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ORLANDO, FL (September 11, 2023) – On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, from 7 PM to 9 PM, Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras, in collaboration with Florida State University College of Music and Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, will host the Annual Florida Music College Fair at the Orlando Science Center located at 777 East Princeton Street Orlando, FL 32803.

Students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from over 50 of the nation's top music and performing arts institutions to jump start their college search. Representatives will be available to discuss Admissions, Auditions, Financial Aid, Student Life, and so much more.

All Central Florida music students (band, orchestra, and choir) are encouraged to attend this FREE event. FSYO Executive Director, Abigail Tran, notes, “We are excited to collaborate with Frost School of Music and FSU’s College of Music again to bring this college fair back to Central Florida. Students of all ages interested in continuing their music education in college are welcome to attend as it is never too early to begin your college search process. Figuring out admission and scholarship requirements will make the application process less confusing!”

Admission to the college fair is free, however, students are encouraged to register for the event by clicking on the below link. For more information please contact FSYO at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

REGISTER FOR THE FLORIDA MUSIC COLLEGE FAIR

List of Colleges in Attendance:

Bard College Conservatory of Music
Berklee College of Music
Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University
Boston Conservatory at Berklee
California Institute of the Arts
Carnegie Mellon University School of Music
Central Michigan University School of Music
Cleveland Institute of Music
The Colburn School
Columbus State University
Eastman School of Music
Florida Southern College
Florida State University College of Music
Frost School of Music at the University of Miami
The Hartt School, University of Hartford
IU Jacobs School of Music
Jacksonville University Department of Music
The Juilliard School
Lawrence University and Conservatory of Music
Los Angeles College of Music
Manhattan School of Music
Michigan State University - College of Music
New England Conservatory
Northwestern University Bienen School of Music
Oberlin Conservatory
Peabody Conservatory
Rollins College
Roosevelt University - Chicago College of Performing Arts
Rutgers University-Mason Gross School of the Arts
Shepherd School of Music - Rice University
SMU Meadows School of the Arts
St. Thomas University
Stetson University
Syracuse University Setnor School of Music
Temple University, Boyer College of Music and Dance
University of Central Florida School of Performing Arts
University of Colorado Boulder College of Music
University of Denver Lamont School of Music
University of Florida School of Music
University of Houston - Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
The University of Maryland School of Music
The University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
University of North Texas College of Music
University of South Carolina School of Music
USF School of Music
University of the Arts
Webster University - St. Louis

departure

June 27 - Group photo before departure from MCO.

luggage

June 28 - During the layover in Frankfurt, one third of the group missed the connection flight to Milan. After 36 hours of travel, the late arrival group finally retireved their lost luggage.

milan operahouse milan duomo

June 29 - The group began the day with a walking tour of Milan. During their time in the city, they visited the Teatro Alla Scala Museum, Milan Duomo, and explored the city.

ORLANDO, FL - Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras (FSYO) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Kenneth Boyd as the new Jazz Director and Conductor of the Alphonse Carlo Jazz Band. FSYO is thankful for the work and years of experience Mr. Richard Drexler has provided and brought to the jazz program during his tenure at FSYO, and the students will miss hearing his stories about his adventures as a jazz musician. Drexler remains a friend to the organization as the rhythm students will still have the opportunity to work with him during Sectionals.

Kenneth Boyd, who has been an integral part of FSYO’s community, has consistently demonstrated exceptional skills, leadership, and dedication to FSYO's mission to educate youth. Previously, he has been on the Artistic Staff of FSYO as the conductor of the Joseph Wise Jazz Band since the 62nd Season when the jazz program expanded to include two jazz bands. Boyd is currently the Director of Bands at West Orange High School, and he has received the National Band Association's Outstanding Jazz Educator Award as well as two Citations of Excellence for outstanding contribution to bands and band music.

"Ken Boyd is a consummate scholar and educator with years of sage experience directing jazz bands. FSYO is lucky to have him leading the [jazz] program."

-Jeff Rupert, Founder of the FSYO Jazz Program

Kolodinsky Marc 3 In addition to Boyd’s transition, FSYO is delighted to welcome Mr. Marc Kolodinsky as the newest member of the Artistic Staff as he will take over as the Conductor of the Joseph Wise Jazz Band. With a strong background in jazz and music education, Kolodinsky brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to FSYO. Kolodinsky holds the Director of Bands position at Windermere High School, and he specializes in teaching the saxophone and clarinet as well as leading sectionals. With Kolodinsky’s proven track record of success, FSYO believes he is an excellent fit to work with aspiring jazz students.

Be sure to see these bands in action at the 67th Season Jazz Opener Concert on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts. FSYO knows the collaboration between Boyd and Kolodinsky will further strengthen FSYO's ability to provide Central Florida students a world-class music education and foster the growth of young Central Florida jazz musicians.

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ORLANDO, FL - On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras (FSYO) students, families, and staff will embark on an experience of a lifetime for a Concert Tour around Italy. Travelers will spend 12 days exploring multiple Italian cities (Milan, Pavia, Cremona, Venice, Florence, Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, Rome) with performances taking place in Pavia, Venice, Perugia, and Rome. This trip is an immersion into Italian food, music, and breathtaking landmarks like the famous Palazzo del Comune which is the home to many original Stradivarius instruments. Repertoire includes pieces by Italian and American composers such as Gershwin, Puccini, and Rossini, and FSYO is excited to debut its Tour Jazz Band on this tour as well!

