PYO Music Institute: Celebrating 80 Years of History

PYO Music Institute Celebrating 80 years of history...

Table of Contents History of Ensembles..........................................................................................

Performance History...........................................................................................

Leadership History...............................................................................................

PYO Music Institute Directors

Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra Directors

Bravo Brass Directors

Prysm Strings Directors

Young Musicians Debut Orchestra Directors

Tune Up Philly - Orchestral Pathways Program Directors Notable Performance Timeline......................................................................

Premieres..................................................................................................................

Guest Artists...........................................................................................................

Important Events Timeline...............................................................................

International Performance Venue Map.....................................................

Tour History.............................................................................................................

Distinguished Alumni.........................................................................................

Award History.........................................................................................................

Special Programs History.................................................................................

The following information was gathered from a variety of sources including newspaper clippings within PYO Music Institute’s archives, program books, pyomusic.org and open source internet searches. This research was conducted over the summer of 2020 in honor of PYO Music Institute’s 80th Anniversary.

Table of Contents

04 09 10 10 13 16 18 21 23 24 26 27 28 32 34 38 40 43

Researched, Edited, and Designed By: Julienne Cormier 3

History of Ensembles

For 80 years, the PYO Music Institute has provided gifted young instrumentalists with opportunities to work in full-size symphony orchestras that adhere to many levels of experience, and to perform professional repertoire in state-of-the-art performance venues, regionally and internationally. Over the years, the PYO Music Institute has expanded to include six program divisions that attract the very best students from a diverse population. The hopes of the organization are to meet the needs of the students as they grow and matriculate into the many orchestral pathways PYO Music Institute has to offer. Through extraordinary music education under the direction of the region’s best conductors and music educators, our students build a strong sense of character, discipline, commitment, and community.

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) The PYO Music Institute was established in 1939 as the Germantown Youth Orchestra. The single orchestra was founded by a junior high music teacher, Ruth Zippler, after a small group of students who were seeking more ensemble playing experience approached her for her professional help. The ensemble was volunteer led and many students conducted their own fundraisers to support the fast-growing organization and their own individual tuition costs. Adolph Sorian conducted the ensemble’s premiere season in 1940-41, and was later succeeded by J.W.F Leman in 1941, who remained at the podium for ten years. In 1948, the organization was incorporated and was later renamed to the Youth Orchestra of Greater Philadelphia in 1951. William Smith became conductor of the orchestra in 1952, until shortly after his appointment as Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1954.

Maestro Joseph Primavera joined the PYO faculty in the 1953-54 season as conductor of the ensemble and was later appointed as Music Director in 1954.

He held this position for 51 years with the extraordinary distinction of being the longest-serving active conductor of any orchestra in the world. The Youth

History of Ensembles

Orchestra of Greater Philadelphia changed its name to the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra in 1982, and existed as such until 2020. As part of its 80th Anniversary celebration, the organization rebranded and adopted the name of the PYO Music Institute.

Under Maestro Primavera’s tenure, PYO performed over 30 premieres, travelled to five continents for fourteen international concert tours, and inaugurated a Chamber Music Concert Series that ran for thirteen years in collaboration with the Settlement Music School, a current partner of the PYO Music Institute today. With the outstanding leadership of Maestro Primavera, the ensemble was, and still is, widely regarded as one of the foremost youth orchestras in the United States. In 1981, the Youth Orchestra of Philadelphia was one of four ensembles invited to perform at the First National Youth Orchestra Festival in Washington, D.C. Two years later, it received a special commendation at the opening concert of the Second National Festival, which was held in Philadelphia.

the PYO Organization in 2001. Upon Maestro Primavera’s retirement in 2005, Maestro Scaglione assumed the position of Music Director of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

During Maestro Scaglione’s tenure as Music Director, he has expanded the repertoire of the ensemble to include many more major works from the orchestra literature cannon and has promoted collaborations with many soloists, both instrumental and vocal.

Today, PYO is the organization’s flagship ensemble and is still credited as one of the best youth orchestras in the nation with more than 120 highly skilled, young classical musicians.

Unparalleled repertoire and concerts in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts make this ensemble incomparable. In addition to the opportunity to showcase their talents through high-profile radio broadcasts and live performances, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra members learn character-building life skills and supplement their collegiate and conservatory applications, making them strong candidates for acceptance into the most prestigious universities and conservatories around the world.

In December of 1995, Maestro Louis Scaglione made his debut conducting members of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra at a holiday concert for the Voices for Children Foundation. In 1997, he was hired as the conductor of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO) and Chamber Ensembles. In 1999, he was appointed as Assistant Conductor of PYO and later as the Executive Director of

5

Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO) In the early 90s, Maestro Primavera became aware of the need for outside orchestral experiences due to budget cuts of music programs in the surrounding school districts and lack of orchestral experiences. PYAO was created to offer more opportunities for musicians ages 10-18 years old to gain orchestral experiences, in hopes that students would matriculate into the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra ensemble when they were ready.

The ensemble was established under the Philadelphia Music Project Grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra’s 199596 season, was founded by Maestro Primavera, and was conducted

by Arne Running for its debut in January 1996. David Osbon, who was Assistant Conductor and Director of Chamber Ensembles at the time, succeeded Maestro Running as conductor of PYAO’s second season in 1996-97.

In 1997, Maestro Louis Scaglione joined PYO Music Institute’s faculty as Conductor of PYAO and Coordinator of Chamber Ensembles. Maestro Scaglione brought the ensemble to such prestigious concert halls and institutions as The Media Theater, The Union League of Philadelphia, Andalusia Estate, Valley Forge Military Academy and College, Saint Mark’s Church in Philadelphia, Temple Performing Arts Center, and finally, the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. During his tenure as conductor of PYAO, he initiated performances that raised money to support History of Ensembles

organizations, including MANNA, Reach Out and Read at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Youth Work Foundation of The Union League of Philadelphia.

Maestro Scaglione hired Timothy Fawkes in the 2008-09 season to conduct PYAO as the organization expanded. Maestro Scaglione returned to conduct PYAO for one more season in 2009-10. PYO alumnus Geoffrey McDonald succeeded Maestro Scaglione in 2010 until leaving to pursue other conducting ventures in the spring of 2013. In January of 2014, Maestra Rosalind Erwin was appointed Conductor and Artistic Staff of PYAO. In the 2014-15 season, she introduced the PYAO Young Artists Concerto Competition, giving members of PYAO an opportunity to perform a solo piece alongside the ensemble in its annual festival concert. Maestra Erwin continues to prepare students through sophisticated repertoire and rigorous intellectual and musical discipline today.

Bravo Brass

Prysm Strings

Bravo Brass is a youth brass ensemble that was created in 1997 at Temple University’s preparatory division to provide advanced musical education and performance opportunities to talented highschool brass students in the Tri-State region. At the time of its creation, it was the only ensemble of its kind in the area and one of few in the country. In 2003, Bravo Brass was invited to join the PYO Organization.

Prysm Strings was established in 2007 under the name of Philadelphia Region Youth String Music (PRYSM).

This string music education program was created to offer a unique introduction and preparation for string students to acquire and build the skills necessary for playing in a larger orchestral ensemble. The program was co-founded by the late William dePasquale, former CoConcertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Gloria dePasquale, current cellist in The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mrs. dePasquale currently directs the Prysm Strings program.

Bravo Brass offers repertoire that challenges advanced brass students to improve their individual and ensemble playing skills. The Bravo Brass teaching faculty, led by Maestro Paul Bryan, Dean of the Curtis Institute of Music, provides valuable musical training. In addition to the opportunity for accomplished young brass musicians to showcase their talents through multiple live performances throughout the year, members enhance and supplement their collegiate and conservatory applications, making them strong candidates for acceptance into the most prestigious universities and conservatories around the world.

PRYSM and PRYSM Young Artists provide string ensemble and sectional master class instruction for intermediate and beginning students. This new ensemble allowed more time for young musicians to develop skills such as vibrato and intonation. Given the success and high enrollment of PRYSM, in 2009 the PRYSM Young Artists program was established to serve our youngest musicians, and was conducted by Sarah Sutton. Jessica Villante succeeded Ms. Sutton as conductor in 2011. In 2016, Andrea Weber became conductor of PRYSM Young Artists, the position she currently holds. Graduates of PRYSM have matriculated successfully into other PYO Music Institute ensembles. The ensemble was renamed to Prysm Strings in 2020 for the 80th Anniversary of the PYO Music Institute.

7

Tune Up Philly – Orchestral Pathways Program (TUP) The Tune Up Philly was launched in 2010 as the first Philadelphiaarea El Sistema-inspired program.

Stanford Thomas served as the first director. The program offers a differentiated musical curriculum that was created to meet the specific needs of students living in challenging social and economic conditions, with a focus on effecting meaningful community change.

The first year of the program was held at one site, St. Francis de Sales School, in Southwest Philadelphia. In September 2011, Tune Up Philly continued at People for People Charter School in North Philadelphia, directed by Delia Raab-Snyder. In 2014, Paul Smith succeeded Ms. Raab-Snyder as Director and Conductor of the program. By its fourth season, Tune Up Philly had expanded to six program sites in collaboration with Philadelphia-based charter, independent, and public schools, the Salvation Army kroc Center, and Head Start Programs. TUP also partnered with organizations such as Village of Arts and Humanities, LISC, El Taller Puertorriqueño, and EducationWorks.

Tune Up Philly’s mission is to nurture children in economically disadvantaged and vulnerable neighbourhoods by keeping them engaged in success through outof-school time music instruction.

The program offers children an opportunity to learn and perform orchestral music and make a true difference within their communities, History of Ensembles

both through the use of music and through a purposeful connection with others. The PYO Music Institute believes that music education is a powerful vehicle for children to master skills and acquire valuable tools for cooperative learning, teamwork, academic success and to build self-esteem. Today, the program is comprised of nine partner sites throughout the greater Philadelphia region and is led by Director Paul Smith alongside 15 accomplished teaching artists.

Young Musicians Debut Orchestra (YMDO) The Young Musicians Debut Orchestra (YMDO), formerly the Philadelphia Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO), was established 2016. Kenneth Bean serves as the orchestra’s first director and conductor. The ensemble is a beginning-to-intermediate level full symphonic orchestra that provides most students with their first introduction to large orchestral playing. Through challenging repertoire including both arrangements and original masterworks, students are challenged to hone their talents for listening, blending, balancing, and making music within the full orchestral context. YMDO prepares its members for participation in Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra and, eventually, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

Performance History

PYO Music Institute students have had the privilege of performing in the world’s most renowned concert venues throughout the past 80 years. From historic buildings in the greater Philadelphia region to early 19th century cathedrals, PYO musicians have had many opportunities to gain valuable experience as world-class youth performers, while serving as cultural ambassadors of the U.S. Despite the fact that many of the performance venues highlighted below have since been demolished or repurposed, the footprints of the organization lay embedded in its rich history and in the memories of its community members.

