Four finalists selected for the 2026 Crain-Maling CSO Young Artists contest

Four finalists were selected at the preliminary round, held Dec. 7 at Symphony Center, of the 2026 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. After a day of auditions, judges chose the four who will compete in the YAC final round on Jan. 17, accompanied by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, in Orchestra Hall. 

The finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

Sebastian Manning, violin, in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, I. Allegro moderato.

Cecilia O’Malley, violin, in Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major, I. Moderato nobile.

Gabriel Raviv, cello, in Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Cadenza I., II. Presto marcato

Ella Wimbiscus, cello, in Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor, I. Allegro.

The competition order on Jan. 17 is to be determined, along with an additional work to be performed by the Civic Orchestra. Tickets, which are free, will become available Jan. 5.

The Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition is a concerto competition for Illinois’ top young soloists. The event is co-presented by the League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The contest is open to Illinois high school juniors or younger. It is run on a three-year cycle: 2024 was for wind, brass, percussion and harp players; 2025 was for pianists and this year is open to string players.

Finalists will perform live in Orchestra Hall, accompanied by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, led by Naomi Woo. The winner wlll be featured next season as soloist with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as part of the CSO School and Family Concerts.

The winner of the 2025 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition was pianist Jeremy Liu, 13, of Naperville, then an eighth grader, who performed the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Civic Orchestra.