Empire
State Youth Orchestra
Helen Cha-Pyo, Music Director
The
Youth Orchestra is our most advanced orchestra and is reserved
for players whose technical skills and musicality are at the highest
level. The orchestra receives regular professional coaching and
performs in the finest concert halls, including the Troy
Savings Bank Music Hall, Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Fisher Center at Bard College, and Carnegie
Hall. The Youth Orchestra has undertaken four international tours, most recently in April 2008. Traveling to Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic, the orchestra performed the European premieres of Samuel Adler's A Bridge to Understanding. This piece was commissioned by ESYO for its March 2008 New Music for a New Generation Festival.
In April 2009, the Youth Orchestra performed with the Empire State Youth Chorale and the Central City Chorus at the famed Riverside Church in New York City.
Every year the orchestra performs in Melodies of Christmas,
CBS 6's popular holiday program that has raised $6 million
for the Child Cancer Program at the Albany Medical Center. A fall
rehearsal weekend in the Catskills, an annual young people's concert,
a free concert for senior citizens, and a concerto competition
round out the program.
Rehearsals are generally held on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at The Albany Academies East Campus unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire
State Repertory Orchestra
David Beck, Conductor
The Repertory Orchestra is a full symphonic orchestra that provides
intermediate-level students with challenging rehearsal and performance
opportunities. This ensemble stresses fundamental technical and
musical skills and the improvement of sight-reading abilities.
The orchestra usually performs three or four concerts during the year and regularly
performs with the Youth Orchestra either at the Troy Savings Bank
Music Hall or Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. During the 06-07 and 07-08 seasons, the Repertory Orchestra participated in exchange concerts with the Vermont Youth Philharmonia (from Vermont Youth Orchestra). The orchestra has become a regular guest performer at Albany Pro Musica's annual High School Choral Festival at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
The Repertory Orchestra
also participates in the ESYO fall rehearsal weekend in the Catskill
Mountains.
Rehearsals are generally held on Tuesday evenings from
7:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. at The Albany Academies East Campus unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire State Wind Orchestra
Robert Hansbrough, Conductor
The Wind Orchestra performs a wide variety of literature, including
original wind ensemble pieces, marches, chamber music, and transcriptions
of orchestral works. The focus of training is concentrated on
performance standards, tone production, precision, musicality,
individual and group style, and practice habits. The ensemble
gives several concerts a year and has performed occasionaly at Albany's annual Tulip Festival. Along with all of ESYO's ensembles, the Wind Orchestra is a regular performer in ESYO's annual Playathon.
Rehearsals are generally held on Sunday afternoons from
2:00 p.m. until
4:00 p.m. at The Massry Center at The College of Saint Rose unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire State String Ensemble
Joseph Gumpper, Conductor
The
String Ensemble gives the least experienced string players training
in the techniques of playing in large ensembles and lays the foundation
for possible participation in other ESYO ensembles. Supplementing
area school string programs, the ensemble gives at least two concerts
a year with other ESYO groups and also performs in the annual
ESYO Playathon.
Rehearsals are generally held on Tuesday evenings from
6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Parsons Child and Family Center in Albany unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire
State Youth Percussion Ensemble
Richard Albagli and Mark
Foster, Co-Conductors
The Youth Percussion Ensemble provides the most advanced area
high school and middle school percussion players with an opportunity
to develop and improve ensemble skills under the supervision of
several of the area's top percussion players. The ensemble has
performed at high schools and colleges throughout the Capital
Region and participated in clinics and percussion festivals throughout
the northeast. In September 2002, the ensemble appeared on the
nationally syndicated radio program "From the Top,"
which aired on more than 250 NPR stations.
