David Loebel, Associate Director of Orchestras, NEC College
YPO Conductor for Spring 2012
Rehearsals:
Saturday, 3:10–6:00 p.m. in Brown Hall
YPO 2011-2012 Concerts Include:
September 11, 2011, 2 p.m., Jordan Hall.
January 20, 2012, 8 p.m., Jordan Hall.
May 15, 2012, with the Boston Ballet School, Boston Opera House
June 1, 2012, 8 p.m., Jordan Hall
Past 2010-2011 Concerts Included:
December 15, 2010, Jordan Hall
June 3, 2011, Jordan Hall
June 16, 2011, Dvorak Hall, Prague, Czech Republic
June 17, 2011, 7p.m. Smetana Open Air Opera Festival
June 19, 2011 Slovak Radio Concert Hall, Bratislava, Slovakia
June 20, 2011, 6pm Jihlava Mahler Festival, Jihlava, Czech Republic
June 22, 2011, Krems, Austria
June 23, 2011, 7:30p.m. Musikverein, Vienna, Austria
Founded in 1962, the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (YPO) is the premier orchestra at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. The YPO is composed of accomplished young musicians between the ages of 12 and 18 who are selected annually from over 400 applicants.
Fifteen international concert tours have enriched audiences on four continents and established YPO as one of the finest youth orchestras in the world. Most recently, they traveled to China in 2007. In June 2011, YPO traveled to Eastern Europe. YPO has been invited and sponsored by such prestigious organizations as the Friendship Ambassador Foundation, Korean Broadcasting Service, Pacific Cultural Foundation, Mozarteum Argentino, and BankBoston. Benjamin Zander has led YPO in concerts at some of the finest concert halls of the world, including three sold-out performances on the subscription series of Santiago, Chile’s Teatro Municipal, the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Teatros Muncipal of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In 1998, the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra was invited to participate in the 2nd National Youth Orchestra Festival sponsored by the American Symphony Orchestra League. The festival brought together 450 of the country’s most accomplished young instrumentalists to study under the guidance of an esteemed faculty. Selected from a national pool of applicants through a rigorous two-part audition process, only five of this country’s leading youth orchestras were chosen.
WGBH-TV, Boston’s public television station, has produced two documentary films of the orchestra’s tour of Chile. The one-hour documentary film, A New World of Music, produced by Concert Productions, Inc. from the 1995 tour of Chile and Argentina, was nominated for an Emmy Award and has aired nationally on public television. The CD recordings of YPO have received acclaim from Classic FM Magazine, Fanfare Magazine and the American Record Guide in which the playing of the Dvorak New World Symphony was lauded as “unbelievable in its conviction and communication.” The American Record Guide concluded: “Listen to the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and you will know there is hope for the future. The kids of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra are remarkable. But don’t take my word for it—hear it for yourself.”
Listen to YPO's June 4, 2010 Concert recorded live in Jordan Hall - use redemption code NECBZ64 for downloads.
Listen to YPO perform Strauss' Ein Heldenleben and more
Read the blog: YPO in China 2007
How do I Audition for YPO?
Auditions for the YPO take place on a yearly basis in May. Students take a Large Ensemble audition. Qualified students are then invited to play in a final round of YPO callback auditions before being accepted into the orchestra. Students can sign up online for May 2012 auditions starting March 15, 2012. Information about fall auditions can be found at the following link:
Additional Audition Information
Technical requirements: for highly advanced string, woodwind, brass and percussion players. Admission to YPO is extremely selective. Students placed in YPO generally play at a level which will guarantee them admission to selective conservatories. Younger college-age players are sometimes invited to fill vacancies due to the absence of qualified pre-college players.
How do I request to be absent from a YPO rehearsal?
Please print and hand-in an Absence Request Form to YPO manager or Concert Ensemble Manager, Rebecca Bogers. Requests need to be submitted at least two weeks before the date of absence. We urge you to submit requests as soon as you know about them so that there is plenty of time for them to be approved.
You may also fax your form in to
(617) 585-1135
or snail mail to:
NEC Preparatory School
Attn: YPO
290 Huntington Avenue
Boston MA 02115-5018
You may also email a letter of request to the YPO manager.
NOTE: You will receive an email from the YPO manager when your absence has been approved.
2012-01-31
LOUIS ARMSTRONG