Dr. Welsch, FSYO Music Director, shares how their travels will impact both FSYO students and the Italian Audiences: "These students are going to be able to experience music, culture, and art, and share the same through their musical program. We are preparing music that is distinctly cosmopolitan, slightly edgy. It is music one might expect a touring American youth orchestra to be playing, however, an Italian audience-goer might expect to hear the amazing cross pollination of musical styles present in the works of Weill, Gershwin, Shostakovich, and much more."

Additionally, Concerto for Clarinet, a work by American Clarinetist Artie Shaw, will feature one of FSYO’s 2022 Concerto Competition winners, Adian May. This piece, along with four others, highlights a collaboration between classical and jazz music that is a cornerstone of this tour program and FSYO’s ongoing efforts. May recently performed the piece with members from FSYO’s Alphonse Carlo Jazz Band and Symphonic Orchestra at the 66th Season Classical Finale in May 2023.

Come enjoy the tour concert program before FSYO leaves by attending the Tour Send Off Concert! Taking place at 6 PM on June 25, 2023 at Reiter Park of Longwood, this event is FREE to the public, and the students are eager to share their tour repertoire with the Central Florida Community.

ORLANDO, FL – Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras (FSYO), in partnership with the Central Florida Composers Forum (CF2), welcomes back the Composers in Residency program with an added component. The Composers in Residency program is a partnership between FSYO and CF2 that began in 2019, and this collaboration gave CF2 composers the opportunity to have their pieces premiered and performed. In its inaugural year, the selected composers created pieces centered around the theme “Pulse,” tasked with interpreting the word into their compositions. The idea was to reflect on the lives lost at the Orlando Pulse shooting, the musical term, or even human blood pumping through the heart.

During the first phase of this collaboration, CF2 composers directly worked with FSYO’s ensembles and conductors, but entering this season, CF2 and FSYO wanted to take the program to the next level by providing FSYO Students and Alumni interested in music composition the opportunity to work alongside and be mentored by the CF2 Composer in Residency. The idea is to have both the professional and student composer working on pieces simultaneously to be premiered side by side during the same concert, and over the course of a year, the mentor (Composer) and mentee (Student) would meet up to discuss their pieces, any challenges they were facing, etc. For this next phase, the pairings between CF2 composers and FSYO students were as followed:

Alphonse Carlo Jazz Band: Alex Burtzos and Victor Acuna
Prelude Orchestra: Brando Martin and Cole Spencer
Philharmonia Orchestra: Seunghee Lee and Isabelle Tseng
Symphonic Orchestra: Keith Lay and Alex Hynds

These eight compositions will be premiered over the course of the following 12 months beginning this Saturday at the Alphonse Carlo Jazz Band’s 66th Season Finale! The other six works will premiere during FSYO’s 67th Season (August 2023 to May 2024). Burtzos and Acuna are looking forward to sharing their pieces with the world and excited they are kicking off the premieres.

"Sin City is a raucous, fast-paced swing tune meant to evoke the glitz, glamor, and heady adrenaline of an idealized Vegas in its prime. The FSYO Alphonse Carlo Band is a fantastic ensemble full of extraordinary young musicians. It's been a tremendous pleasure to work with them throughout this process. Thanks to FSYO and the Central Florida Composers Forum for making this recurring collaboration a reality!"

-Alex Burtzos, FSYO 2022-2023 Composer in Residency

FSYO is extremely proud of its lasting collaboration with CF2 as it provides opportunities for student composers and local composers to connect and learn from each other.

Come hear Sin City and Cavalcade this Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts! Tickets can be purchased at the door or online by visiting: https://bluebambooartcenter.com/event/4708681/635865820/alphonse-carlo-jazz-band-5-6-23. The concert begins at 11 AM, so don’t be late!

ORLANDO, FL – Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras is now accepting applications for their upcoming 67th Concert Season beginning in August 2023. FSYO is calling for young, high spirited Central Florida musicians to embark on a journey of musical education, inspiration, and development.

FSYO is distinguished as one of the nation’s top youth orchestras. Their focus on providing students with a complete educational experience during rehearsals, and in a variety of live performance opportunities, throughout the year contributes to the students’ and program’s success. A majority of their alumni have continued onto college, many pursuing music at prestigious schools such as the Juilliard School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, New England Conservatory, among others.

FSYO auditions are for standard orchestral instruments and jazz instruments, and all students, both new and returning members, must complete an audition. Membership is available for all seven of FSYO’s award winning ensembles. Please take into consideration that each ensemble has a limited number of spots, and an audition does not guarantee placement in FSYO. Acceptance and placement is completely merit-based, and those who audition are subjected to meet specific criteria to be considered.

Auditions require that students prepare the specific excerpt listed for the ensemble for which they are auditioning, as well as a one-minute solo of their choice and scales and arpeggios as listed. All auditions are approximately 3 to 5 minutes long except percussion auditions which are approximately 10 minutes. While it is unlikely, please note that audition judges may ask any candidate to sight read. Applications for the 2023-2024 season are due by April 3, 2023. Additional audition information can be found at www.fsyo.org/auditions.