Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Announces 80th Anniversary Season

The highly respected Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) is returning for a historic 80th Season, developing young musicians and offering a full breadth of classical concerts for audiences of all ages from November until June. These concerts offer the talented young musicians invaluable opportunities to perform in professional venues.

PYO is dedicated to excellence, transformative education, and access for student instrumentalists. The talented musicians in each ensemble gain exceptional musical training with many opportunities to perform. Training tomorrow's leaders, the student population of PYO reaches across the tri-state area. Students go on to excel in many diverse fields, as well as develop performance careers with major orchestras, with many members of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra being PYO alumni.

Louis Scaglione, President and Music Director, is greatly anticipating the upcoming season. He said, "It is hard to believe this milestone year has approached, and I am very proud of the commitment of the young musicians of Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. They distinguish themselves from their peers by thoroughly committing to intricate practice and musical growth. There is a deep understanding in the program that some of the students may not pursue their instrument as a lifelong career, but the lessons music teaches of focus, passion and determination are applicable to any field of study. It's an honor to observe the depth of passion of these musicians at their young age."

PYO is comprised of six independent 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 (PYAO), 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 Artists ensembles 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 free, after-school 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. For more information, please visit www.pyos.org.