Greater Philadelphia Region High Schools & Universities Benjamin Franklin High School Auditorium Upper Moreland High School Villanova University Springfield High School Drexel University Main Auditorium Wissahickon High School Central High School Penn Crest High School Cabrini College South Philadelphia High School Lower Merion High School The Haverford School’s Centennial Hall Auditorium Cherry Hill High School Wilmington High School Raritan Valley Community College Girard College University of Delaware – Perkins Student Center Conestoga High School Community College of Philadelphia Valley Forge Military Academy & College Montgomery Community College Churches Trinity Lutheran Church Church of the Savior First Presbyterian Church Hopewell United Methodist Church Philadelphia Cathedral

Packard Building Dupont Country Club The Philadelphia Children’s Zoo (KidZooU) Rose Tree Park Pastorius Park in Chestnut Hill Central YMCA Auditorium Penn’s Landing John Wanamaker Greek Hall The War Memorial in Trenton Philadelphia’s Ethical Society Building Performing Arts Venues Academy of Music Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Media Theater for Performing Arts Temple Center for Performing Arts

Philadelphia

Trenton

Wilmington

Historical Places Germantown Y.M.C.A Civic Center Union League of Philadelphia Independence Mall

Performance History

9

80 Years of Outstanding Leadership Extraordinary artistic leadership is a hallmark of the PYO Music Institute. Adolph Sorian conducted the orchestra’s inaugural 1940-41 season and was followed

by J.W.F. Leman who held the podium for the next ten years. William R. Smith served from 1952 to 1954, when he left to become Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Joseph Primavera assumed the podium in 1954, and for fifty-one years —from 1954 through the 2004-05 concert season—had the extraordinary distinction of being the longest-serving active conductor of any orchestra in the world. In September 2005, Maestro Primavera was named Music Director Laureate of PYO and was succeeded by Maestro Louis Scaglione, the current PYO Music Director and Conductor, whom he personally and enthusiastically recommended.

Thanks to both directors, Maestro Primavera and Maestro Scaglione, PYO Music Institute’s program divisions are directed by some of the top music professionals in the region. These remarkable leaders have upheld the image, standard, and legacy of the organization and have continued to provide high quality music education to students in the Delaware Valley region.

Joseph Primavera (1954-2005) Maestro Joseph Primavera was the Music Director and Conductor of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra for 51 years, holding an extraordinary record as the longest-serving active conductor of any orchestra anywhere in the world. Maestro Primavera was born in 1926 to a prominent musical family. As the son of a leading violinmaker in Philadelphia, he began his own music studies at the age of five with Guido and Joseph Terranova. Early on, he won a scholarship to study violin with Sacha Jacobinoff, and later studied trombone with Pietro Rosano. At the New School of Music, he studied violin with Frank Costanzo, viola with Max Aronoff, orchestration and conducting with W. F. Happich, and also studied with the Curtis Quartet. In 1944, he entered the United States Navy, where he served on the cruiser U.S.S. Philadelphia and battleship U.S.S. Missouri during World War II. In 1949, he was invited to join the Baltimore Symphony as a violist and in 1951, The Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy. In 1960, he received The Philadelphia Orchestra’s coveted C. Hartman Kuhn Award for “musical ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and reputation of the Orchestra.” In 1968, he retired from The Philadelphia Orchestra to devote himself full-time to conducting and teaching.

Maestro Primavera’s New York conducting debut came in 1959, when he led musicians from the New York Philharmonic and The Philadelphia Orchestra. He also led performances by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rome Festival Opera, the Beijing Opera/Ballet Orchestra, and Opera Barga in Lucca, Italy. In addition, he served as music director of Telitalia Cable-TV Network (Italian National Radio), the Delaware Valley Philharmonic, the Sunshine Pops Orchestra (Orlando, Florida), the Cherry Hill (New Jersey) Symphony, the Old York Road Symphony (Pennsylvania), and the Frankford (Pennsylvania) Symphony. He also directed several chamber music series at

Leadership History

10

the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, and served as music director for films and television specials, including a CBS series featuring The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Maestro Primavera was a conductor and professor of orchestration, chamber music, and musicianship at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He was a member of the American Symphony Orchestra League and the American Guild of Conductors.

Maestro Primavera received the Service to Youth in the Performing Arts Award of the Philadelphia Civic Ballet Company (1986); the Distinguished Service Award of the Pennsylvania-Delaware String Teachers with School Orchestra Association (1999); and the Arts Recognition Award of the Society for the Performing Arts of the Media Theatre (2001).

During Maestro Primavera’s tenure, he introduced more than 3,000 talented young musicians aged 12 to 21 to the works of more than 150 composers, led them in more than 400 concerts and 35 premiere performances, and guided the overseas tours that established PYO Music Institute’s reputation on five continents. His legacy continues to contribute to the prosperity of the PYO Music Institute through establishing impeccable leadership as an attribute of the organization.

Louis Scaglione (1997-present) The 80th Anniversary of the PYO Music Institute marked Maestro Louis Scaglione’s 23rd year with the organization and 15th year as President, CEO, and Music Director.

In 1997, he was appointed conductor of PYAO and director of chamber music ensembles. In 1999, he was appointed as Associate Conductor of the PYO ensemble and has served as the ensemble’s Music Director since 2005. Under his leadership, the organization has grown to include six program divisions and more than 500 students. Maestro Scaglione is deeply committed to the Greater Philadelphia cultural and educational community.

His work relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion through PYO Music Institute’s nationally recognized orchestral music learning pathway has garnered attention and funding from major foundation sources both regionally and nationally.

Maestro Scaglione, who is respected nationally as a leader in classical music education, has spent the better part of 30 years developing his craft. As a musician, educator, conductor, and administrative executive, his career has afforded him extensive experience in orchestral, choral, and opera literature, as well as in education and executive administration. In the greater Delaware Valley region he is an esteemed and well-respected colleague with outstanding relationships with many arts, educational, and cultural organizations and institutions.

Maestro Scaglione’s professional career began in 1993 when he moved to Philadelphia from Champaign, Illinois, where he attended the University of Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Science in Music Education there and had advanced studies in piano performance, vocal coaching, opera, and choral music. He completed his Master of Music in 1996 from Temple University. At Temple University, he was awarded a fellowship and teaching assistantship to complete his graduate work. His graduate

11

teaching assistantship was with the opera department and the theory department. As a teaching assistant, his primary assignment was to assist the Temple Opera Theater’s efforts to rebuild its program and serve as Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master. He has devoted his career to music education and the instruction of music at the highest levels. During his time with Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, he has conducted many major works from the orchestra literature cannon, as well as choral-orchestral masterworks. He has collaborated with many soloists, both instrumental and vocal, as well as distinguished choral societies including the Mendelssohn Club Chorus (Philadelphia) and the Choral Society of Montgomery County (Pennsylvania). He established PYO Music Institute’s highly regarded concert series at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and Philadelphia Youth Orchestra’s performances are featured in a broadcast series on 90.1 WRTIFM in Philadelphia. This series is unique nationally among youth orchestras. He has taken the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra on five international concert tours during his tenure.

Through his work with the PYO Music Institute, he has earned the respect of Philadelphia’s greater professional community and he has distinguished himself as a highly regarded musician, educator and conductor in the region.

Concurrent with his tenure with the PYO Music Institute, Maestro Scaglione has held several other positions with regional performing arts organizations. In 2019, he was invited to join the Rowan University’s School of Music as Visiting Guest Artist. While in residence, he conducted the Rowan University Orchestra and Rowan University Opera Department in fully-staged performances of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, as well as works for orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Since 2012, he has annually worked with Philadelphia International Music Festival, a summer music program in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, as principal conductor and member of the faculty. In addition to his work in education, Maestro Scaglione served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and then Chief Financial Officer of The Philly Pops from 2011 to 2019 and was a member of the executive team that took The Philly Pops from bankruptcy to prosperity. He also served as Artistic Director of the Choral Society of Montgomery County in residence at Montgomery County Community College (Pennsylvania) from 2002 to 2012. From 2006 through 2010, he was Resident Music Director and Conductor for the Luzerne Music Center (New York). He is a former member of the faculty and administrative staff of Temple University Music Preparatory Division. Because of his work with the PYO Music Institute, Maestro PYO Assistant Conductors Scaglione was elected by his peers in 2006 to serve as Sidney Rothstein (1957-62) Chairman of the Youth Orchestra Division Board of the John C. Hamell (1961-64) League of American Orchestras and he served on the Richard Vanstone (1974-82) League’s Board of Directors.

John Hodian (1982-83) Ira Levin (1983-85) Robert Spano (1984-85) Paavo Jarvi (1985-88) Stuart Malina (1988-90) Miguel Harth-Bedoya (1990-91) Troy Peters (1990-95) David Osbon (1995-97) Louis Scaglione (1999-2005) Kenneth Bean (2015-2016)

Leadership History

Additionally, Maestro Scaglione’s involvement with the greater Philadelphia cultural and social community has included service as a member of several non-profit boards. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Union League of Philadelphia. Philanthropy is paramount to Maestro Scaglione, and he teaches his students the importance of “giving-back” to one’s community through one’s talents.

Arne Running (1995-96) Arne Running joined the artistic staff of the PYO Music Institute as the first Conductor of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra in the 1995-96 season. At the time, he also served as conductor of the Swarthmore College Orchestra and the Old York Road Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor of the Reading Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Running performed as Principal Clarinet with the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, Philly POPS, and as a regular substitute for The Philadelphia Orchestra. While he began composing in his high school years, he returned to composing in 1976 and gained international acceptance for his works Chorale and Capriccio for Band and Concertino for English Horn and String Orchestra. Prior to his time with PYAO, he served as Music Director and Conductor of the Jenkintown Music School Chamber Orchestras.

David Osbon (1996-97) David Osbon served as Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Director of Chamber Music from 1995 to 1997. He became Conductor of PYAO for the ensemble’s second season in 1996-97, succeeding Mr. Running. Mr. Osbon served as Artistic Director of the New Chamber Players, Music Director of the National Theatre of Great Britain, and directed world premieres for the Society for the Promotion of New Music, along with composition workshops at universities throughout Great Britain. From 1989 to 1992 he taught composition and theory and served as replacement conductor at the London Centre for Young Musicians. While Mr. Osbon has gained international recognition for his compositions and work as a music educator, in the USA he was awarded the Hilda K. Nietsche Prize and the David A. Halstead Prize by the University of Pennsylvania during his Thouron Fellowship. He is currently a professor at the University of West London.

