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ORLANDO, FL - For 60 years, Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra has been the home for Central Florida students in search of classical music training and education. This fall, FSYO will become the home to a new group of budding musicians with the introduction of its new Jazz Orchestra - a one of a kind offering in the Central Florida community. The FSYO Jazz Orchestra will be led by Jeff Rupert - Director of Jazz at UCF, saxophonist, composer, record producer, and recording artist.

"It is very important for our organization to stay current. FSYO has considered adding a jazz ensemble for a while and, when we noticed the trend taking off with many other eminent Youth Orchestras, we knew it was the right time to join in," said Hanrich Claassen, FSYO Music Director and Symphonic Conductor. "Through our jazz orchestra, we hope to serve a wider community and also broaden our horizons and offerings to the audiences in Central Florida. It's a great honor that internationally acclaimed guru and jazz specialist Jeff Rupert has joined our FSYO Family. He's not only a fabulous performer and grammy award recording artist, he has what it takes to be a passionate educator. Welcome, Jeff!"

This 17-20 piece ensemble will focus on the study of big band jazz music. Featuring middle and high school-age musicians, FSYO's Jazz Orchestra will perform big band staples as well as works by contemporary artists. Students will learn the theory behind jazz composition and improvisation and will have the opportunity to do sectional work with some of the area's top jazz musicians. Rehearsals will take place at The Plaza Live on Sunday afternoons.

Jazz Orchestra auditions will be held in May 2017 and applications are available now. For information on auditions, please visit http://www.fsyo.org/auditions2/jazz-orchestra.

rupert 2 Jeff Rupert is Pegasus Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at UCF. He is a saxophonist, composer, record producer, and recording artist.

Rupert has been a featured soloist on dozens of recordings with artists including Maynard Ferguson, Sam Rivers, Mel Tormé, Diane Schuur and Benny Carter. He played on Carter's Harlem Renaissance which won a Grammy. He played and arranged for the New Jersey-based Blues band The Fins. He has also performed with Kevin Mahogany, Ernestine Anderson, Joe Farnsworth, Ray Drummond, Harry Allen, pianist Benny Green, Kenny Drew jr, trumpeter Michael Philip Mossman, and pianist and singer Judy Carmichael.

Rupert currently is the leader of The Jazz Professors, a sextet which had top JazzWeek charting hit albums in 2012 and 2013. "The Jazz Professors: Live at the UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival" (Flying Horse, 2011) which and peaked at #19 during its seventeen weeks on the JazzWeek charts. His third album, "From Memphis to Mobile", with Kenny Drew, Jr.

Rupert joined Sam Rivers' band in 1996 and appeared in four recordings with the group. He has performed in hundreds of concerts with Rivers, including performances at Lincoln for Ed Bradley's Jazz from Lincoln Center (broadcast on NPR), the Vision Festival NYC and Columbia University. He has been a member of the Jaguar International Jazz Series alongside Joe LaBarbera, Tom Wharington, Larry Koonse, and John Fedchock.

For more information on Jeff Rupert, Click Here.

Spring has sprung and FSYO is almost finished with its exciting 60th Anniversary Season. As we get ready for the final performances, let's take a look back at the many performances that we participated in to kick off 2017.

The first performance of the new year took place on February 12th in Celebration as the Symphonic Orchestra made their annual appearance at the Celebration Foundation's Classical Concert Series. The orchestra wowed the audience with their performance of the complete Symphony No. 5 by Tchaikovsky. Also featured, was a performance of the Lalo Cello Concerto by Concerto Competition winner, Brenton Zhang.

The next weekend was a busy one. On February 18th, Symphonic was on stage again! This time performing at Walt Disney World for Epcot's International Festival of the Arts. They did two performances and received a standing ovation! (We've heard that that rarely happens for daytime performances)

The next day, February 19th, Overture Strings, Prelude and Philharmonia took the stage at Mead Botanical Garden to present their Spring in the Garden Concert. This was an outdoor, picnic-style concert at the amphitheater built by FSYO in 2012.

The final performance of the winter was The Opera Ball. A new endeavor for FSYO, the evening included an elegant dinner, chamber music performances, and a silent auction. Following dinner, guests moved into the theater where the pre-professional FSYO Symphonic Orchestra, in collaboration with UCF Opera, presented a special interactive version of Act II of Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II with a special performance by Concerto Competition Winner, Emily Erdman.

In addition to the performances, FSYO members took part in sectional rehearsals with some of Central Florida's top musicians. There were also several performances by our Chamber and small ensembles - including Arts For All Day, which was a free arts day put on by United Arts to help give new patrons a sampling of all that the Central Florida Arts community has to offer.

To close off the season, FSYO will have two more performances: The Chamber Ensemble at the Timucua White House (April 9th) and The 60th Season Finale at Bob Carr Theater (May 7th). Auditions for the next season will take place in May and registration has begun. Don't forget to also sign up for Stringmania Summer Camp!

ORLANDO, FL - On March 4, 2017, the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra will host its first Opera Ball at the Plaza Live in Orlando's popular Milk District. This event will act as a fundraiser for FSYO and will help advance the organization's educational and community initiatives and support them as they prepare to compete internationally.

