Conductor: Leo Milman
Membership: 40+ string musicians
Auditions: Early June
Rehearsals: Weekly on Sunday afternoons
NYSSMA Level: Generally 2-3
ESYO Concertino Strings is an educational performance-based ensemble with a focus on introducing beginning string musicians to the joys of performing together while educating and fostering a love of music. Music is chosen to challenge all players, and to add to their canon of musical knowledge. Together, members explore standard classical works and educational arrangements that inspire, educate, and develop essential skills that nourish the musical and personal development of beginning musicians.
Concertino Strings rehearse once-a-week and perform three concerts every year on local and regional stages. Membership is open to all string players who successfully complete an ESYO audition. Concertino Strings is ideal for beginning players with at least 2 years of experience on their instrument.
Conductors:
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| Alex Atchley, Percussion Ensemble |
Membership: 40+
Auditions: Not Required. Teacher recommendation required. Registration begins mid-December
Rehearsals: Weekly on Sunday afternoons
NYSSMA Level: Generally 2-4
Recognizing the need to provide a solid foundation for beginning woodwind, brass, and percussion players aspiring to advance their ensemble skills, ESYO started Concertino Woodwind, Brass & Percussion in 2016. Concertino Winds, Brass, & Percussion is an introductory program designed to introduce beginning instruments to the fundamentals of ensemble performance and the joys of making music as a group.
Musicians rehearse one-a-week in one of three program ensembles; Concertino Woodwind Choir, Concertino Brass Ensemble, or Concertino Percussion Ensemble. Music is chosen to challenge all players and nourish the musical and personal growth of beginning musicians. The 10-week introductory ensemble program is open to all woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians, but is ideal for beginning musicians in grades 5-8 with at least two years of playing their instrument.
Orchestras & Ensembles
Whether you’re a classical or jazz musician, percussionist, or a vocalist, ESYO meets you where you are and places you in an ensemble that challenges you to grow as a musician and a leader. ESYO conductors, coaches, and teaching artists support nearly 600 youth musicians like you. Members range in ages from elementary through high school.
What is ESYO's Progressive Model?
Placement in an ESYO ensemble is based on your current musical skill and not by age. Young musicians enter ESYO at all levels. Some begin as members of an introductory program or ensemble like Concertino Strings or Concertino Winds & Percussion, while others may begin in a more advanced ensemble like Youth Jazz Orchestra or Repertory Orchestra.
Placement in an ESYO ensemble is not a competition. It's common for ESYO musicians to be in the same ensemble for more than one year with increasing opportunities to become an ensemble leader.
Membership in most ESYO ensembles requires an audition, which helps an independent panel of judges place you in an ensemble that challenges you as a musician and empowers you to become a leader on and off the stage.
Learn more about ESYO’s Audition Process
ESYO Classical
ESYO Percussion
ESYO Jazz
VIEW TENTATIVE 2022-2023 CONCERT SCHEDULE
ESYO Melodies Chorale
VIEW TENTATIVE 2022-2023 CONCERT SCHEDULE
Conductor: David Beck
Membership: 90+
Auditions: Early June
Rehearsals: Weekly on Tuesday evenings
NYSSMA Level: Generally 5-6
ESYO Repertory Orchestra is a full symphonic orchestra experience that provides intermediate-level and advancing musicians with challenging rehearsal and performance opportunities on regional stages including the Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College, SPAC, Proctors, and the legendary Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Like Symphony Orchestra, members of ESYO Repertory Orchestra receive regular coaching from professional musicians and perform masterpieces and arrangements of popular works by the giants of classical music as well as contemporary compositions and film music. Repertory Orchestra frequently participates in community collaborations and festivals including SPAC’s Festival of Young Artists and Albany’s Tulip Festival.
Repertory Orchestra seamlessly integrates performance and instruction by focusing on developing technical and musical skills as well as sight-reading. It is generally expected that advancing musicians spend more than one year in the Repertory Orchestra to continue their growth while assuming leadership roles in the orchestra. Members of Repertory Orchestra begin their experience at Frost Valley, a fall rehearsal retreat in the Catskills at Frost Valley YMCA.
Conductor: Joseph Gumpper
Membership: 60+ string musicians
Auditions: Early June
Rehearsals: Weekly on Monday evenings
NYSSMA Level: Generally 4
ESYO String Orchestra is a foundational ensemble for emerging string musicians seeking the opportunity to sound together in an orchestra. Comprised of violinists, violists, cellists, and double bassists, String Orchestra musicians explore a wide range of repertoire including suitable orchestral standards, educational arrangements and contemporary compositions that develop musical skill and technique.
String Orchestra gives string musicians training in the techniques of playing in large ensembles and prepares them for participation in other ESYO ensembles. Ensemble musicians learn to develop their musicality and artistry while developing active listening skills and the fundamentals of improvisation. Supplementing area school string programs, String Orchestra gives three concerts a year on regional stages and participates in an annual string festival.
Rehearsals: Weekly on Wednesday evenings
Conductor: Dr. Robert Hansbrough
Membership: 50+ woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians
Auditions: Early June
Rehearsals: Weekly on Sunday afternoons
NYSSMA Level: Generally 4-5
ESYO Wind Orchestra invites woodwind, brass, and percussion players to discover the brilliance, majestic resonance, and sonic power of wind music. Wind Orchestra uniquely brings together emerging, intermediate, and advanced musicians to perform a wide variety of literature, including original wind ensemble pieces, commissioned works, iconic marches, chamber music, and transcriptions of popular orchestral works.
The focus of training is concentrated on performance standards, tone production, precision, musicality, individual and group style, and practice habits. Wind Orchestra provides emerging musicians, who’ve been playing their instrument for several years, the support they need to expand their ensemble experience and serves as a bridge to a full symphony experience. The brass and wind sections alternate weekly to engage in a 30-minute sectional rehearsal.
The ensemble gives several concerts a year and performs on regional stages including the Massry Center for the Arts at the College of St. Rose, Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College, Proctors, and the legendary Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. In August 2018, ESYO Wind Orchestra toured Hungary by invitation at the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Festival in Makó, Hungary.