Timothy Fawkes (2008-2009) Timothy Fawkes joined the PYO Music Institute as an Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Young Artists’ Orchestra in the 2007-08 season. In the 2008-09 season, he was appointed PYAO’s Artistic Coordinator and Conductor. Mr. Fawkes was also the Director of Instrumental Music at Shawmont Middle School, in the School District of Philadelphia. Formerly, he served as Manager in the department of Education and Community Partnerships of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, where his responsibilities included executing all aspects of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s family and school concerts and creating educational materials and workshops related to Orchestra programming. In 2009, he left the PYO Music Institute to become the Orchestra Director at Glenbard East High School where he currently serves as a music teacher and director.

13

Geoffrey McDonald (2010-13) Geoffrey McDonald served as the music director of the Philadelphia Young Artists’ Orchestra from the fall of 2010 to the winter of 2013. He is currently an up and coming young conductor of the American opera scene and continues to make guest appearances at highly acclaimed opera theaters around the world.

Current and recent seasons mark many company debuts for McDonald. In the fall of 2018, he conducted the critically acclaimed world premiere of Sky on Swings (Beecher/Moscovitch) at Opera Philadelphia, and returns for the world premiere of Woman with Eyes Closed (Higdon/Dye). Other highlights from recent seasons include Flight at Minnesota Opera, Hänsel und Gretel at Opera Saratoga, Idomeneo at Wolf Trap Opera, La finta giardiniera at Atlanta Opera, and Elizabeth Cree at Chicago Opera Theatre. He has also made recent debuts at Opera Omaha, Curtis Opera Theatre, Toledo Opera, and the Caramoor Festival. He is a sought-after collaborator in the development of new opera, having worked with leading composers such as Jennifer Higdon, Missy Mazzoli, Kevin Puts, Lembit Beecher, Daniel Schnyder, Nico Muhly, John Musto, Tarik O’Reagan, and Michi Wiancko. He led American Opera Projects’ production of Wolf-in-Skins (Gregory Spears/Christopher Williams) from the keyboard, and recently conducted The Halloween Tree (Popov/Asaro) for American Lyric Theater.

He has appeared as guest conductor with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, International Contemporary Ensemble, Gotham Chamber Opera, American Symphony Orchestra, Bard Festival Players, and historical instrument ensemble Grand Harmonie.

In the spring of 2017, McDonald made his German theater debut with Theater und Orchester Neubrandenburg/Neustrelitz, and led the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra in Prague in a performance of Smetana’s Ma Vlast.

McDonald earned his masters in orchestral conducting at Mannes College of Music, where he studied with David Hayes, and was the recipient of the Alma Askin Scholarship, the Felix Salzer Techniques of Music Award, and the Mannes Theory Essay Prize. He has received additional instruction and mentorship from Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Leif Segerstam, Leonid Grin, and Sir Gilbert Levine, whom he assisted on PBS-televised productions of Bruckner’s 9th Symphony and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. He studied conducting with Michael Pratt at Princeton University, and upon earning his bachelors degree (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa), he was awarded the inaugural Edward T. Cone Memorial Prize for excellence in combining music scholarship and performance.

He studied piano, cello, and voice, and is a sought-after vocal coach, working with accomplished singers who appear on the world’s top stages.

PYAO Assistant Conductors

Matthew Hoy (2003-06) Paul Bryan (2007-08) Timothy Fawkes (2007-08) Patrick Bailey (2014-present)

Leadership History

Rosalind Erwin (2014-present) A creative and highly accomplished conductor, Rosalind Erwin is welcome on podiums both in the USA and abroad. Born in Great Falls, Montana, Rosalind Erwin began her musical studies as a child on the clarinet and piano, and made her conducting debut at age 13. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Performance from the New School of Music in Philadelphia where she received an NEA Fellowship, and her Masters in Performance from the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University where she studied with Anthony Gigliotti, Principal Clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra and was appointed Resident Conductor of the Composition Department. Rosalind Erwin is an accomplished instrumental performer, having appeared as clarinet soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and having performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has studied with and been mentored by some of the great names in the conducting world, including Loren Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Joseph Barone, Sidney Rothstein and William Smith.

Rosalind Erwin was the founder and creative force behind Musica 2000 – The Symphony Orchestra, dedicated to commissioning and performing works by emerging American composers. As Conductor and Music Director of the Pottstown Symphony Orchestra, Erwin artistically elevated the regional professional orchestra, expanded educational outreach and brought contemporary music into the mainstream of concert programming. Erwin and the Orchestra’s concerts were regularly rebroadcast on Philadelphia NPR station WHYY’s Symphony Space. During Erwin’s tenure the PSO was offered a rare recording opportunity with American independent label Newport Classics.

Guest conducting engagements have included orchestras in Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, as well as throughout the USA. She was featured conductor during American Music Week with the Sophia Philharmonic in Bulgaria. Erwin guest conducted Sinfonijski orkestar Hvratska vojske, Zagreb, Croatia, performing the Croatian premier of David Gillinghams’ Marimba Concerto No. 2 with internationally renowned marimbist Ivana Bilic.

Rosalind Erwin has guest conducted numerous All-State, Regional and District Festival Orchestras for Music Educator Associations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Erwin is the former Music Director and Conductor of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra, Luzerne Music Center Orchestras and Settlement Music School Advanced Studies Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble. Erwin served as an Adjunct Professor of Music and Conducting at The College of New Jersey, and was invited to become a Staff Conductor for the Philadelphia International Music Festival where she also taught a Masters of Music course.

In 2013 Erwin was hired by Drexel University to build and conduct the Drexel University Orchestra. In January of 2014, Erwin was named Director and Conductor/Artistic Staff of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra. Erwin recently accepted an invitation to teach conducting at the Bryn Mawr Conservatory of Music, where she began her serious study of the art of conducting with founding director, Dr. Joseph Barone.

15

Paul Bryan (2003-present) Paul Bryan leads a distinguished career as both performer and educator. Mr. Bryan is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University where he studied trombone with Glenn Dodson and Eric Carlson and conducting with David Hayes, Arthur Chodoroff, and Lawrence Wagner. He currently serves as Director and Conductor of Bravo Brass – the PYO Music Institute brass ensemble, Music Director of the Philadelphia Wind Symphony, Head Conductor of the Young Artists Summer Program at Curtis Summerfest, Music Director of the Symphony in C Summer Camp, and a faculty member at Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music.

Described by composer Eric Ewazen as a “stunning” interpreter producing performances with “riveting momentum and heartfelt lyricism,” Mr. Bryan has led concerts with a variety of groups—from the wind and brass ensembles of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia to Boyz II Men. Sought after for his ability to train gifted instrumentalists, Mr. Bryan pushes his groups to take risks and to make music as opposed to just playing it. Past positions have included Conductor of the Drexel University Orchestra, Conductor of the Philadelphia All-City High School Concert Band, and appearances with the ensembles of the New York Summer Music Festival, Play On, Philly!, and numerous honor groups in the Delaware Valley.

A respected member of the Philadelphia area’s musical community, Mr. Bryan serves as Dean of the Curtis Institute of Music where he directs the educational programming and curricular life of one of the world’s foremost conservatories.

Barry McCommon (2004-present) Barry McCommon joined the Bravo Brass faculty in 2004 and was later appointed Associate Conductor in the 2007-08 season. Mr. McCommon is a musician that defies categorization. Having begun his career while still enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music, his versatility has earned him respect as a “crossover” artist, performing in venues ranging from Lincoln Center to the House of Blues with anyone from the Royal Ballet, to the Jaco Pastorius Big Band, to R&B legend Aretha Franklin. A member of the genre-bending Nu Directions Chamber Brass, Mr. McCommon is to some the tuxedoclad classical bass trombonist for The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia—to others he’s the jazz musician they’ve seen backing the likes of Herbie Hancock—in another realm, he regularly can be seen on the r&b/funk circuit of Philadelphia and Atlantic City with luminaries such as Pattie Labelle.

In addition to his work as a performer, Mr. McCommon is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Arts where he teaches lessons and directs the UArts Trombone Ensemble, and was on faculty of the Philadelphia International Music Festival, where he taught chamber music and solo performance classes.

Leadership History

Robert Skoniczin (2004-present) Robert Skoniczin joined the Bravo Brass faculty in 2004 and was later appointed Associate Conductor in the 2007-08 season. Mr. Skoniczin performs in a variety of settings, including classical, commercial, jazz, and touring Broadway shows. Rob has backed various star attractions and can be heard on several recordings including Manhattan Transfer’s DVD The Christmas Concert, Reanimations and Shadowcatcher with the West Chester University Wind Ensemble, American Anthems with the Gramercy Brass Orchestra, and numerous spots for NFL Films. In October 2015, Rob made his Carnegie Hall debut performing with Tromba Mundi, where three new works for trumpet ensemble were unveiled. His principal teachers have included Vince Penzarella of the New York Philharmonic and Christopher Tranchitella of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. In May 2014, Rob co-hosted the 39th Annual International Trumpet Guild Conference in King of Prussia with his fellow West Chester University colleague, JC Dobrzelewski. He teaches trumpet at the University of Delaware and West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and is a member of the National Band Association, the International Trumpet Guild, and Phi Beta Kappa. Rob is a performing artist for S.E. Shires trumpets.

17

William dePasquale (2007-2012) The late William dePasquale joined the PYO Music Institute faculty in 2005 to direct the program’s Master Class and Advanced Orchestra Training Program as Co-Artistic Advisor with his wife and cellist, Gloria dePasquale. In 2007, Mr. dePasquale became Director and Conductor of PRYSM until his passing in 2012.

William dePasquale began his violin studies at age seven with his father in his native Philadelphia and continued his training at The Curtis Institute of Music with the late Veda Reynolds, a former member of The Philadelphia Orchestra. During military duty as a member of The United States Navy Band, he studied in New York with Samuel Kissel and made his debut as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra as a student audition winner under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.

For several summers he performed at the Berkshire Music Center and later spent a season at the Marlboro Festival in Vermont. Receiving a Fulbright Scholarship in 1958, Mr. dePasquale travelled to Salzburg for a year of study and concert appearances. In 1960, Mr. dePasquale accepted the invitation of the late Alexander Hilsberg to become Concertmaster of the New Orleans Philharmonic. During this time, Mr. dePasquale was also the Concertmaster and violin soloist with the St. Louis Sinfonietta.

