Philadelphia Youth Orchestra
The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) is a youth orchestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1939 in Germantown, Philadelphia. The Orchestra works with a "companion ensemble", the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO), which was established in 1996, and Bravo Brass, a brass ensemble, which was founded in 2003. In 2007, another group, Philadelphia Region Youth String Music (PRYSM) was added to the program as a string music education ensemble. The Musicopia String Orchestra (MSO) was an ensemble created in partnership with Musicopia, an organization that provides a music education resource for schools. Founded in 2008, MSO accepts students at a range of skill levels.
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra
PYO was conducted by Joseph Primavera for 51 years, until 2005 when he resigned from the position. The orchestra is now conducted by Maestro Louis Scaglione. Maestro Primavera was the music director laureate until he died in 2006. Members of both orchestras are chosen through competitive auditions held in June and September of every year. PYO holds around six concerts a year while PYAO holds around four a year. The orchestras have played music by such composers as Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven, Dmitri Shostakovich, Antonín Dvořák, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, Sergei Prokofiev, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, and more. The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra has been widely acclaimed by newspapers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times and The UK Post. In addition to playing in prestigious local venues such as the Kimmel Center, PYO has participated in numerous international tours in countries such as Brazil, Poland, Vienna, China, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Jordan, Israel, Spain, England, Switzerland, France, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay, The British Isles, and Australia.
Famous alumni
- Joseph Hallman, composer
- Elizabeth Pitcairn, violinist
- Paul Hewitt, viola
- Troy Peters, viola, conductor, composer
- Peter Wilson, percussion
- Amanda Zidow, cello
- Barron Caromano, trombone
- Marc Bencivengo, percussion
- Paul Lafollette, French horn
- Carolyn Banham, oboe, English horn
- Kim Kelter, oboe
- Michael Norton, tuba
- Joseph McNichols, trumpet
- Anthony Bonsera, trumpet