Application Information

Applications for the Elizabeth Loker International Concerto Competition are now closed. Please check back in June 2024 for our 2024-2025 application.

Who was Elizabeth Loker?

Elizabeth (Beth) Loker was born in Leonardtown, MD, on January 1, 1948 to the late William M. Loker and June W. Loker. Beth had a long and distinguished career at the Washington Post where she was the first woman to become a vice president of the newspaper. She was instrumental in ushering in the computerized production of the newspaper. In retirement, she was on numerous boards including CareFirst BlueCross, Quality Health Strategies, and the Copyright Clearance Center. She enjoyed her new life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland becoming an active supporter of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the St. Michael's Boat Museum, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra among others. She was fortunate to make many dear friends in her new community with the neighborhood dog walking gang and the Royal Oak Garden Club.

Elizabeth Loker passed away on September 29th, 2015. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Donald S. Rice who died July 9, 2015.

A very generous contribution was made to the MSO by the estate of Elizabeth Loker providing essential funds for the founding of this competition.

Since our founding in 1997, we have always been committed to education, and this competition is a continuation of our outreach to young artists within the classical music community. This competition will provide emerging artists from around the world with the opportunity to perform and compete with their peers. Three finalists will be selected by a professional jury and perform live with the full MSO Orchestra providing a unique experience unlike other leading concerto competitions. The final live round of the competition will be on March 24, 2024 at the Todd Performing Arts Center in Wye Mills, Maryland.

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