At the beginning of 1963, he joined The Philadelphia Orchestra and three seasons later was made an Associate Concertmaster. Succeeding that appointment, he made numerous solo appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1994 he was appointed acting concertmaster and in 1995 was appointed second Co-Concertmaster. In 1999, Mr. dePasquale was appointed Co-Concertmaster.

In 1995, Mr. dePasquale received the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Hartman Kuhn Award, awarded annually to the member of the Philadelphia Orchestra who has “shown musical ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and reputation of the Orchestra.”

Gloria dePasquale (2007-present) Gloria dePasquale joined the PYO Music Institute as Co-Artistic Advisor of the Master Class and Advanced Orchestra Training Program with her late husband, William, in 2005. Later in 2007, Mrs. dePasquale became the Co-Director of PRYSM. Gloria dePasquale joined the cello section of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1977 at the invitation of Eugene Ormandy. She is a graduate of The New England Conservatory of Music and graduated with honors with both her BM and MM degrees as a student of Stephen Geber. Cellist of the dePasquale String Quartet for more than two decades, the quartet was in residence at Villanova University and presented a highly acclaimed chamber music series performing with

Leadership History

such artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Christoph Eschenbach, Yefim Bronfman, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Andre Watts. Mrs. dePasquale was also ‘cellist of the dePasquale trio, performing alongside daughter, Francesca and her late husband, William.

Mr. and Mrs. dePasquale were frequent soloists with area community and youth orchestras, performing both the Brahms Double Concerto and Saint-Saëns’ La Muse et le Poète. Their last public performance together was in June of 2010 in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center performing with the PYO ensemble. Mrs. dePasquale had also appeared as soloist with the PYO ensemble in Verizon Hall, performing Haydn’s C Major Cello Concerto and Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante.

Mrs. dePasquale is an advocate for music education both at The Philadelphia Orchestra where she serves on the musician education committee and at the PYO Music Institute where she is Artistic Advisor to the organization. In 2012, she assumed the position as inaugural Director and Conductor of PRYSM and director of the masterclass and sectional program. In addition to serving Prysm Strings today, Mrs. dePasquale designed and directs the PYO Music Institute’s College and Conservatory Audition Preparation Program.

Mrs. dePasquale maintains a large private studio and her graduating students are regularly accepted to the nation’s finest conservatories, colleges, and universities. Mrs. dePasquale teaches for the New York State School of Orchestral Studies and is also on the faculty of Luzerne (NY) Music Center, Philadelphia International Music Festival, and Carnegie Hall’s NYO2.

Mrs. dePasquale is a past member of the Board of The Philadelphia Orchestra and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the League of American Orchestras and the President’s Council for New England Conservatory of Music.

19

Sarah Sutton (2009-2011) Sarah Sutton was the inaugural Director and first Conductor of PRYSM Young Artists, when the program expanded in its 2009-10 season. She directed the ensemble for two seasons. As a violist, Ms. Sutton has performed throughout Europe, North and South America. She has appeared as both soloist and principal violist with the Camerata Lysy Gstaad (Switzerland), and played at many prestigious venues, including the Palais des Beaux Arts (Brussels), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires), the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Albert Hall and St John’s Smith Square (London).

Festivals include solo and chamber performances at the Summer Music Festival at Blackthorpe Barn (UK), the Menuhin Festival, Alpen Gala, and Verbier Summer Academy (Switzerland), and Tanglewood (USA). An avid chamber musician, Ms. Sutton has collaborated with the Carmina Quartet as Guest Violist in performances as part of the Rencontres Musicales (Switzerland), and has appeared as a soloist in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, with members of the New World Symphony and Nicholas McGeegan.

As an orchestral player, Ms. Sutton has held the Principal Viola position with the New World Symphony (directed by Michael Tilson-Thomas) and was a member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been a guest Sub-Principal with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (UK), participating in the historic EMI recording of Tristan and Isolde with Antonio Pappano and Placido Domingo, and the new production of Das Rheingold, which has been broadcast live on BBC TV and BBC Radio 3. Ms. Sutton has been a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (formerly the Concerto Soloists) and also appears as Guest Principal Violist with the Princeton Symphony and guest artist with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Born in England, Ms. Sutton is a graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music (UK), where she studied with Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Simon Rowland-Jones, Yuko Inoue and Mauricio Fuks. She went on to accept a full scholarship at the International Menuhin Music Academy (Switzerland) where her teachers were Johannes Eskaer and Maestro Alberto Lysy. Ms. Sutton went on to study with Alan DeVeritch at Indiana University, where she was his assistant.

Jessica Villante, Conductor (2011-2016) Jessica Villante has been playing the violin since the age of five and has performed throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Temple University with Bachelor of Music degrees in both violin performance and in music education with an emphasis on strings, where she studied violin with William dePasquale. In 2015 she graduated with her M.M. in Music Education from the University of the Arts. Mrs. Villante was a coach with Prysm Strings since its inception in 2007 and served as conductor of Prysm Strings Young Artists from 2011-16.

Mrs. Villante joined the faculty at both Lower Merion and Harriton High Schools as a string teacher in 2009, and in 2016 became the Orchestra Director at Lower Merion High School. She also teaches music and co-teaches concert choir.

Leadership History

Andrea Weber, Conductor (2016-present) Andrea Weber, cellist and string specialist, is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the Esther Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University.

Ms. Weber joined Prysm Strings as a cello coach in 2007, and now enjoys working with the Young Artists division as its conductor. Ms. Weber is also an original member of the Tune Up Philly Teaching Artists faculty; she currently coaches cellists as well as the program’s string ensemble. In addition to her various positions with the PYO Music Institute, Ms. Weber currently holds such positions as Lower School String Specialist at the Friends Select School and Teaching Artist for the Musicopia String Orchestra. Ms. Weber has a private cello studio which focuses on the beginning and intermediate levels.

As a cellist, Ms. Weber performs with an array of classical and folk musicians in the region. From 2007 through 2012 she worked as a section cellist for the Lancaster Symphony and Symphony in C. She is a founding member of the Elysium String Quartet, which was formed in 2008 and performs frequently in the Lehigh Valley region. In addition to performing in classical ensembles, Ms. Weber began working with folk songwriters in 2008; her award-winning recordings with such songwriters as Andrea Nardello, Matt Duke, and Ross Bellenoit have been aired on national radio. Her work in this genre is featured in over 25 records.

Kenneth Bean, Conductor (2016-present) Kenneth Bean was appointed as first conductor and director of the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra. Mr. Bean began seriously studying music as a high school student when he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts. He matriculated to Oberlin Conservatory where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance, following which he completed a Master of Music Education from Jackson State University.

As a trumpeter, Mr. Bean has enjoyed a thriving freelance career, playing with such ensembles as Mannheim Steamroller, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Soulful Symphony Orchestra, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra. He can be heard on recordings with Symphony in C, the Monocacy Chamber Orchestra, and hip-hop artist Thee Phantom & the Illharmonic Orchestra.

Following a desire to pass on the gift of music, Mr. Bean has worked with a number of music education organizations, including Play On, Philly! and Settlement Music School, both of which serve Philadelphia youth. He has also taught at summer festivals such as Kinhaven Music School and Luzerne Music Center. He currently serves as Associate Director of the Primavera Fund, an initiative to fund music education for youth in Philadelphia.

In recent years, Mr. Bean has been most fortunate to engage his passion for conducting.

He held the position of Music Director/Conductor of the Junior String Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley from 2011-2015. In 2016, he was appointed Music Director/Conductor of the Young People’s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley. He also serves as the Assistant Conductor for the Symphony in C Youth Orchestra.

21

Rachel Segal (2016-present) A native Philadelphian, Rachel Segal has enjoyed an exciting and varied career both at home and abroad.

As a performer, her career highlights include more than a decade as a member of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and posts in Europe with the Tampere Filharmonia in Finland and as Concertmaster of the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa in Lisbon, Portugal. She is Concertmaster of the Central City Opera Orchestra and began her career as Concertmaster of the South Bend Symphony.

Ms. Segal began her violin studies at age three in the Suzuki Method. As a teen she participated in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians, the Settlement Music School, and The New York String Orchestra Seminar. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Michigan in the studio of Paul Kantor and her Master of Music degree from The Yale School of Music in the studio of Sidney Harth. Other teachers include Jerome Wigler and Barbara Govatos.

Ms. Segal’s commitment to education and outreach have taken her into dozens of public schools for performances and residencies, and she has held faculty positions at Regis University and the Community College of Aurora, as well as at the Luzerne Music Center.

She has worked extensively as a chamber music and sectionals coach for the Denver Youth Orchestras and as a private teacher.

In addition to traditional classical music, Ms. Segal is a champion of new music, and has premiered many new works of solo, chamber, and orchestral music. She was also Concertmaster for the Central City Opera’s premiere of Poet Li Bai, an opera by Chinese composer Guo Wenjing. Rachel has performed with some of the world’s most famous popular artists, including Peter Gabriel, Earth Wind and Fire, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Jr., DeVotchKa, Amanda Palmer, Otis Taylor, and Ben Folds. Ms. Segal was a lead violinist for the Orquesta Tipica Natural Tango and performed frequently with the Extasis Tango Quartet in Denver.

Ms. Segal currently performs frequently with The Philly Pops and The Orchestra of The Pennsylvania Ballet, is a core member of The Fairmount String Quartet, and is a founding member of The Media Lunas, an Argentine Tango band based in Media, PA. Ms. Segal is the Associate Director and String Faculty Coordinator for The Young Musicians Debut Orchestra.

Stanford Thompson (2010-2011) Stanford Thompson was the initial director of Tune Up Philly in PYO Music Institute’s 2010-2011 season. Stanford earned a Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music where he held the William A. Loeb Fellowship.

Following his studies at Curtis, Mr. Thompson joined the inaugural class of Abreu Fellows at the New England Conservatory studying the social development and music education system of Venezuela, El Sistema. He has performed with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Curtis

Leadership History

Symphony Orchestra, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C and recorded on the Ondinelabel with Christoph Eschenbach.

