NY Philharmonic & Rice University's Shepherd School of Music to Partner During 2015–16 Season

The New York Philharmonic and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music have entered into a partnership for the 2015-16 season, marking the third collaboration in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy - customized collaborations with partners worldwide that offer intensive training of pre-professional musicians by New York Philharmonic members. Under the partnership, Philharmonic musicians will travel to Houston to present master classes in fall 2015, and a group of student string players from The Shepherd School of Music, selected by audition, will travel to New York to participate in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy Fellowship Program in May 2016.

As part of the Global Academy Fellowship Program, the Shepherd School of Music students will participate in a week of immersive activities in New York as Zarin Mehta Fellows, including training and playing alongside Philharmonic musicians, conducted by David Robertson; mock auditions; individual lessons and chamber music sessions coached by Philharmonic musicians; and participation in the Philharmonic's educational programs. The program will culminate with a chamber music concert featuring the Fellows (date and program to be announced at a later time). The Global Academy Fellowship Program was inaugurated in January 2015 when ten instrumentalists came to New York from the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, the first U.S. partner in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy.

"We are very proud to welcome Rice University's Shepherd School of Music as the second U.S. partner in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy," said President Matthew VanBesien. "This dynamic organization has established a first-rate orchestra program over its 40 years, with graduates winning positions in many of the country's great orchestras. Our partnership with The Shepherd School of Music expands the Philharmonic's footprint in the area of orchestral training through immersive collaborations in New York, across the U.S., and throughout the world that allow the Philharmonic musicians' experience and insight to serve as a resource to a new generation of orchestral players."

"The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University prides itself on the exceptional quality of its orchestra program," said Shepherd School Dean Robert Yekovich. "The invitation to participate in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy is recognition of our success in preparing orchestral musicians at the highest professional level. The Global Academy's intensive week filled with performing, auditioning, and mentoring experiences is an ideal blend of educational activities for young musicians aspiring to win positions in major symphony orchestras. We feel privileged to partner with the Philharmonic as they endeavor to broaden the impact of their educational efforts."

Rice University's Shepherd School of Music is the third partner in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, alongside the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership. The Philharmonic's four-year partnership with the Music Academy of the West, launched in July 2014, includes training of Music Academy fellows by Philharmonic musicians, biennial performances by the Philharmonic at the Music Academy Summer Festival, Academy Festival Orchestra performances at Music Academy Summer Festivals led by Alan Gilbert, and participation by Music Academy students in the Global Academy Fellowship Program in New York in each year of the partnership. The Philharmonic's four-year partnership in Shanghai, launched in September 2014, includes the establishment of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA) in partnership with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Conservatory, which features regular trips by Philharmonic musicians to Shanghai for coaching and mentoring of SOA students, and annual performance residencies by Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic in Shanghai; select SOA students will also participate in the Global Academy Fellowship Program in New York in the 2015-16 season. The Global Academy complements the Philharmonic's other projects that combine performance and education, including the five-year residency partnership with the University Musical Society of the University of Michigan and Philharmonic Academy Jr., a Philharmonic initiative involving training of precollege students by Philharmonic musicians and Teaching Artists in partnership with New York-area institutions committed to strong orchestra programs.

The New York Philharmonic plays a leading cultural role in New York City, the United States, and the world. This season's projects will connect the Philharmonic with up to 50 million music lovers through live concerts in New York City and on its worldwide tours; digital downloads; international broadcasts on television, radio, and online; and as a resource through its wide range of education programs. Having commissioned and/or premiered works by leading composers from every era, the Orchestra now champions contemporary music through CONTACT!, the Philharmonic's new-music series, and the NY PHIL BIENNIAL. A resource for its community and the world, the Philharmonic complements its annual free citywide Concerts in the Parks with wide-ranging education programs, including the famed Young People's Concerts and the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, partnerships at home and abroad that combine performance with intensive training by Philharmonic musicians to cultivate tomorrow's leading orchestral musicians. Renowned around the world, having appeared in 432 cities in 63 countries, America's oldest symphony orchestra has long been a media pioneer, releasing almost 2,000 recordings since 1917 and today sharing live performances through downloads and online. Alan Gilbert became Music Director in 2009, succeeding 20th-century musical giants including Bernstein, Toscanini, and Mahler.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to The Shepherd School of Music, Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,888 undergraduates and 2,610 graduate students, Rice has an undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked among some of the top schools for best quality of life by the Princeton Review and for best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," click here.