Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) and PBS Wisconsin will present the final round of the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Bolz Young Artist Competition, featuring four of Wisconsin’s most talented high school musicians, in Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte.

All finalists in the competition will perform their concertos as soloists alongside the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO), led by MSO Music Director John DeMain.

Listen to Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte live at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 on WPR Music, and watch the livestream at pbswisconsin.org/final-forte.

Watch the broadcast premiere on PBS Wisconsin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17.

The program will also be rebroadcast:

• Noon Sunday, March 8, and 8 p.m. Monday, March 9, on WPR Music.
• 8 p.m. Friday, March 20, and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 21, on The Wisconsin Channel (PBS Wisconsin-2).
• 2 p.m. Saturday, April 4 on Milwaukee PBS (WMVT, Channel 36.1).

Presented at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, the concert will be hosted by Lori Skelton, host of WPR’s Afternoon Classics and Wisconsin Classical, and Clint Walz, managing director of Individual Giving at PBS Wisconsin.

The Bolz Young Artist Competition is a highly regarded statewide concerto competition in which Wisconsin high school musicians compete for the opportunity to perform as soloists with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. The four finalists each receive scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, and the winner performs again the following day at the Spring Young People’s Concert.

The finalists in the 2026 Final Forte are:

• Violinist Lorenz Fradkin-Annen, a sophomore at Oregon High School.
• Marimbist Zachary Lemke, a junior at Oregon High School.
• Violinist Cordelia Momo Fredrickson, a senior at Wisconsin Virtual Academy.
• Pianist André Peck, a junior at Logan High School.

Find more information and livestream Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte at pbswisconsin.org/final-forte.

Major funding for Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte is provided by W. Jerome Frautschi, Diane Ballweg, the Stanley and Shirley Inhorn Fund, Barbara and Norm Berven, Elizabeth Olson in memory of Modesta Booke Olson, Dr. Annette Beyer-Mears in memory of Howard & Nelle Weiss, and James Dahlberg and Elsebet Lund, with additional support from Sonya Beutler Sauer in memory of Robert Sauer, Julie and Larry Midtbo, Kato Perlman, Cyrena and Lee Pondrom, Sentry Insurance Foundation, Trust Point, Darcy Kind and Marc Vitale, William C. Houlihan and Mary S. Gerbig, Nick and Judith Topitzes, Jim and Jessica Yehle, the children of Marian & Jack Bolz and Anne & Bob Bolz in memory of their parents and grandparents, Eugenie & Adolph Bolz, the Focus Fund for the Arts and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte is a partnership among the Madison Symphony Orchestra, WPR and PBS Wisconsin. Now in its 20th year, the program celebrates the creative achievements of Wisconsin's young people and raises the visibility of the arts.

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) and PBS Wisconsin are services of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Public Media division and the Educational Communications Board. Together, they serve communities statewide through trusted journalism and Wisconsin storytelling, educational resources and lifelong learning, music and cultural programming – on air, online, and in person through live events, freely accessible to all and powered by community support. wpr.org and pbswisconsin.org

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