Delia Raab-Snyder (2011-14) Delia Raab-Snyder is an alumna of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, Settlement Music School, and the School District of Philadelphia. She holds a Bachelor of Music in clarinet performance from The Mannes College of Music, where she studied with Mark Nuccio, and an M.M. from The University of Southern California where she was a student of Yehuda Gilad. She has attended the Aspen Music Festival and The Bowdoin International Music Festival, and studied the Orff Method at Villanova University. Ms. Raab-Snyder has worked extensively with children in New York, Philadelphia, The Los Angeles Unified School District, and El Centro de Esperanza Infantil in Oaxaca, Mexico. In spring 2012, Ms. Raab-Snyder travelled with a group of American musicians to Campos, Brazil and spent two weeks with Orchestrando La Vida, a twenty-year-old El Sistema program.

Paul Smith (2011-present) Paul Smith joined the PYO Music Institute faculty as Assistant Director & Conductor of Tune Up Philly in 2011. In 2014 he became Director and Conductor of the program, the position he currently holds. Mr. Smith is an active composer, performer and educator.

As a performer, Mr. Smith has premiered dozens of works to include the premiere of Robert Cuckson’s “Concerto for Guitar” with the Mannes Orchestra under David Hayes and the premiere recording on the Vienna Modern Masters label of David Loeb’s “Asian Fantasias” for solo guitar. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Mannes College of Music studying under Frederic Hand where he was awarded the Associated Music Teacher’s award. Mr. Smith received a master’s degree from The Juilliard School where he studied under Sharon Isbin and was a recipient of the McCabe Fellowship award, specializing in creating performance based educational outreach programs. He has performed with The New Juilliard Ensemble, ICE, and has received intensive baroque performance coaching from Lionel Party.

Mr. Smith’s compositions have been featured in venues ranging from Alice Tully Hall, to Seoul, Korea, and receives regular commissions for new works. His voice and guitar ensemble, The Spoon River Duo, specializes in works for the classical guitar and voice medium and has also premiered numerous commissions. Mr. Smith has developed after school enrichment programs at The School at Columbia University and instrumental instruction at Settlement Music Schools in Philadelphia.

23

Notable Performances Timeline • February 13th, 1982 - First Annual Jay Speck Memorial Concert Featuring Metropolitan Opera Tenor Enrico DeGiuseppe and Soprano Anna Maria Conti • June 12, 1982 – Children’s Zoo of Philadelphia 25th Birthday – PYO performs “Peter and the Wolf” in the Children’s Zoobilee Concert that was sponsored by The Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia’s NBA team.

• May 12, 1985 - Da-Hong Seetoo performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G Minor with PYO at the Academy of Music “China Preview Program” before accompanying the ensemble on tour in China over the summer • July 20-August 8, 1985 - PYO has their first notable youth orchestra tour in China • July 24, 1985 - Maestro Primavera conducted a joint concert with the Tianjin Symphony and PYO • 1991 PYO French Tour - performed Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto with French soloists flutist Philippe Depetris and Metropolitan Opera harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet, and performed Liszt’s Piano Concerto no. 1 with pianist Eric Ferrand N’Kaoua • February 6, 1994 - “A Salute to Trenton Youth” – PYO performs in a concert at the War Memorial in Trenton to initiate a campaign to establish a Trenton Youth Orchestra.

• May 24, 1995 – PYO performs in special concert with organist Peter Richard Conte at the Wanamaker Grand Organ located at Macy’s Center City.

• October 15, 1995 – PYO introduces new chamber series, “Pulitzers and Premieres,” featuring composers who have received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. The first recital featured concert pianist Jane Beament at Packard Building. The series continued to present monthly Sunday-evening concerts featuring additional guest artists.

• May 5, 1996 - PYO performed with rising opera bass-baritone, Eric J. Owens, for its 56th Annual Festival Concert at the Academy of Music. Owens performed arias from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Verdi’s Don Carlos and Simon Boccanegra. Owens is a PYO alumnus who performed with PYO as an oboe and vocal soloist at the 1990 awards concert of the Jay Speck Endowment for the Musical Arts.

• Czech Republic and Italy Tour 2000 - Travelled with world renowned operatic bassbaritone singer Eric J. Owens (PYO Alumnus) performing pieces by Verdi, Puccini and Joio • March 26, 2000 - Temple’s Bravo Brass joins PYO and PYAO in their first joint concert at the Ethical Society Building in Rittenhouse Square.

• December 29, 2001 - First performance in the Kimmel Center for Opening Celebrations from Dec. 16-31, 2001 by select PYO members • November 9, 2002 - PYO premieres Sheridan Seyfried’s Affirmation for Orchestra,

Notable Performances Timeline

•

• • • •

• •

•

• •

commissioned by the Union League for their 140th Anniversary.

66th Annual Festival Concert (2006) - Susan Starr performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 with PYO in celebration of Maestro Primavera’s 80th Birthday. This was Maestro Scaglione’s first season as Music Director and Conductor of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

June 1, 2008 – PYO premiered composer and PYO Alumnus Sheridan Seyfried’s work, Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra, featuring soloist Zachary Bond.

May 20, 2012 - Elena Urioste served as guest artist with PYAO performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219 June 1, 2014 – PYO welcomed mezzo soprano Chrystal E. Williams to perform Elgar’s Sea Pictures November 23, 2014 – Philadelphia Orchestra musicians Peter Smith, Angela Anderson Smith, Gloria DePasquale, Francesca DePasquale, and Michael Stairs perform with PYO at Verizon Hall April 12, 2015 – The Indigo Girls collaborate with PYO in a performance as part of the Kimmel Center Presents offerings November 22, 2015 – Principal French Horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Jennifer Montone, performs Reinhold Glière’s virtuosic Concerto for Horn and Orchestra with PYO February 21, 2016 – Assistant Principal Viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Kerri Ryan, joins PYO to perform Berlioz’s Harold en Italie and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 November 1, 2019 – Lisa Fischer and her band, Grand Baton, perform powerful renditions of jazz standards and popular favorite songs with PYO June 19, 2020 – PYO Music Institute presents its first virtual gala, An Evening of Harmony, featuring virtual orchestra performances from all ensembles and solo performances by Michael Ludwig, and students Immanuel Mykyta-Chomsky, Henry Zheng, Myles Bell, and Leah Wang.

25

Premieres The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra ensemble has had the privilege of premiering many great works throughout its history. This list, which features world, national and even local Philadelphia premieres, covers the span of Maestro Primavera’s tenure.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1956 - Elizabeth Gould: Declaration for Peace to the United Nations World Premiere 1957 - Louis Gresensway: Suite on Jewish Themes World Premiere 1966 - Anton Bruckner: Psalm 150 Philadelphia Premiere 1972 - Romulus Franceschini: Paintings for Orchestra World Premiere 1975 - Romeo Cascarino: William Penn, The Choruses World Premiere 1975 - Vaclav Nelhybel: Movement for Orchestra Philadelphia Premiere 1977 - John Russo: Fort Washington Overture World Premiere 1980 - Virgil Thomson: The Plow That Broke the Plains, Suite Philadelphia Premiere 1983 - Vincent Persichetti: Dance Overture, 1982; A Lincoln Address Philadelphia Premiere 1983 - John Russo: Winchester Overture World Premiere 1984 - Fredrick Kaufman: Symphony for Strings and Percussion Philadelphia Premiere 1985 - Hua-Yin Juing/Wu-Zhu Quing: Reflections of the Moon on Two Lakes U.S. Premiere 1985 - Giacomo Puccini: Capriccio Sinfonico U.S. Premiere 1985 - Zhen-Lu/Mahong-Yia: Good News Comes to the Countryside from Peking U.S. Premiere 1986 - Paul Creston: Two Choric Dances Philadelphia Premiere 1987 - Fredrick Kaufman: Symphony No. 5, The American World Premiere 1987 - Burle Marx: Musica Festiva U.S. Premiere 1988 - Samuel Adler: in Just-spring, An Overture for Symphony Orchestra World Premiere 1988 - Joseph Jongen: Symphonie Concertante for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 81 Philadelphia Premiere 1988 - Giuseppe Verdi: Le Trouvere, Ballet Music U.S. Premiere 1989 - John Davison: Festivity World Premiere 1990 - Gia Comolli: The Flight of Icarus World Premiere 1990 - Troy Peters: Whispers of Heavenly Death World Premiere 1990 - Charles Wuorinen: Machault mon chou Philadelphia Premiere 1991 - Joseph Rheinberger: Concerto in F Major for Organ and Orchestra Philadelphia Premiere 1992 - Horatio Parker: Concerto for Organ and Orchestra Philadelphia Premiere 1992 - Joseph Rheinberger: Concerto in G Minor for Organ and Orchestra Philadelphia Premiere 1993 - Marcel Dupre: Symphony in G Minor for Organ and Orchestra Philadelphia Premiere 1994 - Alexandre Guilmant: Symphony No. 2 for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 95 U.S. Premiere 1994 - Troy Peters: Cascade East Coast Premiere 1994 (Israel Tour) - Tzvi Avni - Symphony Desert Scenes World Premiere 2002 - Sheridan Seyfried - Affirmation for Orchestra World Premiere 2008 - Sheridan Seyfried - Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra (Zachary Bond Bass Trombone) World Premiere 2015 - Sheridan Seyfried - Across the Sky World Premiere

Premieres & Guest Artists

Guest Artists • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Enrico DeGiuseppe, Tenor, Metropolitan Opera Singer (1982) Anna Maria Conti, Soprano, Metropolitan Opera Singer (1982) Da-Hong Seetoo, Grammy Award Winning Violinist (1985) Philippe Depetris, French Flutist (1991) Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Harp, Berlin Philharmonic (1991) Eric Ferrand–N’ Kaoua, Pianist (1991) Peter Richard Conte, Organist (recurring soloist with PYO) Jane Beament, Pianist (1995) Eric J. Owens, Bass-Baritone (1996) Susan Starr, Pianist (2006) Zachary Bond, Bass Trombonist (2008) Francesca dePasquale, Violinist (recurring soloist with PYO) PYO Alum Elena Urioste, Violinist (2012) Chrystal E. Williams, Mezzo Soprano, Metropolitan Opera Singer (2014) Michael Stairs, Organist, Philadelphia Orchestra (2014) Angela Anderson Smith, Bassoon, Philadelphia Orchestra (2014) Peter Smith, Oboe, Philadelphia Orchestra (2014) Richard Amoroso, Violin, Philadelphia Orchestra (2015) PYO Alum Indigo Girls, American Folk-Rock Duo (2015) Jennifer Montone, Principal French Horn, Philadelphia Orchestra (2015) Kerri Ryan, Assistant Principal Viola, Philadelphia Orchestra (2016) PYO Alum Joel Collier, Euphonium Soloist (2016) Alan Morrison, Organist (2016) Michael Ludwig, Violinist (recurring soloist with PYO) Alexandra Nowakowski, Soprano (2017) Eric Rieger, Tenor (2017) John Viscardi, Tenor (2017) David Kim, Principal Violin, Philadelphia Orchestra (recurring soloist with PYO) Lisa Fischer, American Vocalist (2019)

27

Important Events Timeline

28

29

30

30

31

International Travel History...

