Friday, July 28, 2017

You Can't Help But Love These Kids, Honest!

PYO students participating in summer 2017 NYO-cropped

Seven students in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) were selected to participate in this summer’s National Youth Orchestra (NYO) by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. The Institute has brought together 115 outstanding young musicians, 16-19 years of age, from across the country to form the NYO of 2017. This summer’s program culminates in the orchestra’s first-ever tour of Latin America, with performances in Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia.

Photographed here are the seven PYO students from left to right, (back row): Joy Zhao (cello) from Chalfont, PA in her second year as a NYO member; Fiyi Adebekun (violin) from Lansdale, PA, Isabella Egawa (violin) from Bala Cynwyd, PA, Allyson Cohen (violin) from Narberth, PA and (front row): Conor McAvinue (viola) from Wilmington, DE, Daniel Kim (clarinet) from Skillman, NJ and Johnny May (violin) from Penn Valley, PA.

Following a comprehensive audition process and a three-week training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York, these gifted teenage musicians embark on a tour to some of the great music capitals of the world, serving as America’s dynamic music ambassadors.

Louis Scaglione, President and Music Director of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra shared his enthusiasm about this opportunity for the students. “We are very proud to have seven of our students selected to participate in this year’s National Youth Orchestra,” he said. “Each of these students are very talented, and we are pleased that they will have these expansive experiences to further enhance their music education, their worldly knowledge and future careers.”

About the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra:

Entering its 78th year, training tomorrow’s leaders, the renowned Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization, led by President and Music Director, Maestro Louis Scaglione, is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected community music education and youth orchestra performance programs, providing talented young musicians from across the tri-state area with exceptional musical training. Students go on to excel in many diverse fields, and it is with pride that Philadelphia Youth Orchestra notes that many members of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra are alumni. The organization is comprised of six program ensembles designed to meet specific needs and experience levels of students selected through a competitive audition process. 
The anchor group is the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), conducted by President and Music Director Louis Scaglione, featuring 120 gifted instrumentalists who range in age from 14-21. 
Young musicians 12-18 years old are featured in PYO’s companion ensemble, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, which is led by Director and Conductor Maestra Rosalind Erwin, who is Music Director and Conductor of Drexel University Orchestra. 
Philadelphia Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO), directed by Maestro Kenneth Bean, is a beginning to intermediate-level full symphonic orchestra that provides most students with their first introduction to large orchestral playing featuring students age 10-17 years old. 
Bravo Brass, directed by Curtis Institute Dean of Faculty and Students, Paul Bryan, is an all brass ensemble for promising middle and high-school instrumentalists. 
PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM Young Artistsensembles provide string large ensemble and sectional master class instruction for beginning and intermediate musicians ages 6-14. The director and conductor of PRYSM is Gloria DePasquale, cellist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and conductor of PRYSM Young Artists is Andrea Weber. 
Tune Up Philly (TUP) is PYO’s engagement program, directed by Paul Smith, that focuses on creating and inspiring true community by providing children in under-resourced communities with invaluable opportunities to learn and perform a differentiated orchestral music curriculum. www.pyos.org.

About the National Youth Orchestra: Established by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in 2013, NYO-USA shines a spotlight on the depth of talent found among young instrumentalists across the United States. Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute brings together the finest young musicians from across the country (ages 16-19) to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). Since its inception in 2013, the National Youth Orchestra of the USA’s international touring program has included triumphant debuts in Russia, China, and cultural capitals across Europe. In 2017, NYO’s first-ever Latin America tour takes place from July 26 through August 4 with orchestra performances in Guadalajara, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Bogotá, Colombia, including side-by-side musical collaborations with fellow young musicians in all three tour countries.

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