American Youth Symphony

The American Youth Symphony (AYS) is an orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, which was founded in 1964. The mission of AYS is to:

"The American Youth Symphony's mission is to inspire the future of a timeless art form by sharing exceptional, innovative concerts based on our landmark training of musicians ages 15-27. The orchestra provides paid fellowships to 100 musicians who represent extraordinary talent from all over the world. We present free concerts, creating an opportunity for everyone to experience the joy, beauty and exuberance of remarkable orchestral performances."[1]

Jim Svejda, music commentator for KUSC, has described AYS as "the finest youth symphony on Earth."

Currently, Carlos Izcaray[2] and Juan Felipe Molano[3] act as music director and resident conductor of AYS respectively.

History

AYS was founded in 1964 by conductor Mehli Mehta (father of Zubin Mehta and Zarin Mehta), then Director of the Orchestra Department at UCLA. Mehta led AYS for 33 seasons, retiring at age 90. Of his reasons for founding AYS, Mehta said:

"It takes a lifetime to learn symphonic literature... When they leave the American Youth Symphony they will have performed all the symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Dvořák, plus the last six symphonies of Mozart, five of Mahler, two of Bruckner and all the Strauss tone poems. To be a musician, you must know these things." [4]

Training

During the 2013/14 season, AYS was composed of 108 musicians from 26 schools.[5] Training with AYS is tuition-free, and acceptance is competitive. Each season, 250-300 applicants audition to fill an average of 30 open positions.[6]

Composer and violinist David Newman (an alumnus of AYS), said of the training:

"It’s a place where talented kids... come together every weekend and rehearse, with the idea of performing the standard classical music repertoire. So it’s a training orchestra, but it’s almost the same as a professional orchestra, the quality is so good... Anyone can play in our group. You have to audition to get in but if you’re good, anyone can play."[7]

AYS Alumni, "populate major American orchestras of all stripes and make up significant percentages of most of the major performing ensemble here in Los Angeles."[8] Currently, thirteen AYS alumni perform with the LA Opera, seven with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and fourteen with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[9]

Notable Alumni include:

[10][11]

Programs

AYS performs 5-7 concerts each season, and the majority of concerts are presented free to the public at UCLA's Royce Hall.[12] Performances have been described by the LA Times as possessing "polish and depth".[13] The repertoire includes classical masterworks, along with contemporary compositions, and film music.

Past guest artists have included Sarah Chang, Daníel Bjarnason, Anna Clyne, Johannes Moser, Lera Auerbach, Valentina Lisitsa, David Newman, Alan Silvestri, Charles Fox, Danny Elfman and John Williams.[14]

The Hollywood Projects

In May 2012, AYS launched a multi-year "Elfman Project"[15] featuring the scores of composer Danny Elfman, and conducted by Oscar nominated film composer David Newman.[16]

This project follows a similar three-year exploration of the work of film composer Jerry Goldsmith, and serves the dual purpose of training young musicians in the art of playing for film, and restoring and preserving film scores.[17]

The Elfman Project has received attention and praise from the film music community, with Justin Craig of Film Score Monthly writing:

"The American Youth Symphony stands high, mastering the challenge of performing film music with all its unconventional meters and rhythms. Don’t be deceived by the label of “youth” orchestra; the AYS is the real deal." [18]

This project has been supported by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the James Irvine Foundation, and BMI.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.aysymphony.org
  2. ↑ https://aysymphony.org/carlos-izcaray-music-director/
  3. ↑ https://aysymphony.org/juan-felipe-molano-resident-conductor/
  4. ↑ http://aysymphony.org/about-ays/history-and-mission/
  5. ↑ http://aysymphony.org/about-ays/the-orchestra/
  6. ↑ http://aysymphony.org/for-musicians/audition-faq/
  7. ↑ http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/10_questions_david_newman
  8. ↑ http://outwestarts.blogspot.com/2014/04/young-guns.html
  9. ↑ http://aysymphony.org/about-ays/alumni/
  10. ↑ http://aysymphony.org/about-ays/alumni/
  11. ↑ http://aysymphony.org/about-ays/board-of-directors/
  12. ↑ http://aystest.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/ays-henri-lazarof-press-release.pdf
  13. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1999/nov/23/entertainment/ca-36617
  14. ↑ http://aysymphony.org/about-ays/the-orchestra/
  15. ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/American-youth-symphony-Danny-Elfman-Project-Dark-Shadows-318629
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  17. ↑ http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/10_questions_david_newman
  18. ↑ http://aystest.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/film-score-monthly-elfman-i-review.pdf
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