The competition is open to music students in grades 9-12 from Pennsylvania and eight surrounding states. The initial field of contestants was narrowed down to the final 30 musicians, who will compete this weekend for a $50,000 music scholarship and other prizes.

The Rising Stars champion will receive a Sawatsky Music Scholarship to attend Messiah College, valued at more than $50,000, as well as a $750 cash prize. The first place winner will also be given consideration for a performance of his or her concerto with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in 2008, under the baton of Maestro Stuart Malina.

Three musicians will be awarded second place honors based on instrument division. Second place winners will receive a cash prize of $100.

Student musicians from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia were eligible to submit an individual recording of their own performance of any major concerto written for their instrument. The application deadline for initial entries was Nov. 15, 2006.

Musicians were categorized into four divisions: strings, keyboard, brass and percussion, and woodwinds. The submitted recordings were judged by professional musicians who specialize in each individual instrument, without any information about the contestant’s identity.

The semifinal round will be judged by faculty members of Messiah College and chaired by Timothy Dixon, director of Orchestral Studies.

Eight contestants, two finalists from each of the four musical instrument divisions, will be judged in the final round of competition by five members of the Harrisburg Symphony. The final audition committee will be chaired by Maestro Stuart Malina, conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony.

Winners of both the semifinal and final auditions will be announced immediately after each round.

The competition is named for the late Dr. Rodney Sawatsky, former president of Messiah College. He and his wife Lorna were passionate supporters of the arts in central Pennsylvania. Lorna Sawatsky will assist with the Rising Stars award presentations. Rodney Sawatsky was a member of the Harrisburg Symphony’s Board of Directors. -- www.harrisburgsymphony.org