Some classical music competitions have a reputation for selecting winners who are good competitors but are rarely heard from again.

Others have a knack for identifying instrumentalists with the promise of bright careers.

The Mondavi Center's Young Artist Competition aspires to be in the latter group, said Lara Downes, competition director and pianist-in-residence at the Mondavi.

Downes likes to use pianist Kenric Tam as an example of the kind of musician it champions. Tam won the grand prize in 2007. Like many who compete at YAC, Tam already had an impressive résumé before competing, including a debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

On Saturday, 16 musicians will compete at the Mondavi Center's Studio Theatre for the grand prize. Two locals, Grass Valley harpist Sage Po and El Dorado Hills pianist Ann Deng, are among them.

Eight winners will be chosen, and they will perform in a winners concert next Sunday.

"Winning the Mondavi competition helped me gain more competition experience," said Tam.

After his UC Davis win, Tam competed and excelled in many more. That year he earned the first place award in the Schimmel International Piano Competition and second place in the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition.

Since 2005, the Davis competition's geographic focus has evolved. This year's finalists include musicians from Plano, Texas, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

"Over the last few years, we've seen a big increase in contestants from all over … so it didn't make sense to limit it to a statewide competition," Downes said.

Last year the festival also extended its upper age limit from 18 to 21, to accommodate more vocalists.

"When we extended that range, we started seeing kids competing from all over the country," said Downes.

This year more than 135 musicians submitted a recording, bio and letter of recommendation. In January, that field was narrowed to 30 during the competition's first semifinal round. Those were then narrowed to the 16 musicians who will compete Saturday evening for the $3,000 grand prize and prizes in other categories.

The grand prize brings with it the plum of a future appearance at the Mondavi Center as part of the center's classical music concert offerings.

Tam returned to the Mondavi in January to perform two recitals at the center's Studio Theater.

"That was a three-year turnaround," said Downes. "That's the expected trajectory."

The grand prize winner from the 2009 competition is expected to perform during Mondavi's 2012-13 season, she said. Winners are also booked as performers at the Festival del Sole classical music summer festival in Napa, with this year's winner expected to perform there this summer.

Any new or evolving classical music competition has to deal with the fact that competitions have become a thorny issue in the classical music world. Some think such competitions create a paradigm where musicians play too rigidly to suit a certain judge's preference.

Others contend that the best musicians competing are not the ones chosen as winners at prestigious competitions. Wall Street Journal writer Benjamin Ivry lamented as much after covering the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Ivry contends that the judges ignored the most musically mature and sensitive pianists competing.

In that instance the gold medal was awarded to Nobuyuki Tsujii, who was born blind and learned music by ear. (Tsujii is slated to appear at Mondavi with the Takacs Quartet on April 2.)

Downes said she hopes the Davis competition will avoid such pitfalls.

"All of our jurors are looking for comprehensive musicianship, not just people who thrive in the competition setting," said Downes.

Jurors include UC Davis Symphony Orchestra conductor Christian Baldini, San Francisco Opera Center director Sheri Greenawald and Festival del Sole producer Charles Letourneau.

"I don't see these as contests but as an opportunity to see young talent," said Letourneau, who worked for the prestigious New York-based Young Concert Artists and is now an artist manager at IMG artists.

"I'm looking for musical instinct … someone who can musically communicate with an audience and not the most perfect performance," Letourneau said.

For musicians, like harpist Po, each competition is another step in the maturity of a career.

"Some people get really intense and, well, competitive about competing, and that can turn into a really negative experience," said Po. "Personally, I see it as an opportunity to perform, receive feedback, and be rewarded if I play well."

One thing is certain, the lengths to which young musicians are willing to go to compete is growing.

"One thing that really strikes me is how different these kids are at this level compared to how I was at the same point of my career," said Downes. "A big difference is these musicians are traveling all over."

Downes cites 14-year-old pianist Hilda Huang, who won last year's piano competition award. She was not able to perform in the winners concert because she had to fly to Germany to compete in a Bach competition.

"The amount of traveling and the expense incurred – that's pretty impressive, because they're so young," said Downes. "A lot of familial sacrifice goes into making that happen."

All the semifinal competitors pay their own travel costs, with the Young Artist Competition providing accommodations, she said.

YOUNG ARTISTS CONCERT COMPETITION

WINNERS CONCERT

What: This annual competition offers an opportunity to see and hear some of the nation's most promising young concert musicians.

When: 2 p.m. next Sunday

Where: Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center for the Arts

Cost: $20; $10 students

Information: (530) 754-2787; www.MondaviArts.org

CONTESTANTS ADVANCING TO SATURDAY'S FINALS

• TRIO

Mondo Trio: Hanson Tam, piano; Matthew Chow, violin; Ila Shon, cello (San Francisco)

• INSTRUMENTAL

Junior division: Tiffany Kang, violin (Irvine); Jeremy Tai, cello (Cupertino)

Senior division: Will Chow, cello (Los Altos); Mimi Jung, violin (Rancho Palos Verdes); Sage Po, harp (Grass Valley)

• PIANO

Junior division: Ann Deng (El Dorado Hills), Charis Tang (Cupertino), Grace Zhou (Irvine)

Senior division: Carrie Chen (Sunnyvale), Alison Chiang (Plano, Texas), Yasha Yakhnis (Newbury Park)

• VOCAL

Ellen Chew (Cincinnati, Ohio), Ali King (Palm Springs), Nicole Shorts (Los Altos), Julia Heron Metzler (San Francisco), Brian Vu (Los Angeles)

Editor's note: This story was changed March 21 to correct the name of the pianist who won last year's competition award, and April 1 to correct the instrument played by Jeremy Tai.

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