The Children's Orchestra Society (COS) is a non-profit organization in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

founded by Dr. Hiao Tsiun Ma for musically talented children and teens.''About Us'', The Children's Orchestra Society, ChildrensOrch.org, 2007
, retrieved on: July 7, 2007

Purpose

Founded in 1962, the organization is dedicated to teaching children and to presenting young musicians to well-established artists through orchestra and chamber music presentations. It is under the leadership of executive director Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma and music director Michael Dadap since 1984. Students range from those in early childhood through high school graduates. COS grew from 18 members to more than 200 student members. It is composed of four orchestras, a chamber music department, musicianship classes, and offers private lessons in piano, guitar, and all orchestral instruments. Its advanced orchestra, the ''Young Symphonic Ensemble'', has presented concerts at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assist ...

annually since the establishment of the Discovery Concert Series in 1994. Some of COS's past guest artists include:

Emanuel Ax Emanuel "Manny" Ax (born 8 June 1949) is a Grammy-winning American classical pianist. He is a teacher in the Juilliard School. Early life Ax was born to a Polish-Jewish family in Lviv, Ukraine, (in what was then the Soviet Union) to Joachim and ...

Sarah Chang Sarah Chang ( ko, 장영주; born Young Joo Chang; December 10, 1980) is a Korean American classical violinist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. Sh ...

Jaime Laredo Jaime Laredo (born June 7, 1941) is a violinist and conductor. He was the conductor and Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and he began his musical career when he was five years old. Laredo was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In 1948 ...

Cecile Licad Cecile Buencamino Licad (born 11 May 1961) is a Filipina classical pianist. She was born in Manila. Awards * In 1981 Licad received the Leventritt Competition Gold Medal. * Her recording of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Saint-Saëns' Piano Co ...

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

Paula Robison Paula Robison (born June 8, 1941) is a flute soloist and teacher. Early life and education Paula Robison was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the daughter of David V. and Naomi Robison, an actor. David Robison was a playwright and writer for film ...

David Shifrin David Shifrin (born January 2, 1950) is an American classical clarinetist and artistic director. Biography David Shifrin received early musical training at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in 1963. He attended the Music Academy of the West sum ...

, and

Cho-Liang Lin Cho-Liang Lin (Lin Cho-liang, , born January 29, 1960), born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is an American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras. Musical America named him its "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 200 ...

. The ''Young Symphonic Ensemble'' (YSE) had also toured in numerous cities in

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, the

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, and the

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, including performances in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, and

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. COS members perform in orchestral and chamber music concerts. In 2007, COS made its

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Debut with guest artists

and Sharon Robinson. The organization strives to involve members with their communities through performances for civic and cultural groups. ''

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'' has reviewed several of its performances.The Children's Orchestra Society, Profile, ChildrensOrch.org, 2007
, retrieved on: July 8, 2007

Mission and philosophy

In addition to being a non-profit and an educationally-inclined organization for children, the Children's Orchestra Society also has the mission to cultivate and nurture children.Mission and Philosophy, The Children's Orchestra Society, ChildrensOrch.org, 2007
, retrieved on: July 8, 2007

Membership

The Children's Orchestra Society is committed to keeping its programs accessible to the broadest range of families. Acceptance to COS is based on auditions. The audition process is very thorough. The organization accepts students of various levels and offers a wide range of programs suitable for students from beginners to the most gifted. Membership fees are kept below the actual costs of the organization's operation, and scholarships are available for exceptional young musicians who require financial assistance.

References

Specific

General

Source of the full name of The Children's Orchestra founder: Dr. Hiao Tsiun Ma, ''Maestro Dadap, (Music Director of The Children's Orchestra) Yearns for the Kundiman'', Life & Music & the Filipino, Philippine News and PhilippineNews.com, December 6, 2005
retrieved on: July 7, 2007

External links

"Children's Orchestra Society website"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Childrens Orchestra Society 1962 establishments in New York City Music education in the United States Music organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York City Arts organizations established in 1962 American youth orchestras Orchestras based in New York City