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Youth Orchestras

Download a Youth Orchestras Application for Membership

Download a Youth Orchestras 2010-2011 Brochure

Be Inspired! Be Moved! Be Transformed!

Thousands of young musicians throughout the Northland have found inspiration in the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Orchestras for more than sixty-five years! Members are chosen from among the finest musicians within a one-hundred mile radius of the Twin Ports through annual competitive auditions. Students accepted in the Youth Orchestras Program develop their music skills through a variety of experiences with the DSSO’s conducting staff and DSSO members in rehearsals, sectionals, and side-by-side performances.

The DSSO’s three training orchestras include the Youth Symphony, the Concert Orchestra and the Sinfonia. The Sinfonia is a string orchestra, while both the Youth Symphony and Concert Orchestra are full symphonic orchestras which include woodwinds, brass, percussion and strings. Acceptance and placement into each orchestra will be based on audition results. Students will be placed according to proficiency level and musical and artistic ability.

Should I audition?

If you are a dedicated musician between the ages of 10 through 18 and enjoy performing quality music at a high level, you are strongly encouraged to apply. The DSSO Youth Orchestras can help you to become the best musician you can be.

Now that I’ve decided to audition, what next?

Consult the audition schedule below. Call the DSSO Office (623-3772) to schedule your audition. Auditions are eight minutes in length. You should prepare a solo of up to five minutes in length that demonstrates your playing ability. Please work with your school teacher and private teacher (if you have one) to choose and properly prepare an appropriate solo for audition. You will also be asked to do some brief sight-reading. Percussionists should bring a snare drum and sticks, bells and mallets, and be prepared to play a solo on each.

Audition schedule 2010-2011

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
1:00 pm-5:00 pm

Tuesday, September 7, 2010
4:00 pm-6:00 pm

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
4:00 pm-6:00 pm

Please call the DSSO Office at 623-3772 or email tickets@dsso.com to schedule an audition or if you have questions. If none of the listed audition times work for you, please contact the DSSO.

What happens next?

You will be notified by mail during the last week of June. Weekly rehearsals will be held Monday evenings under the direction of the DSSO’s conducting staff. The Youth Symphony and the Concert Orchestra rehearse at the College of St. Scholastica. The Sinfonia rehearses at the First United Methodist Church (“The Coppertop Church”) in Duluth. Youth Symphony members will begin rehearsal at the Fall Retreat September 10-12. Concert Orchestra and Sinfonia members will begin rehearsal on Monday, September 13.

Concerts

The Youth Orchestras present a Fall Concert (November 14), a Lollipop Concert (March 6) for children, and a Spring Concert (May 8). All concerts are held at 3:00 pm at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC).

More benefits!

Members of the Youth Orchestras receive two free tickets to each classical concert of the DSSO.

How much will it cost?

Annual tuition for the 2010-2011 season is $185. Families enrolling two or more students in the Youth Orchestras receive a $10 discount per student. (In addition to the $185 tuition, Youth Symphony members will also be asked to pay a separate fee of $105 to attend the Fall Retreat.)

Musicians who reside fifty or more miles from Duluth may receive a 50% discount upon written request. Also, musicians who are unable to pay the tuition may request a partial or complete tuition waiver with a written request to the Executive Director at the Symphony Office. These requests must be received by October 29, 2010.

Download a Youth Orchestras Application for Membership