Rehearsals are generally held on Tuesday evenings from
4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the University at Albany unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire
State Repertory Percussion Ensemble A
Richard Albagli and John
Antonio, Co-Conductors
The
Repertory Percussion Ensemble was formed in 1992 as an adjunct
to the Youth Percussion Ensemble in order to give some talented
and motivated intermediate-level players an opportunity to learn
and perform challenging ensemble literature. This group has performed
several times at the New Jersey Day of Percussion in Ridgewood
and is a regular participant in SUNY Albany's Festival
of Contemporary Music.
Rehearsals are generally held on Sundays from 6:15 –
8:00 p.m. at RPI in West Hall, Room 326 unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire
State Repertory Percussion Ensemble B
Felicity Cashman, Conductor
This percussion ensemble was formed in 1998 to give even younger
percussion students the opportunity to develop their individual
and ensemble skills, to introduce them to the literature, and
to give them performance opportunities on a wide variety of percussion
instruments. This ensemble is primarily for students in grades
7 through 9.
Rehearsals are generally held on Sundays from 4:30 -
6:15 p.m. at RPI in West Hall, Room 326 unless otherwise noted. Rehearsals may occasionally be scheduled until 6:30 p.m.
as needed.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire
State Youth Jazz Ensemble
Paul Evoskevich, Conductor
Formed in 1986, the Youth Jazz Ensemble is comprised of outstanding
high school jazz musicians from throughout the Capital Region.
Repertoire for the ensemble covers most of the history of jazz
from early swing of the 1920s to the exciting jazz/rock fusion
of the 1980s to today's contemporary jazz. The Youth Jazz Ensemble has
performed at the College of Saint Rose, the Saratoga and Guilderland
Performing Arts Centers, at the City of Albany's First Night Celebration,
and in 1999 toured Switzerland. In March 2005 the Ensemble was
paired with the Eastman Jazz Ensemble in a concert at the NY State
Band Directors Association Conference in Syracuse. The ensemble has also worked with guest artists such as "Blue" Lou Marini and Allen Vizzutti.
Rehearsals are generally held on Monday evenings from
6:00 p.m. until
7:30 p.m. at Jack’s Place in The Center for Communications and Interactive Media at The College of Saint Rose unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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Empire
State Repertory Jazz Ensemble
(formerly called Jazz Ensemble 2)
Matthew C. Cremisio, Conductor
Repertory Jazz Ensemble is another example of ESYO responding to the needs
of young musicians. Started in 2006, this ensemble's members are generally
slightly younger and less experienced players than those in the
Youth Jazz Ensemble. As members of Repertory Jazz, these players will have an opportunity
to improve their jazz ensemble and solo improvisational skills
though a repertoire covering the history of jazz – the early
swing of the 1920s to today's contemporary jazz.
Rehearsals are generally held on Thursday evenings from
6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Niskayuna High School unless otherwise noted.
Entrance auditions are held in June.
2010-2011 rehearsal/concert schedule - click here.
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The
City Instruments Training Program
Teachers: Monica Wilson Roach
The
City Instruments Training Program is an outreach project that offers
instrument instruction to inner-city children. Young
students who show particular interest are recommended by their
school music teachers and provided with instruments, as needed, and full scholarships for weekly private lessons. The program began at the
Arbor Hill Elementary School in Albany over 13 years ago for stringed instrument students and became known as "City Strings." It has since expanded over the years and now has three components: City Strings - Albany at Hackett Middle School; City Strings - Schenectady at Oneida, Central Park, and Mont Pleasant middle
schools, and City Brass - Troy at Doyle Middle School.
A recital program for area nursing homes, stated in 2007, provides more performance opportunities for these students while showing them the value of sharing their talents. Now in its fourteenth year, the program contributes
a service to the community while preparing the young musicians
for possible participation in ESYO's String Ensemble or Wind Orchestra or Jazz Ensemble 2, depending upon the instrument.
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ESYO
at Proctors Theatre, 432 State St, Schenectady, NY 12305
Phone: 518-382-7581 | Email: esyoed@esyo.org
All
material on this site is
Copyright © 2001 Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc.
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