Members of the Yuba Sutter Symphony and Yuba Sutter Youth Symphony are joined by the 2026 Young Artist Solo Competition winners during a recent rehearsal ahead of the Young Artist Showcase Concert, set for Feb. 7 in Yuba City. Photo courtesy Yuba Sutter Oratorio Society

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The Yuba Sutter Symphony will present its annual Young Artist Showcase Concert on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m. at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 1390 Franklin Road in Yuba City.

The concert will open with the Yuba Sutter Symphony under the direction of Maestro Corey Kersting and will feature performances by the Yuba Sutter Youth Symphony and selected youth soloists.

“This concert features the Yuba Sutter Symphony, the Yuba Sutter Youth Symphony, as well as some outstanding youth soloists,” Kersting said. “The concert is really a celebration of these outstanding youth musicians in our community.”

Winners of the 2026 Yuba Sutter Oratorio Society Young Artist Solo Competition will perform a solo with the Symphony. The winners, selected by the Oratorio Society board following recent auditions, are all local high school students.

Lauren Robles, a senior at Yuba City High School, will perform “Canzonetta” from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. She studies violin privately with Helen Graham. Erin Damon, a junior at River Valley High School, will perform the first movement of the Hoffmeister Viola Concerto in D Major and studies with Zach Zumstein. River Stanford, a senior at River Valley High School, will perform the first movement of Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor and studies with Helen Graham. All three soloists are members of the Yuba Sutter Youth Symphony.

Additional music on the program will include works by contemporary composers Eric Whitacre, Steve Parsons, and Yukiko Nishimura.

The Young Artist Showcase Concert was established more than 40 years ago by the Yuba Sutter Oratorio Society and the Yuba Sutter Symphony to provide young musicians the opportunity to perform as soloists with a full orchestra. Many former winners have gone on to careers in music and music education.

In addition to the Symphony, the Youth Symphony’s Advanced Orchestra and Intermediate Orchestra will perform. The Youth Symphony is directed by Zachary Zumstein and is composed of local students selected through auditions.

The concert will conclude with a combined orchestra performance of “Tango Por Una Cabeza” by Carlos Gardel.

During the concert, the Jane Sara Roberts Award will be presented to a local musician or music educator in recognition of lifetime contributions to music in the community. The award honors Jane Roberts, a founding member of the Yuba Sutter Oratorio Society and longtime concertmaster of the Symphony.

The concert is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to support the Oratorio Society’s Young Musician Support Program, which provides grants and scholarships to local youth musicians.