2023 Concerto Competition

Congratulations to Bea Sjostrom, winner of the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest’s 2023 Concerto Competition!

Bea Sjostrom is a sophomore at Oak Park River Forest High School and studies violin with Kristina Priceman. Bea made her solo orchestral debut with the Birch Creek Symphony Orchestra as a winner of its concerto competition. She
has since won the OPRF High School Concerto Competition, been a finalist in the West Suburban Symphony’s Concerto Competition, and received honorable mention in the Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. She
has also received honorable mention in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) Philharmonic Orchestra and Concert Orchestra Concerto Competitions. Bea has served as principal second violinist for many orchestras
within CYSO and currently serves as concertmaster of the OPRF orchestra. Bea was recently selected for the advanced Festival Orchestra of the Chicago Youth in Music Festival at Orchestra Hall, the Honors Orchestra at the ILMEA AllState Festival, and CYSO’s Classical Orchestral Repertory Ensemble. She plays in CYSO’s Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Bea also plays with CYSO’s String Theory Quartet under coach Paul Zafer, as well as the Corda Quartet/Trio, of which she is a founding member. Bea serves as a CYSO Ambassador to Chicago Public Schools.

The Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest’s annual Concerto Competition is open to all musicians who have yet to complete their senior year of high school, and whose primary residence is within 10 miles of Oak Park/River Forest.