Classical MPR’s annual talent showcase, showcasing high school-age artists from across the region, is welcoming submissions for the 2020 season, according to a press release.

The 2020 season marks a special year for Minnesota Varsity, which will celebrate its 10th season of connecting young musicians with wider audiences. Since the program’s beginning, 145 young musicians and composers have reached the featured artists and composers level of the program, which grants access to a workshop, mentorship and a professional studio recording experience.

“Since the start, this program has had a commitment to reflecting the full and vibrant diversity this art form celebrates,” said Christine Sweet, classical initiatives projects producer at Classical MPR. “We’ve seen so many music students grow and learn from this experience, and we welcome young artists from all walks of life to take part in Minnesota Varsity.”

All music students who submit a performance or composition become members of the Minnesota Varsity team and enter into its social community. Inclusion in this group grants students a two-ticket reservation to a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra or Minnesota Orchestra concert.

Three of Minnesota Public Radio’s educational sponsors will offer music scholarships to all Minnesota varsity featured artists and composers. Concordia College and The College of St. Scholastica will present $6,000 for each of four years of attendance, and Luther College will present $7,000 per year of four years’ attendance, to every featured artist and composer who enrolls at those colleges.

In celebration of Minnesota Varsity’s 10th season, the showcase will divide and distribute $10,000 in funds for future musical studies, in addition to the above scholarships. Details for how these funds will be disbursed are in development and will be announced at a later date.

Minnesota Varsity welcomes submissions from instrumentalists, vocalists and composers, ages 14 to 18 (grades nine through 12), throughout the region. Music students living in or attending school within a Minnesota Public Radio signal are invited to submit a solo or ensemble recording of an instrument or vocal performance of a classical or musical theater work, performed by an ensemble or soloist.

Classical MPR will again partner with American Composers Forum in the composition category, where student composers are invited to submit an original score for a single, unaccompanied song in four parts for soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices. Composers are given four choices of texts: one of two published poems by established poets, which includes “Last Snow” by Native American poet Heid E. Erdrich; an original poem of the composer’s own; or nonverbal vocalise.

The submission deadline for Minnesota Varsity is 9 a.m. Dec. 2. Official rules, FAQs and submission specifications are available at www.classicalmpr.org/topic/minnesota-varsity.

From the submissions, as many as 15 instrumental and vocal entrants are selected for the featured round. Featured round artists are invited to make a professional recording in MPR’s Maud Moon Weyerhauser Studio in St. Paul. The recordings will be made available for streaming online, with excerpts being broadcast on Classical MPR.

Up to five featured composers will be selected by ACF judges and attend a workshop day with composer Edie Hill. Each student will receive assistance in polishing and presenting their compositions, and have their work performed by an ensemble.

Of the remaining instrumental and vocal entrants, four will be selected as Showcase Artists by a panel of professional musicians and educators, and one will be selected by an online audience vote. Two showcase composers will be selected by the ensemble musicians, Edie Hill and ACF.

Minnesota Varsity will culminate in May with a live radio broadcast and showcase performance by the showcase artists onstage at the University of Minnesota’s Ted Mann Concert Hall. The showcase composers’ works also will be premiered at the theater.