Australia (1981) The Great Hall of the National Gallery of Australia Dallas Brooks Hall Nellie Melba Hall in Melbourne Ballarat College of Advanced Education Arts Victoria Music ’81 in Bendigo Conservatorium of Music in Sydney The United Kingdom (1983 & 1993) Shrewsbury Music Hall (1983) Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall (1983) Scarborough Spa (1983) London’s Southwark Cathedral (1983) Leeds Summer Heritage Festival (1993) Bournemouth Music Makers Festival (1993) Ely Festival (1993) Civic Center in Fairfield Halls (1993) Bath Pavilion (1993) China (1985 & 2002) Haidian Theater (1985) Shanghai Center Theater (2002) Argentina (1987) Teatro Colon Teatro Coliseo

Uruguay (1987) Teatro Solis Brazil (1987 & 2007) Sociedade de Cultura Artistica (1987, 2007) Teatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro (1987, 2007) Teatro Castro Alves (1987) Municipal Theater of São José dos Campos (2007) Petropolis Winter Festival (2007) Teatro Coliseu (2007) Switzerland (1991) Munot in Schaffhausen St. John’s Church in Schaffhausen Theater Winterthur Hall 2.1 Olma Messen in St. Gallen Germany (1991) Konzilgebäude Konstanz France (1991) Centre de Congres in Aix-les-Bains

Jordan (1994 & 1996) US Embassy in Amman (1994) International Jerash Music Festival (1996) Prince Abdoullah Bin Al Hussein Square (1996) Israel (1994) Gerard Behar Center Noga Theater Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem Kfar Menachem Spain (1994) Valencia International Youth Orchestra Festival Parc Sama Castell de Tossa de Mar Hungary (1996 & 2004) Franz Liszt Academy of Budapest Slovakia (1996) RTV Concert Hall of Bratislava Czech Republic (1996, 2000, 2004)

Prague’s Rudolfinum (1996, 2000) Old Rathaus of Brno (1996) Dvorák Hall in Prague (1996, 2000, 2004) Cescke Budejovica in Bohemia (2000) Russia (1998) Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory of Music Philharmonic Hall in Yaroslavl Red Square Italy (2000) Roman Amphitheatre in Fiesole Teatro della Rocca “Ferruccio Tagliavini” in Novellara Sanctuary of the Madonna in Quercia Poland (2004) Roma Musical Theatre in Warsaw The Krakow Philharmonic Hall Austria (2004) Radio Symphony Hall in Vienna

33

Tour History Overseas concert tours have attracted audiences in more than 20 countries on five continents and established the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra as one of the premier youth ensembles in the world. Over the years, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra has served as a cultural ambassador from the City of Philadelphia as it travels throughout the world to promote the ideals of international peace and harmony through music.

Brazil (2007) • A Bon Voyage Concert at the Union League of Philadelphia • Sold out concerts in the Municipal Theaters of São José dos Campos, Petropolis, and Rio de Janeiro • Tour of Corcovado and cable car ride to Sugar Loaf Mountain • Performance with Brazilian pianist Sylvia Thereza • Tour of Paraty, a preserved Portuguese colonial and Brazilian Imperial town • Sharing American and Brazilian music & dance with student musicians at a Samba School in a favela of Rio de Janeiro

Eastern and Central Europe (2004) • A Bon Voyage Concert at the Union League of Philadelphia • Tour of Lazienki Park and Castle Square in Warsaw, Poland • Concert in Musical Theater Roma in Warsaw • Concert in Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic Hall in Crakow • Somber tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau • Concert in Liszt Ferenc Academy in Budapest • Tour of Schönbrunn Palace, State Opera House and St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna • Concert at Radio Symphony Hall in Vienna • Walking tour of Salzburg to visit Mozart’s birthplace • Concert in the Mozarteum Grand Hall, Salzburg • Final concert in the Dvorak Hall, Rudolfinum in Prague China (June 27-July 14, 2002) • Meandering through the YuYuan Garden with its 30 pavilions linked by a maze of corridors and bridges over ponds • Relaxing in the gondolas of Zhouzhang, a city built on canals like Venice and touring houses from the Ming dynasty • Climbing 320 meters of steps on the Purple Mountain to the Mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat Sen in Nanjing • Enjoying the warm acoustics of the concert hall in Tianjin, Philadelphia’s Sister City, and watching the children playing in the plaza in front at 10 o’clock at night • Eating delicious dumplings and learning to play the Erh-Hu • Walking through the Forbidden City one day and climbing The Great Wall another • Introducing the robust sounds of Sousa’s Liberty Bell March and bringing the audience to its feet at every concert with the encore “Good news comes from the countryside to Beijing” • Seven concerts in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai performing works by Mozart, Schubert, Piston, Juing and Ma

Tour History

Czech Republic & Italy (2000) • A bon voyage concert at The Union League of Philadelphia • Standing ovation at Dvorák Hall in Prague, home of the Czech Philharmonic, followed by a dinner cruise on the Moldau • Performing in Rudolfinum and Cescke Budejovica in Bohemia • Exploring Prague’s Old City—from the Jewish Quarter to Prague Castle, Charles Bridge to Bertramka, the villa where Mozart wrote Don Giovanni—gathering each evening under the famous Astrological Clock • Enjoying Ceske Budejovice’s 600th anniversary celebration, complete with medieval figures on horseback and in coaches • Participating in Italy’s Millenial Celebration in Rome and the summer festivals of Fiesole, Parma, Nell ‘Emilia and Viterbo • Performing in a Roman amphitheatre in Fiesole; a fortress courtyard in Comune di Novellara near Reggio nell’Emilia; Isola Tiberina, an island in the middle of the Tiber River; and a monastery courtyard in Quercia at the Sanctuary of the Madonna while the final game of the World Cup was gripping the attention of Italy; making a total of seven performances in fifteen days • Visiting the Uffizi, the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and Michaelangelo’s David in Florence, and sampling much gelato • Downpours in Parma and on the last evening in Prague that were followed by double rainbows Russia (July 9-19, 1998) • Representing the US at World Youth Music Forum in Moscow, a “13-day marathon of performances” involving nine youth orchestras, including the American-Russian Youth Orchestra and the youth orchestras of Beijing, Cambridge, Cairo, Israel, South Africa, Vancouver, and Vienna • Performing to standing ovations in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory of Music and at Philharmonic Hall in Yaroslavl • Joining 900 other young musicians on Red Square to play as the “Orchestra of the World” under Valery Gergiev, Artistic Director of St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre

Central Europe & Jordan (July 3-23, 1996) • A bon voyage concert from the PYO Center in the historic Packard Building • Standing ovations at the famous Franz Liszt Academy of Budapest, the RTV Concert Hall of Bratislava, Prague’s Rudolfinum and the Old Rathaus of Brno • A sudden storm canceling a concert with Voices of China at Vienna’s Klangbogen Summer Festival • Invited by Her Majesty Queen Noor to perform in the ancient amphitheatre at the International Jerash Music Festival in celebration of King Hussein’s birthday • A concert at Prince Abdoullah Bin Al Hussein Square in Amman • Sharing American and Arabian music with musicians at Jordan’s National Music Conservatory, participating with them in masterclasses, readings, and rehearsals, and collaborative performances with the Jordanian Military Orchestra

35

Jordan, Israel, & Spain (July 1-27, 1994) • A televised bon voyage concert from the Grand Court of John Wanamaker • A Royal Performance at the Philadelphia Hotel in Amman as official guests of Her Majesty Queen Noor in Jordan • Providing chamber music on the 4th of July at the US Embassy in Amman • New music readings with students of Jordan’s National Music Conservatory • Walking the Roman ruins of Jerash and the ancient city of Petra • Crossing the Al Husseini/Allenby Bridge into Israel a week ahead of the historic rapprochement with Jordan, four concerts with cellist Mark Drobinsky as soloist at the Gera Behar Center, Kfar Sava, Kfar Menachem, Noga Theater, Kibbutz Kabri, and Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem • A televised performance at Spain’s Valencia International Youth Orchestra Festival, with additional concerts in a casino on Ibiza and in the old city of Cuenca, a renaissance courtyard in Cocentaina, and Parque Sama near Barcelona • A midnight finale in a castle at Tossa del Mar on the Mediterranean, with cathedral bells joining in

England & Wales (July 14-27, 1993) • A bon voyage concert televised from the Grand Court of John Wanamaker • Standing ovations at the Leeds Summer Heritage Festival, the Bournemouth Music Makers Festival, and the Ely Festival in Cardiff, Wales • Concerts at the Civic Center in Stratford-upon-Avon, Fairfield Halls in Croydon, and the Bath Pavilion, Winter Garden in Bournemouth • Providing workshops to students at St Gregory’s School in Bath and staying with local families

Switzerland & France (August 1-17, 1991) • Celebrating the 700th anniversary of the founding of Switzerland • Performing at a festival with the Swiss Youth Symphony, the Leningrad Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, the Riga Chamber Choir, and the German State Youth Symphony Orchestra • Performances at the Munot and St. John’s Church in Schaffhausen (Switzerland), Theater Winterthur (Switzerland), Konzilgebäude Konstanz (Germany), Hall 2.1 Olma Messen in St. Gallen (Switzerland), Davos (Switzerland) • Touring with French soloists, flutist Phillippe Depetris and Metropolitan Opera Harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet, under the auspices of the Sophia-Antipolis Foundation, with performances in Nice (France) and St. Maximin (France) • Performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto no. 1 with pianist Eric Ferrand N’Kaoua at the Centre de Congres in Aix-les-Bains (France) and Courchevel (France) East & West Germany (June 28-July 19, 1989) • Touring East and West Germany weeks before the collapse of the Berlin Wall • Performances in Oldenburg, Bad Salzuflen, West and East Berlin, and Bad Reichenhall • Invitations to perform at Herrenhausen Palace (Hanover), Schauspielhaus (East Berlin), Philharmonie – home of the Berlin Philharmonic (West Berlin)

