New York Philharmonic Launches Global Academy

The New York Philharmonic has launched the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, a series of long-term, immersive partnerships with select cultural and music education institutions in New York, the United States, and worldwide. Building on its renowned history of international touring and cultural diplomacy, as well as its longstanding commitment to education, the Philharmonic is collaborating with partners to offer intensive training of pre- professional musicians by Philharmonic members, often alongside regular performance residencies by the full Orchestra.

The Global Academy will expand to include additional partners, joining two previously announced partnerships that are currently underway -- the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership, a collaboration with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, which was inaugurated with the opening of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA) in September 2014, and Music Academy of the West, the first American Global Academy partnership, which began in July 2014. The Philharmonic has also created Philharmonic Academy Jr., which provides training for pre-college students by Philharmonic musicians in partnership with institutions in the New York City area. Further Global Academy projects, involving collaborations with several additional domestic and international partners, will be announced in the coming year.

A key component of the Global Academy is the Global Academy Fellowship Program, which will offer opportunities for Academy participants to travel to New York City to train and play with New York Philharmonic musicians in Avery Fisher Hall. The Fellowship Program has been made possible by gifts made in the name of Zarin Mehta, who served as Philharmonic President and Executive Director, 2000-12; participants will be named Zarin Mehta Fellows. The first of these exchanges will take place beginning January 3, 2015, when ten instrumentalists from the Music Academy of the West, selected through auditions, will travel to New York to study and play with New York Philharmonic musicians for ten days as part of that four-year partnership (further details here). A new group of Music Academy students will be selected to come to New York as Zarin Mehta Fellows each year of the partnership. Students from the Shanghai Orchestra Academy will participate in the Global Academy Fellowship Program in New York in the 2015-16 season; further details will be announced.

"The New York Philharmonic Global Academy builds on the Philharmonic's long international heritage, and gives us new opportunities to more deeply engage in communities around the world on a long-term basis," said President and Executive Director Matthew VanBesien. "The Global Academy is designed to provide flexible and modular opportunities for immersive learning and meaningful interaction with the talented people who make up the New York Philharmonic. Our musicians are not only phenomenal performers; they can provide an unparalleled resource in training the next generation of orchestral players. We've already seen very exciting results in Shanghai and Santa Barbara, and look forward to developing new partnerships."

"I grew up around the New York Philharmonic, and it defined to me what an orchestra can be," said Music Director Alan Gilbert. "We have now harnessed that potential so that the Philharmonic can set a standard and inspire musicians around the country and the world. The multifaceted talents and insights of the Orchestra's musicians can offer future orchestral musicians' inspiration, both through their mastery of technique and pedagogical expertise. I love that this project couples education with performance: enjoyment and learning are intrinsically connected, and I am gratified that the New York Philharmonic Global Academy is taking this holistic approach to the next level, making the musicians' ability to inspire and inform available through these comprehensive projects."

The Global Academy is one of four overarching programs comprising Education at the New York Philharmonic, which has been reorganized for the first time in 20 years following a two-year examination of its goals and effectiveness. The four overarching programs -- which also include Young People's Concerts, Learning Communities, and Insights, each of which is composed of several projects that reach out to communities of varying ages and levels of experiences -- have been realigned to more clearly support core educational values in consonance with Music Director Alan Gilbert's artistic mission, and to coalesce around the goal of providing transformative musical engagement to promote a deep and lasting impact on participants. Two new initiatives have been added: Philharmonic Academy Jr., part of the Global Academy, and Insights Immersion, day-long, in-depth explorations of single topics related to the Philharmonic's season. Additionally, new digital-based educational programs are being developed and will be announced at a later date. See addendum for a complete list and descriptions of the Philharmonic's Education programs.

"Over the past several years, all of us in Education at the Philharmonic -- the Board, Musicians, Teaching Artists, Staff, and Volunteers -- have looked hard at what's distinctive about this Orchestra's approach to learning," said Theodore Wiprud, Vice President, Education, The Sue B. Mercy Chair. "Our core value really is the power of music to change lives, whether in carefully created concert experiences, workshops with master teaching artists, professional training with our musicians, or in-depth explorations of beloved repertory."

"Education is such a critical element of the Philharmonic's mission and the course we are setting," said President and Executive Director Matthew VanBesien. "We are proud of our longstanding commitment to using the potential of our musicians and of the organization to help enrich our community and others through learning. I believe this new format extends and deepens the ways in which we can serve our neighbors and the world, and will be strengthened by aligning our efforts around a unified vision of what a 21st-century orchestra can be."

About the New York Philharmonic Global Academy - The Global Academy will comprise customized collaborations with partners worldwide to offer intensive training of pre-professional musicians by New York Philharmonic members, often alongside regular performance residencies by the full Orchestra. The Global Academy Fellowship Program, a component of the Global Academy, offers opportunities for Academy participants to travel to New York to train and play with New York Philharmonic musicians as Zarin Mehta Fellows.

Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership - This four-year partnership with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Long Yu, launched in September 2014 and includes the establishment of Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA), in partnership with the Shanghai Conservatory, and annual performance residencies by Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic in Shanghai through the 2017-18 season. Philharmonic musicians will return to teach the inaugural SOA class in November 2014 and March 2015, as well as during the Philharmonic's first-annual performance residency in Shanghai in July 2015. The performance residency will include at least four concerts in and near Shanghai, including a Young People's Concert and activities associated with the SOA such as master classes and educational seminars. Students from the Shanghai Orchestra Academy will participate in the Global Academy Fellowship Program in New York in the 2015-16 season; further details will be announced. The Starr International Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership.

Music Academy of the West Partnership - This four-year partnership, launched in July 2014, includes training of Music Academy Fellows by Philharmonic musicians, as well as biennial Philharmonic performances led by Alan Gilbert at the Music Academy Summer Festival and Alan Gilbert conducting Academy Festival Orchestra performances at each Music Academy Summer Festival. Ten instrumentalists from Music Academy of the West, selected through auditions, will inaugurate the Global Academy Fellowship Program when they travel to New York to train and play with the Philharmonic, beginning January 3, 2015. A new group of Music Academy students will be selected to come to New York as Zarin Mehta Fellows each year of the partnership. In August 2015 the New York Philharmonic will make its debut at the Santa Barbara County Bowl. In 2017 the orchestras will perform together, led by Alan Gilbert, in Santa Barbara to commemorate the Music Academy of the West's 70th anniversary.

Philharmonic Academy Jr. - Philharmonic Academy Jr. will involve training of pre-college students by Philharmonic musicians in partnership with institutions in New York committed to strong orchestra programs. In initial partnerships, the Philharmonic will work with the Harmony Program (an El Sistema-inspired system of youth orchestras) and with Hoff-Barthelson Music School, in Scarsdale, to expand on an existing annual residency. Further details and additional partners will be announced at a later date.

Pictured: Acting Concertmaster Sheryl Staples giving a masterclass in Shanghai Symphony Hall as part of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy. Photo by Eunice Ho.