The competition exists most acutely among traditionally tough instruments such as violin, cello, flute and clarinet, but, according to Mrs. Gutoff, a recent increase of talent in other areas has raised the stakes for musicians of less common instruments. For example, she says it was hard to find string basses and percussionists when she became conductor eight years ago. "Now we regularly have competition in each of those areas," Mrs. Gutoff says. Consequently, the orchestra improves each year in its technique and its rhythmic concepts, producing better artistry.

There's no escaping it: With harder competition comes more work, an incentive to put in extra effort before the audition and during the orchestra season. For an audition in late August, I, like most others, began work on my solo in April or May. The summer becomes a time to do anything but "just lie around and be lazy," as Friedman
puts it. She flies to Massachusetts to attend a performing and fine arts camp in which frequent private lessons and daily practices help fine-tune her skills. This summer will be my second as a participant in a week-long National Chamber Orchestra camp where, each day, five hours of orchestral, solo and quartet instruction is essential to improve technique and dexterity.

Beyond summer preparation is a year-round commitment to music; MCYO requires that all applicants have weekly private instruction. Generally, the standard for at-home practice is to match or exceed the time of the lesson, one hour in my case, five or six days a week.

When she is not involved with playing in MCYO, in a quartet, in private lessons or in Maryland's All-State orchestra, Kim plays for an hour-and-a-half every day. She won't start her homework until after she's done practicing-an admirable work ethic that I, admittedly, can't always match.

My teacher and former MCYO coach, Mark Pfannschmidt, never misses a chance to   explain why my practices should be as long as the required showers, chores and three meals a day will allow. "Just like a gymnast, we go over our routine time and time again, so when the pressure's on, the muscles are trained and the movements refined. We
can only do that by practicing," he says. This relates particularly to orchestral playing during which one wrongly-intoned note or passage can throw off surrounding musicians. But once a player has prepared adequately, Pfannschmidt says, he "can relax and enjoy the performance."

Enjoy is exactly what Blair junior, Stuart Berg, did from his seat in the audience during a March 11 concert. His dad encouraged him to come, but Berg, a fan of "pretty typical" rock music, wasn't expecting much from MCYO's guitar-deficient classical offerings. To his surprise, Berg found that he really enjoyed the concert. "The music didn't sound like it came from young performers," he says. "I don't have a trained ear or anything, but it sounded like what I'd hear on professional CDs."

And MCYO is hardly the only opportunity for talented teens to play. Other local   organizations include the McLean Youth Orchestra (MYO) and the Youth Orchestras of Prince William (YOPW) in Virginia, the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra (PVYO) and the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra Association (GBYOA) in Maryland, and the D.C. Youth Orchestra Program in the District of Columbia.

As for me, I'm already looking ahead to this month's audition, hoping to continue   contributing to that professional sound, hoping the competition's not too rough. However, with word out about next year's 10-day trip to Italy, every seat in the orchestra will be in high demand. A reason to be nervous, I admit. But I've got a plan: hours of daily practice, chamber music recitals, private lessons, a challenging summer camp. I have a feeling I won't be alone.

Stephen Wertheim, 16, is a junior at Montgomery Blair High School in
Silver Spring, MD.