| Orchestra History |
| ESYO Ensembles |
| School Support |
| Tours |
| Music Excerpts |
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All of the orchestras and ensembles rehearse weekly with professional musicians as conductors and coaches. A season's schedule includes 30 public concerts and benefit performances. The most advanced group, the Youth Orchestra, regularly performs throughout the Capital Region, at Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, and at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The orchestra has undertaken three international tours, and, in April 2008, will travel to Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. ESYO's artistic program also includes an annual concerto competition for the Youth Orchestra, young people's concerts, a free concert for senior citizens, and a rehearsal weekend in the Catskill Mountains every Fall. In addition to instructing its young players in music, ESYO provides them with opportunities to make positive contributions to society and experience the joy of using their talent to help others. Several ESYO ensembles have brought their music directly to the Wildwood School through connections fostered by Time Warner Cable, a key community partner for ESYO (and a concert sponsor.) The Youth Orchestra has helped raise over $5 million for Albany Medical Center's Child Cancer Program by performing each year in CBS Channel 6's Melodies of Christmas benefit concert. Helen Cha-Pyo is in her sixth season as Music Director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra. Previous Music Directors, such as Victoria Bond, Eiji Oue, Paavo Järvi and Francisco Noya, have gone on to illustrious, international conducting careers. The
Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc. is a not-for-profit [501(c)(3)]
organization supported by public and private funding and governed
by a volunteer Board of Directors. A Year in the Life of an ESYO Musician Who hasn't heard the joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall? The answer—practice, practice, practice—is just what ESYO musicians do! With guidance from their school and private music teachers, and under the direction of their ESYO conductors and coaches, they work, work, work, practice, practice, practice. When they reach the Youth Orchestra, they may well "go to Carnegie Hall," where the orchestra performs every other year! All ESYO ensembles rehearse weekly for several hours under the direction of their professional conductors. A season, September through May or early June (depending on the ensemble) is divided into "concert periods," during which the ensembles prepare for their upcoming concert. The orchestras (Youth Orchestra, Repertory Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, and String Ensemble) also have "sectionals," which are small group coaching sessions for individual instruments or instrument groups, led by outside professionals hired by ESYO. In September the Youth Orchestra and Repertory Orchestra go to Frost Valley, a YMCA camp in the Catskills, for an intensive training weekend, during which they have both full rehearsals and sectionals as well as a chance to get to know each other and their conductors. During the season, many of ESYO's orchestras and ensembles give Young People's Concerts in area schools. The Youth Orchestra performs its Young People's Concert in a historic theater—Proctor's in Schenectady. That concert is followed by a free afternoon concert for senior citizens in the same theater. After its November concert, the Youth Orchestra immediately starts to prepare for four performances of CBS 6's Melodies of Christmas, to benefit the Child Cancer Program at Albany Medical Center. Not only do the musicians have the thrill of playing to over 10,000 people in Proctor's Theatre AND being on TV, but they offer a valuable community service and experience the joy of helping youngsters with cancer. The Youth Orchestra, sometimes joined by the Repertory Orchestra, Youth Percussion Ensemble, or the Jazz Ensemble, also regularly performs at the renowned Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. Almost 32% of ESYO's annual budget is allocated to artistic staff—conductors, coaches, and judges. Concert and rehearsal-facility rentals; music rental and purchase; licensing fees; the recording of concerts for study CDs; instrument purchases; and scholarships and tuition waivers account for another 21% of our budget. (Please note that we never deny membership to a qualified student for financial reasons.) The remaining 47% covers administrative staff; office rent and supplies; telephone, postage, and insurance; and so forth. While ensemble managers are considered "administrative" rather than "artistic" staff, they work hand-in-hand with the conductors to ensure that our students will have a positive musical experience in ESYO. ESYO's cost per student is about $1,600 on average, but tuition charges range from $375 to $525 (most comparable youth orchestras in the country charge much more). Indeed, tuition and fees paid by member families cover about 41% of ESYO’s annual costs and ticket sales account for about 15%. The remaining 44% is raised through our annual Playathon fundraiser, an Annual Appeal, and generous corporate sponsors and foundation donors.
ESYO,
432 State St, Suite 230, Schenectady, NY 12305 All
material on this site is
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Founded
in 1979 as a single orchestra, today's Empire State Youth Orchestra,
Inc. consists of two full Orchestras, Wind Orchestra, String Ensemble,
two Jazz Ensembles, three Percussion Ensembles, and a City Strings
Training Program. ESYO offers a continuum of superior educational
and performance opportunities to young musicians who are at various
levels of musical training.
As
a regional organization, ESYO attracts students from over