Based off of Viennese traditions, the evening will include an elegant dinner provided by Two Chef's Oyster Bar and Jilly Cakes, chamber music performances, and a silent auction. Following dinner, guests will move into the theater where they will be transported to 19th century Vienna with a presentation of Act II of Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss II) by the pre-professional FSYO Symphonic Orchestra, in collaboration with UCF Opera. Here, as it does in the operetta, the party really begins, except this time the audience members will be immersed in the action. Opera Singers will be serenading guests from just a few feet away and Prince Orlofsky will introduce a performance by Concerto Competition winner, Emily Erdman (violin).

The Metropolitan Opera describes Die Fledermaus as the "supreme example of Viennese operetta that both defines and transcends that genre. Its story centers on a magnificent masked ball, given by a Russian prince, that brings together all the main characters in various disguises. The three-act journey from boudoir to ballroom to jail provides ample opportunities for farce and humor, but also for genuine human emotion and a surprisingly realistic view of urban life." In this production, FSYO will focus solely on the second act - the ballroom scene.

Three ticket options are available: Dinner/Concert, Concert only Interactive Tickets and Concert only Balcony Tickets. Tickets range in price from $30 - $150. Sponsorships are available. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.fsyo.org/operaball.

ABOUT FSYO: The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra aims to educate and inspire Central Florida's top young musicians through programs committed to strengthening musical talents and developing an appreciation of the arts through classical music. The FSYO, in its 60th Concert Season, comprises three full orchestras, one string training orchestra, and an advanced chamber ensemble, made up of more than 250 students from nine Central Florida counties, including Orange, Osceola, Lee, Seminole, Brevard, Lake, Highlands, and Volusia. Programs are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Orlando Utilities Commission; and United Arts of Central Florida. We thank these groups for their generous support.

Learn more: web: www.fsyo.org | FB: Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra | Twitter: @FSYO | IG: @F_S_Y_O | Youtube: @fsyo

ABOUT UCF OPERA: Participation in the Opera program is open to all UCF students through audition. Performances include a Gala Concert each fall, a fully staged production each spring, and a children's opera program touring schools in the area throughout the year.

Learn more: web: http://music.cah.ucf.edu/opera | FB: UCF-Op-Shop

Sponsors of the Opera Ball include: Operetta Sponsor - L.J. Ruffin and Associates, Inc; Aria Sponsors - Friends of Oviedo, GatorWire, GrayRobinson, Valencia College East Campus, Valencia Foundation; Friends of the Opera Ball - Axel Real Estate, David and Heather Odahowski, Publix Super Markets Charities, Wells Fargo; Food and Drink Sponsors - Two Chef's Oyster Bar, JillyCakes, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, Coca-Cola Company, City Beverages, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Pepsi-Cola Company; Print Sponsor - Orlando Utilities Commission.

Congratulations Alex Koller and Colton Potter on being chosen to particpate in the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) for the 2017 season.

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FSYO 2016-2017 Symphonic Orchestra Principal Violist, Alex Koller

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FSYO 2016-2017 Symphonic Orchestra Principal Oboist, Colton Potter

Each summer, Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute brings together the brightest young players from across the country to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. Following a comprehensive audition process and a three-week training residency with leading professional orchestra musicians, these remarkable teenagers embark on a tour to some of the great music capitals of the world to serve as dynamic music ambassadors. In 2017, the orchestra will travel to Latin America with conductor Marin Alsop and perform a program that includes a new Carnegie Hall–commissioned work by Gabriela Lena Frank and Mahler's Symphony No. 1. The tour kicks off with the orchestra's annual concert at Carnegie Hall, continuing with stops in Mexico City, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Bogotá, Colombia.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras is now accepting applications for their upcoming 61st concert season beginning in August 2017. 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 will be held for both new and returning members. Membership is available for all four of FSYO’s award winning orchestras. 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.

FSYO auditions are for standard orchestral instruments and are held annually for both new and returning members. There are a limited number of positions available in each ensemble, and an audition does not guarantee placement in FSYO. Acceptance and orchestra placement is a competitive, merit-based process in which auditionees must meet requirements for consideration.

Auditions require that students prepare the specific excerpt listed for the orchestra 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 3–5 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 2017-2018 season are due by May 1, 2017. Additional audition information can be found at www.fsyo.org.

ABOUT FSYO: The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra aims to educate and inspire Central Florida’s top young musicians through programs committed to strengthening musical talents and developing appreciation of the arts through classical music. The FSYO, in its 60th Concert Season, comprises three full orchestras, one string training orchestra and an advanced chamber ensemble, made up of more than 250 students from nine Central Florida counties, including Orange, Osceola, Lee, Seminole, Brevard, Lake, Highlands and Volusia. Programs are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Orlando Utilities Commission; and United Arts of Central Florida. We thank these groups for their generous support.

Learn more: web: www.fsyo.org | FB: Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra | Twitter: @FSYO | IG: @F_S_Y_O | Youtube: @fsyo