Tour History

South America (1987) • A bon voyage concert on Independence Mall as part of the “We the People 200” • Performances in the world-renowned Teatro Colón and Teatro Coliseo in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Teatro Solís in Montevideo, Uruguay; the Sociedade de Cultura Artistica in São Paolo,Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, and Teatro Castro Alves in Salvador Bahia, Brazil • Featured concerts on television and radio • Visited a high school in Montevideo to play for local students • PYO musicians gave music lessons in Sao Paulo Music Conservatory • A visit to Bahia, Pennsylvania’s partner state where PYO musicians joined a Carnival Band • Sponsorship by the City of Philadelphia, the State of Pennsylvania, the Partners of the Americas, and Jeunesses Musicales China (July 20-August 8, 1985) • An invitation from the People’s Republic of China for seven concerts in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Tianjin • First American Youth Orchestra to be directly invited to play in China by the Chinese Government after the cultural revolution in the 1960’s • Performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G Minor with Chinese Soloist Da-Hong Seetoo on tour • Performance at the Haidian Theatre in Beijing • Sponsorship and financing of the Tianjin concerts by the City of Philadelphia as part of a cultural exchange • Workshops conducted by China’s leading music conservatories • July 24, 1985 – Maestro Primavera conducted a joint concert with the Tianjin Symphony and PYO • A concluding concert at the Hong Kong International Youth Arts Festival

The British Isles (August 14-31, 1983) • The first non-British youth orchestra to present the opening concert of the Edinburgh International Music Festival • Touring England and Wales, with concerts in the Shrewsbury Music Hall, Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall, Scarborough Spa, and London’s Southwark Cathedral

Australia (August 1-17, 1981) • Representing the United States for the first time at the Australian International Youth Music Festival of Melbourne • Performing in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Australia, Dallas Brooks Hall, and Nellie Melba Hall in Melbourne; Founders Hall at Ballarat College of Advanced Education; Arts Victoria Music ’81 in Bendigo; and Verbrugghen Hall at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney • Performed concert for 600 Ballarat primary school students at Ballarat College of Advanced Education Founders Hall

37

Distinguished Alumni

Over the course of 80 years, more than 3,700 music students have participated in PYO Music Institute’s ensembles, making a robust alumni network in all corners of the world. Many of PYO Music Institute’s alumni have attended some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, universities and conservatories, and continue to pursue meaningful careers in diverse fields. These fields include business, law, medicine, technology, higher education, and, of course, the performing arts. Over 300 alumni have gone on to become professional musicians, performers, music directors, teachers, administrators, managers, and prominent figures in the performing arts industry. In fact, many of these professional musicians return to mentor PYO Music Institute’s current members. The following list highlights distinguished alumni that have gone to pursue careers in some of the most highly regarded symphony orchestras, opera companies, music institutions, and professional ensembles around the world: Desimont Alston, Violin, National Symphony Orchestra Lori Amada, French Horn Richard Amoroso Jr., Violin, Philadelphia Orchestra Cally Banham, English Horn, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Diane Bale Barnett, Violin, Opera Company of Philadelphia & Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra Mark Bencivengo, Percussion Holly Blake, Contrabassoon, Philadelphia Orchestra J. Lawrie Bloom, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Leonard Bogdanoff, Former Bass, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra Ralph Buck, Former Trumpet, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra Ronald Cantelm, Former Bass, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Edward Cascarella, Trombone, Opera Company of Philadelphia Orchestra Peter Conover, Principal Librarian, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Francesca dePasquale, Violin, Soloist Richard DiAdamo, Former Violin, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Joseph DiBello, Bass, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Lawrence DiBello, Principal French Horn, American Ballet Theater Orchestra

Distinguished Alumni

Anibal Dos Santos, Principal Viola, Bogota Symphony Orchestra Karen Dreyfus, Viola, Soloist Lawrence Dreyfus, Musicologist Renard Edwards, Viola, Philadelphia Orchestra Nancy Ellis, Viola, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra Eli Epstein, Former Second French Horn, Cleveland Orchestra Richard Genovese, Trombone, Recording Artist Robert Genovese, Former Clarinet, National Symphony Orchestra Richard Giangiulio, Principal Trumpet, Dallas Symphony Orchestra Mark Gigliotti, Principal Bassoon, Philadelphia Orchestra David Gillis, Former Violin, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Robert Grim, Former Principal Trumpet, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra Robert Grossman, Principal Librarian, Philadelphia Orchestra Joseph Hallman, Composer Allison Herz, Clarinet, Opera Company of Philadelphia Orchestra Rosalyn Iannelli, Assistant Principal Cello, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra Paavo Jarvi, Conductor Philip Kates, Violin, Philadelphia Orchestra

David Katz, Assistant Concertmaster, Chicago Opera Company Orchestra Jeffry Kirschen, French Horn, Philadelphia Orchestra Louis Kosma, Former Bass, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Sophie Bruno Labiner, Principal Harp, Opera Company of Philadelphia Orchestra Gary Labovitz, Viola, Toronto Symphony Orchestra Judith LeClair, Principal Bassoon, New York Philharmonic Carl Lenthe, Trombone Ira Levin, Conductor Evelyn Jacobs Luise, Principal Violist, Opera Company of Philadelphia Orchestra Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, English Horn, Philadelphia Orchestra Christian McBride, Grammy Award Winning Jazz Bassist Philip Middleman, Violin, Munich Philharmonic Thomas Monahan, Former Principal Bass, Toronto Symphony Orchestra Marguerite Czonka Montanaro, Former Principal Harp, Philadelphia Orchestra John Moore, Bass, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Hannah Rose Nicholas, Principal Viola, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra Louis Opalesky, Former Principal Trumpet, Opera Company of Philadelphia Orchestra Vincent Penzarella, Former Trumpet, New York Philharmonic Troy Peters, Conductor & Composer Anne Peterson, Principal Bass, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra Ann Hobson Pilot, Former Principal Harp, Boston Symphony Orchestra Elizabeth Pitcairn, Violin Amy Porter, Flute Karen Purpura, Flute, American Ballet Joseph Rabbai, Former Principal Clarinet, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Andrew Reamer, Principal Percussion, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Michael Recchuiti, Conductor Booker Rowe, Violin, Philadelphia Orchestra Kerri Ryan, Assistant Principal Viola, Philadelphia Orchestra Ralph Sauer, Former Principal Trombone, Los Angeles Philharmonic Ramon Scavelli, Former Viola, National Symphony Orchestra Shelly Showers, French Horn, Philadelphia Orchestra Merrie Siegel, Flute Peter Smith, Oboe, Philadelphia Orchestra William R. Smith, Former Associate Conductor, Philadelphia Orchestra Harold Somaliar, Principal English Horn, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Robert Spano, Conductor Kathleen Tesar, Violin, Associate Dean for Enrollment, The Juilliard School Richard Weiner, Former Principal Percussion, Cleveland Orchestra Steve Werczynski, Former Viola, Philadelphia Orchestra David Wetherill Jr., Former French Horn, Philadelphia Orchestra Peter Wilson, Principal Percussion, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Randy Wolfgang, Principal Oboe, New York City Opera Orchestra Richard Woodhams, Former Principal Oboe, Philadelphia Orchestra

39

Award History Distinguished Service Award & Helen T. Carp Award The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) was established in 1961 to honor the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra musicians who demonstrate exceptional effort, reliability, assistance to others, positive attitude, and devotion to ideals of the PYO Music Institute. Throughout the history of the organization, the award has been announced at the Annual Festival Concert. This concert was previously held at the Academy of Music beginning in the 1940’s, but since the opening of The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts in 2002, the event has now been held at Verizon Hall for the past 18 years. In 1999, the DSA was renamed to honor the memory of Helen T. Carp, who served as a volunteer and member of the Board with intelligence, optimism, and a generous and welcoming spirit for more than 30 years. In 2007, the PYO Music Institute began recognizing two outstanding PYO students who possess these qualities.

The title of the Distinguished Service Award was reintroduced in 2005 to recognize individual supporters, corporate partners and volunteers (beginning in 2007) that make a significant impact on the organization with their time, talents, and treasure. Through their generous support, these individuals and organizations help to ensure the PYO Music Institute has the means to fulfill its missions and values. Occasionally, an additional award is uniquely granted to individuals that have served as a staff or board member for their dedication and contributions to the organization. These awards are presented at the Annual Gala.

Distinguished Service Award Past Recipients (1961-1999): Students 1960-61 Robert E. Lee, horn 1960-61 Robert Riccardi, double bass 1961-62 Dorothy Lerner Richards, oboe 1962-63 Bernard Berman, violin 1962-63 James P. McIlvaine, IV, horn 1963-64 Richard Giangiulio, trumpet 1964-65 May Nicholas, violin 1965-66 John Kunkel, viola 1966-67 David Gillis, violin 1967-68 Wayne P. Lauser, trumpet 1967-68 Diane Bale, violin 1968-69 Mary Laycock, cello 1969-70 Geraldine Fink, flute 1970-71 Allison Herz, clarinet 1971-72 Anne Marie Gerlach, double bass 1972-73 Paul Dowling, timpani 1973-74 Jeff Zimmer, horn 1974-75 Thomas Jackson, violin 1975-76 Alan Abel, timpani 1975-76 Sandra Packer, violin 1976-77 Joseph Morrow, double bass 1976-77 Jeffery Schnitzer, timpani 1977-78 Joanne DiMaria, double bass 1977-78 Leland Hauslein, clarinet

Award History

1978-79 Joan Hudson, violin 1978-79 Richard Vanstone, violin 1979-80 Steven Belczyk, bassoon 1980-81 Jacqueline Grasso, horn 1981-82 Joseph Lanza, violin 1982-83 Stephen Rhindress, tuba 1983-84 Elizabeth Kaderabek, violin 1983-84 Richard Rhindress, percussion 1984-85 Edith Bradway, violin 1984-85 Robert Rhindress, bass trombone 1985-86 David Schast, oboe 1986-87 Sarah Kaderabek, violin 1986-87 Francesco Narducci, violin 1987-88 Paul Hewitt, viola 1988-89 Karyn Park, percussion 1989-90 Robert Birman, percussion 1990-91 Troy Peters, viola 1992-93 Robert Wilkowski, percussion 1993-94 Elizabeth A. Kell, flute 1993-94 Rachel Lubov Segal, violin 1994-95 Gabriel J. Kovach, horn 1995-96 Mechelle Lee Chestnut, viola 1995-96 Kim A. Kelter, oboe 1996-97 Andrew Koehler, violin 1997-98 Steven A. VanName, violin

