Programs: Orchestras
The MYS orchestra training program is modeled after the best music conservatories in the world with the goal of educating the whole musician. The orchestras perform three times annually at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis for audiences of over 5,000 classical music patrons, family and friends annually. There are also opportunities throughout the year to perform at venues in surrounding communities.
Symphony Orchestra | Repertory Orchestra | Philharmonic Orchestra | String Orchestra
Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Manny Laureano (collegiate level)
Literature includes works with artistic challenges for the collegiate-level player. Sectionals explore, in-depth, the interpretive and more complex aspects of orchestral music. Students in this orchestra also spend time sight-reading orchestral literature at each rehearsal. Compositions are commissioned and premiered. The annual Symphony Solo Competition, open only to students in this orchestra, features the winning soloist in concert with the Symphony Orchestra. String seating is rotated each trimester. Brass, woodwind and percussion usually rotate from piece to piece.
Symphony Orchestra sample repertoire:
Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3; Respighi’s Pines of Rome; Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture; Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra; Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis; Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique; Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue; Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2; Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade
Repertory Orchestra
conducted by Claudette Laureano (advanced level)
This full orchestra is for the advanced player. A broad mix of unedited literature challenges students as they refine advanced playing techniques in sectionals and full rehearsal. Sight-reading sessions are also included in this orchestra. String seating is rotated each trimester. Brass, woodwind and percussion seating usually rotate from piece to piece.
Repertory Orchestra sample repertoire:
Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8; Listz’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2; Wagner’s Rienzi Overture; Copland’s Outdoor Overture & Rodeo; Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture; Williams’ “Hymn to the Fallen” from Saving Private Ryan and “Duel of the Fates” from The Phantom Menace; Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 and 1812 Overture; Rossini’s Overture to William Tell; Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony)
Listen to the Repertory Orchestra (Groove by Shelley Hanson, recorded live on February 12, 2006)
Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Jim Bartsch (advanced intermediate level)
This full orchestra includes all instruments. Literature is a combination of arranged and unedited works designed to expose students to a diverse selection of orchestral music. Rehearsal include separate sectionals for strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion to work out problems specific to their instrument and explore the musical nuances that enhance the overall orchestration. String seating is rotated each trimester; brass, woodwind and percussion rotate from piece to piece.
Philharmonic Orchestra sample repertoire:
Walton’s Crown Imperial March; Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld; Stravinsky/Isaac’s Dance Infernale and Berceuse & Finale; Badelt/Rickett’s Pirates of the Caribbean; Sibelius’ Finlandia; Verdi’s “Anvil Chorus” from Il Travatore; von Suppe’s Light Cavalry Overture; Gliere’s Russian Sailor’s Dance; Elgar’s Pomp & Circumstance No. 1
String Orchestra
conducted by Pat Kelly (intermediate level)
Provides intermediate string players with a comprehensive ensemble experience. The Saturday String rehearsal includes theory and ear-training lessons. Literature is selected to broaden repertoire and learn more advanced techniques of following a conductor. Specific bowing techniques, such as spiccato, martelé, hooked bowings and legato, are included. Orchestral intonation is also covered. Students learn to work through difficult passages specific to their instrument.
String Orchestra sample repertoire:
Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major; Handel/Green’s Little Fugue; Del Borgo’s Russian Folk Dance; Gliere’s Russian Sailor’s Dance; Britten’s Simple Symphony; Grieg’s Two Elegiac Melodies; Biber’s Battalia; Bach’s Cantana: “Wachet auf”
Want to learn more?
Come to one of our concerts! Learn more about our rehearsals! Audition!