to memorize their pieces. Students must prepare complete works or complete single movements; cuts are encouraged in piano tutti sections. Because the audition time may be shorter than the entire length of the piece(s), teachers should suggest appropriate cuts for the audition presentation. However, students are expected to prepare the entire
piece(s), and the judges may ask for any portion outside of the cuts the teacher suggests.

Elementary and Intermediate level students are scheduled in 6-minute audition slots to play a maximum of 4 minutes of music from one piece. Senior level students are scheduled in 10-minute audition slots to play a maximum of 8 minutes of music from two contrasting pieces.

The competition timer will begin timing when the audition performance begins, and will stop students at the conclusion of their 4- or 8-minute time limit. Tuning to the piano prior to a performance is not included in the playing time limits, but any transition time needed between the two pieces for Senior level students is, as the clock only stops at the end of the maximum allotted playing time. The remaining two minutes of each audition slot allows for passing time between students, tuning of the next student, and for judges to finalize their thoughts and feedback in written comments. As a courtesy and to receive more detailed comments, please provide a copy of your music for the judges.

Chamber Division Competition Details:
Students should tune prior to entering the competition room. Groups should be prepared to perform their entire movement for the judge. A copy of the score must be provided to the judge.

Accompanists:
Selections composed with accompaniment must be performed with a piano accompanist. Students must provide their own accompanist and ensure that their accompanist will be available to perform with them at the Winners Recital on February 13th, 2027, if they are selected.

Application and Deadline: Application deadline is Monday, November 23, 2026. Application forms (linked) and complete payment must be received by the deadline in order to be scheduled for the competition. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. $50 Application fee can be paid via check or credit card to Opus Overnight.

Scheduling:
Please plan on being available for the entire day of the competition (9:00am-3:00pm).
Because judges must hear students in the same age level in a block, we can accommodate special scheduling requests only within that block.

Notification and Winners Recital: The Winners Recital will include participants from all divisions and age groups. All entrants will receive an email the evening after the competition with the list of prize- winners and performers selected for the Winners recital.

Prizes:
- Senior Division: $250
- Intermediate Division: $100
- Elementary Division: $100
- Chamber Division: $50 per member of the ensemble
- Special Prize: one full-tuition scholarship to Opus Overnight
- Students must indicate at the competition if they wish to be considered for the special
prize
- Students in the Intermediate and Senior Divisions may opt to compete for the scholarship
- In the event of a tie or very close result, judges will use their discretion in determining if prize
money will be shared between multiple participants.
- Prize money will be sponsored by Connections Dental in Oakmont
- Up to 12 students will be selected to perform on the Winners Recital.

For more information, contact Lydia Miller Choorapuzha, [email protected].

STEEL CITY YOUTH STRING COMPETITION

Presented by opus Overnight | Sat, Jan 30, 2027

For more information, contact Lydia Miller Choorapuzha, [email protected].