Helen T. Carp Award Recipients (1999-present): 1998-99 Sabrina Goldberg, horn 1999-00 Nathanael F. Primrose-Heaney, cello 2000-01 Eleanor Miriam Kaye, viola 2001-02 Sheridan Alexander Seyfried, violin 2002-03 Larissa Mika Koehler, cello 2003-04 Peter Schiller, trumpet 2004-05 Eric J. Huber, percussion 2005-06 Ben Odhner, violin 2006-07 Harrison Schley, double bass 2007-08 Patrick Bailey, percussion 2007-08 Stephanie Hollander, horn 2008-09 Charlotte Nicholas, violin 2008-09 Ryan Jin Touhill, violin 2009-10 Lucinda Olson, horn 2009-10 James Warshaw, percussion 2010-11 Alexandra Cantalupo, violin 2010-11 Sarah Segner, violin 2011-12 Matthew Angelo, flute 2011-12 Benjamin Wulfman, horn 2012-13 Colin Fadzen, flute 2012-13 Chason Goldfinger, viola 2013-14 Helen Gerhold, harp 2013-14 Bartholomew Shields, violin 2014-15 Anne Lin, cello 2014-15 James McAloon, trumpet 2015-16 Kyle Michie, viola 2015-16 Olivia Steinmetz, double bass 2016-17 Lily Mell, violin 2016-17 Ehren Valmé, bass trombone 2017-18 Erik Larson, trumpet 2017-18 Hannah Perron, double bass 2018-19 Heidi Chu, percussion 2018-19Christopher Dahlke, viola 2019-20 Maya Letherer, double bass 2019-20 Immanuel Mykyta-Chomsky, piano Distinguished Service Award Recipients: (after 1999)

2016 Denise Houghton and David Michie 2017 David L. Segal, Esq. 2018 Joseph DiMauro and Renée Dillon 2019 Dr. Josephine Templeton 2020 Leroy Kean Corporations 2005 The Haverford Trust Company 2006 Citizens Bank 2007 The Union League of Philadelphia 2008 Realen 2009 Pizzica Health Systems 2010 Cozen O’Connor 2011 Winans–McShane 2012 Republic Bank 2013 David Michie Violins, LLC 2014 Parkway Corporation 2015 WRTI-FM 2016 Jacobs Music 2017 J.W. Pepper & Sons, Inc. 2018 Custom Processing Services – Sandra and Jeff Klinger 2019 Studio Incamminati 2020 Comcast Foundations 2005 The Philadelphia Foundation 2006 The Presser Foundation 2007 Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Memorial Fund 2008 Maguire Foundation 2011 The CHG Charitable Trust 2012 McGinley Family Foundation 2013 Judith Haskell Brewer Foundation 2014 H.O. West Foundation 2015 Elsie Lee Garthwaite Memorial Foundation 2017 J.W. Pepper 2017 Psalm 103 Foundation and the Templeton Family 2019 Presser Foundation 2020 National Recreation Foundation

Individuals 2005 Megan and Mark Nicoletti 2006 Alison and Ravikothare 2007 Jung Ja Kwon and Rick Touhill 2008 Joni and Elie Antar 2009 Trude Haecker and Robert Day 2010 Frances and James Maguire 2011 Alice and Walter Strine, Esqs.

2012 David McShane 2013 Joseph DiMauro 2014 Virginia T. Lam 2015 Frank Giordano 2015 Mayor Michael A. Nutter

41

Volunteers 2007 Theresa E. James 2008 Dawn Karlyn 2009 Robert Kugler 2009 Joseph DiMauro 2010 David Michie 2010 Rick Touhill 2012 Lori Goldfinger 2013 Diana & John Geisler 2014 MaryTeresa Soltis, Esq. 2015 Commander Michael D. Kearney 2016 Denise Valmé-Lundy, Esq. 2017 Naomi Maloney 2018 Denise Mann

2019 Anthony Orlando 2020 Linda Donoho Administration & Board of Trustees 2012 Elise Antar (7 years as board member) 2017 Colleen Hood (10 years as General Manager) 2017 Maryteresa Soltis, Esq. (8 years as board member) Other 2016 Nelson Shanks (In memoriam)

Ovation Award The PYO Music Institute began its annual Ovation Award in 2014, in honor of the extraordinary music educators in the Delaware Valley Region who make significant impacts on the lives of their students and on the greater community. Every year, students are asked to submit nominations of these exemplary individuals who inspire musical excellence and demonstrate outstanding leadership in music education.

The sponsors of this award, WRTI 90.1, J.W. Pepper and Jacobs Music Co., recognize all ten finalists who overall contribute to their students’ development, character and achievements. A recipient is then chosen by a Blue Ribbon Panel, consisting of representatives from regional universities, colleges, conservatories, and institutions.

Past Winners: William Cain (2014) Anthony Williams (2015) Jennifer Jie Jin (2016) Dimitri Kauriga (2017) Shelley Beard Santore (2018) Lee Snyder (2019) Susan Orht (2020)

In 2020, Susan Orht broke a record by receiving over 35 nominations—the most in the Ovation Award’s history.

Award History

Special Programs History Masterclass and Advanced Orchestra Training Program (2005-present) Co-founders and Co-Directors, William dePasquale and Gloria dePasquale, introduced the Masterclass and Advanced Orchestra Training Program to PYO Music Institute’s offerings in 2005. The purpose of the Master Class and Advanced Orchestra Training Program is to provide advanced training in orchestra playing techniques, instrumental techniques and musicianship to all members of the PYO Music Institute (PYO) and Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO). This is accomplished through the engagement of master teachers from The Philadelphia Orchestra, who collectively serve as the faculty, through the implementation of a formalized schedule, and by setting the highest levels of performance expectations. Additional instruction is also provided by members of the following professional orchestras: The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, and Harrisburg Symphony, as well as noted freelance professional musicians from throughout the region. The aim is to provide excellent orchestral training opportunities with internationally renowned faculty in order to elevate PYO’s status as an exceptional training and performing ensemble. The current director, Gloria dePasquale, continues to oversee the success and growth of the program today in its sixteenth year.

College + Conservatory Audition Preparation Class Gloria dePasquale is also Program Director and Principal Faculty of the College + Conservatory Audition Preparation Class. Ms. dePasquale created this value-added program for PYO and PYAO high school students with particular focus on Juniors and Seniors. Members of PYAO and PYO by distinction and merit of their entrance auditions are advanced level musicians, many who have devoted over a decade to the serious study of their instrument and classical music. This program seeks to identify for students and their families, how to leverage this considerable investment of time, energy, and financial resources to best assist in admission to colleges, universities, and conservatories.

Additionally, the program will hold a career seminar in the fall of each academic year to explore with students and parents the existing pathways to careers in the music industry outside of teaching and performing, identifying schools where this training is offered. With a multi-year plan, personalized for each student, this program seeks to assist academically focused students in their preparation for Arts. Supplement materials which often can help define a student for early admission, early action, or scholarship.

For those students aspiring to a conservatory admission, the program offers seminars, mock auditions, and performing opportunities to strengthen applications for audition spots as well as for admission and scholarship. Much like SAT or ACT prep classes, the program is not a guarantee of success but seeks to ensure that students and families are aware of standards and expectations and are provided with opportunities to prepare the students for success in the application and audition process. Students from Ms. dePasquale’s private studio have been admitted to the nation’s finest colleges, universities, and conservatories. Ms. dePasquale has also successfully assisted and advised numerous PYO Music Institute families in their college/conservatory search. The faculty participating in guidance seminars and mock auditions is drawn from The Philadelphia Orchestra, Juilliard, Curtis, and other institutions of higher learning. By special arrangement and fee, Ms. dePasquale offers one-hour personal consultations with the student and family to devise an audition plan (typically, a two-year plan with visits to play for teachers at various schools), with follow up available by email. Masterclasses with faculty adjudication are scheduled from early fall through the late winter where audition repertoire can be performed in a concert setting with accompaniment for students to refine their presentations.

Special Programs History

43

PYAO Young Artists Concerto Competition (2015-present) The PYAO Young Artists Concerto Competition was established in PYO Music Institute’s 2014-15 season under the direction of Maestra Rosalind Erwin. This competition provides an opportunity for young musicians in PYAO to gain valuable experience preparing, auditioning for and executing a solo performance. The Young Artists Concerto Competition allows for the PYO Music Institute to showcase the talent, hard work and dedication of their students, alongside presenting an opportunity for PYAO students to gain experience working with a soloist. The winning musician will perform an excerpt of a concerto or challenging solo piece, within their instrument’s repertoire, at PYAO’s Annual Festival Concert.

Past Winners: 2014-15 Sabine Jung, Cello Violoncello Concerto in D Minor – Edouard Lalo I. Prelude lento - Allegro Maestoso 2015-16 Esther Kim, Violin Concerto for Violin No. 4 in D Minor – Henri Vieuxtemps I. Andante – Moderato 2016-17 Danny Bishop, Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor – Camille Saint-Saëns For Violoncello and Orchestra, Op. 33 2017-18 Lea Wang, Violin Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 – Pablo de Sarasate 2018-19 Vibha Janakiraman, Violin Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 – Henryk Wieniawski I. Allegro con fuoco – Allegro Moderato 2019-20 Henry Zheng, Violin Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 – Felix Mendelssohn I. Allegro molto appassionato

Special Programs History

Young Composers Competition (2017-present) The Young Composers Competition was introduced to the PYO Music Institute in its 201617 season. Maestro Louis Scaglione, Music Director and CEO of the PYO Music Institute, established this competition in collaboration with PYO alumnus and composer, Sheridan Seyfried. This competition is an opportunity to encourage young composers between ages 19 and 23 to develop their most valued skills, and teach PYO Music Institute students the value of supporting new orchestra works, as well as the experience of exploring and performing new music. The winning composer is selected collaboratively by Maestro Scaglione, and the director of the competition, Mr. Seyfried. The grand prize winner receives a cash prize of $2,000, will have his/her composition premiered by the PYO Music Institute in Verizon Hall, and recorded for a future WRTI broadcast. The second prize winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 and will have his/her composition recorded in a reading rehearsal. The third place winner receives a cash prize of $500.

Grand Prize Winners: Alan Mackwell (2016-17) School: Boston Conservatory of Music Composition: III. Secretly Ramses the Second Kevin Day (2017-18) School: Texas Christian University Composition: Manhattan Night for Symphony Orchestra Daniel Zarb-Cousin (2018-19) School: San Francisco Conservatory of Music Composition: Symphonic Prelude in E Major

Alan Mackwell

Kevin Day Sheridan Seyfried

Daniel Zarb-Cousin

45