The Ziering-Conlon Initiative at the Colburn School will hold its first-ever national Young Artist Competition during the fall of 2015. The focus will be on Art Song, with a public final round hosted by James Conlon in Zipper Hall on Sunday, December 6, 2015.

The Young Artist Competition aims to bring greater awareness to the works of composers suppressed during the years of the Nazi regime, particularly among the next generation of classical musicians. Young Artist Competitions will take place every other year, focusing on different genres and ensembles. The Ziering-Conlon Initiative was established in 2013 by a generous grant from Marilyn Ziering. James Conlon serves as Artistic Advisor.

Maestro Conlon said: "The purpose of this competition is two-fold: one to recognize and assist young talented musicians by presenting a forum in which to be heard and, at the same time, to encourage young artists of the next generation to discover and perform lesser-known works by composers suppressed at the time of the Nazi Regime."

Colburn School President and CEO Sel Kardan added, “We are very pleased to host the first Young Artist Competition here at the Colburn School as part of the Ziering-Conlon Initiative. The program is a great point of pride at Colburn, and this competition will help to further expose young musicians to the works of suppressed and censored composers.”

Julia Metzler will compete on December 6 as one of the six finalists in this competition.