The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) is a
youth orchestra
A youth orchestra is an orchestra made of young musicians, typically ranging from pre-teens or teenagers to those of conservatory age. Depending on the age range and selectiveness, they may serve different purposes. Orchestras for young stude ...
based in
Boston, Massachusetts under the artistic leadership of
music director,
Federico Cortese. Since 1958, BYSO has served thousands of young musicians from throughout
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
with three full symphonic orchestras, two young string training orchestras, six chamber orchestras, a preparatory wind ensemble, a chamber music program and a nationally recognized instrument training program for underrepresented youth from inner-city communities called the Intensive Community Program (ICP). The 2017-2018 season marks the celebration of BYSO's 60th Anniversary. Each year, BYSO auditions approximately 850 students from throughout New England, ages 5–18, and accepts nearly 500 young musicians.
BYSO offers over 20 performances in some of Boston's venues including
Boston Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall is a concert hall located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, opened in 1900. Designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, it was built for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which continues to make the ...
,
Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall is a 1,051-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall. It is the only conservatory building in the United States to be de ...
at the
New England Conservatory,
Sanders Theatre
Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an imposing High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men's sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War"a symbol of Boston's commitment ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
and the
Tsai Performance Center at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
. The orchestras and chamber ensembles rehearse every Sunday from September through June at
Boston University College of Fine Arts
The Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Boston University consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each school offers degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and grad ...
, where BYSO has been in residence since it was established in 1958. The College of Fine Arts is a major sponsor of BYSO.
BYSO receives funding from the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
, the premier federal arts funding agency in the United States, as well as numerous private and public funding sources. In 2007, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the state’s agency for arts, humanities and sciences, announced continued support for the BYSO; it ranked the BYSO first among all orchestras in the state for its quality, outreach programs, and fiscal and administrative management.
BYSO has the largest operating budget (in 2010, $2,372,974) of any youth orchestra in the United States, nearly double that of most youth orchestras.
Joe Grimaldi is the current President of BYSO Board of Directors.
Orchestras
Boston Youth Symphony (BYS)
The Boston Youth Symphony, BYSO’s premier ensemble, is composed of 115 advanced players. The group performs a wide range of demanding orchestral repertoire and is led by Music Director,
Federico Cortese, and Associate Conductor, Adrian Slywotzky.
During the season, all members of BYS also participate in one of two chamber orchestras, BYS Sinfonietta or BYS Camerata, in which they explore music of the Classical period, including works by
Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
,
Mozart, and
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
. BYS also annually performs full, semi-staged operas, which has been described as "almost unheard of" for a youth orchestra. By studying this repertoire in a chamber orchestra setting, BYS members develop specific techniques of ensemble playing and
musical phrasing
Musical phrasing is the method by which a musician shapes a sequence of notes in a passage of music to allow expression, much like when speaking English a phrase may be written identically but may be spoken differently, and is named for the i ...
to a degree they may not otherwise experience within the larger orchestra. The BYS also holds an annual concerto competition open to all of its members.
BYS performs at venues including Boston
Symphony Hall, Sanders Theatre at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, and Jordan Hall at
New England Conservatory. BYSO has built an international presence with tours and performances in venues in Israel, Columbia, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Finland, Sweden, Italy, France, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria and Hungary.
Because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the BYSO conducted virtual rehearsals only for the 2020–2021 season, but returned to in-person ones for its annual residency in Maine in the summer of 2021 and its full season in Boston for the fall of 2021.
Repertory Orchestra (REP)
Under the direction of conductor Mark Miller, the Repertory Orchestra is an advanced, full symphonic orchestra composed of 107 players of excellent technical and musical ability. Repertory Orchestra has performed in some of Boston's venues including Boston Symphony Hall, Sanders Theatre at Harvard University, Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory and the Tsai Performance Center at Boston University.
During the season, all members participate in one of two chamber orchestras, Repertory Sinfonietta and Repertory Camerata, in which they explore music of the classical period, including great works by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Mark Miller conducts Repertory Sinfonietta and John Holland conducts Repertory Camerata.
Junior Repertory Orchestra (JRO)
The Junior Repertory Orchestra, conducted by John Holland, has grown steadily from a small string orchestra to a full symphonic ensemble made up of more than 108 members. Members receive group and individual coaching, which enables them to build solid, fundamental technical and musical skills. John Holland began his first season as the JRO conductor in 2012-2013. Under his leadership, JRO performs four times during the year at several venues throughout the Boston area, including Boston Symphony Hall, Boston University's Tsai Performance Center and Sanders Theatre at Harvard University.
During the year, all JRO members receive sight-singing and ear-training instruction as part of their experience at BYSO. These classes are taught by BYSO staff.
Young People’s String Orchestra (YPSO)
The Young People’s String Orchestra is conducted by Marta Zurad. YPSO has performed at such venues as Symphony Hall, Boston University’s Tsai Performance Center, Kresge Auditorium at MIT, and has been featured as part of
WCRB
WCRB (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts, which serves the Greater Boston area. It broadcasts classical music. Its studios are located in Brighton, and its transmitter is located west of Andover.
WCRB wa ...
's Cartoon Festival.
Preparatory Winds (PW)
The Preparatory Winds, directed by Janet Underhill, beginning its first season in 2006-2007, is an ensemble of winds, brass, and percussion where students work on orchestral style music in preparation for BYSO’s full symphony orchestras.
Petit Ensemble (PE)
The Petit Ensemble is BYSO’s newest orchestra conducted by Marta Zurad, consisting of young string players, where they work on ensemble playing skills and musical interpretation.
Opera
BYSO's opera program began in 2008 with a semi-staged production of Mozart's ''Così fan tutte''. Since then, BYS has continued to put on a semi-staged opera every year in collaboration with professional singers from around the world.
Performances take place at Harvard University's Sanders Theatre under the baton of Music Director Federico Cortese.
References
Further reading
* Keches, Krysten A.
''Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras'' Arcadia Publishing, Images of America series, 2007.
External links
Official website
{{authority control
American youth orchestras
Culture of Boston
Organizations based in Boston
Musical groups established in 1958
1958 establishments in Massachusetts
Youth organizations based in Massachusetts
Orchestras based in Massachusetts