The Williamsport Symphony Youth Orchestra is an educational outreach program of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.
Tuition is $100 for the year, however scholarships are available. Please Contact Hind Jabbour at [email protected] for scholarship inquiry.
If you like to make a donation to WSYO or sponsor a student, please contact Janet Harris at [email protected]
Meet WYSO Music Director - Dr. David Tedford
Dr. David Tedford - Winner of the 2019 International Conductors Workshop & Competition, Tedford currently holds the position of Conductor of the Bloomsburg University Community Orchestra. In addition, he is an Assistant Professor of Music at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. David Tedford seeks to engage musicians and audience members of multiple generations through well-crafted performances each concert season.
As conductor of the Bloomsburg University Community Orchestra, Tedford directs the orchestra in their four-concert season, which includes two classical concerts, a Concerto Competition Winners' Concert, and a Young Person's Concert. The Young Person's Concerts reach around 1,200 students annually and have focused on educating young students on specific elements of music using a variety of styles including classical music, pop music, and movie music, as well deepening their understanding for the orchestral art form.
He enjoys exploring the newest trends in music, believing that the key to future generations of concert-goers is to perform music of contemporary society. His research interests include programming of contemporary music in the collegiate setting and is a proponent of promoting compositions by living composers. Dedicated to serving arts communities beyond the podium, Tedford is co-founder and contributor to The Adore Project (https://theadoreproject.org/), which is a resource for promoting composers of underrepresented demographics. He is also involved with the Orchestra division of And We Were Heard (https://www.andwewereheard.org/), another organization helping to promote orchestra music written by underrepresented demographics. Additionally, Tedford serves on the board of directors of the Harmony Arts Foundation in Bloomsburg, PA, a non-profit organization that is oriented towards the advancement of music education through lessons for all ages.
An avid educator, he has been a guest conductor for numerous high school orchestra festivals and workshops throughout the east coast and Midwest. He has also initiated multiple performing outlets for students at Bloomsburg University, including a Concerto Competition and a chamber music course. He also coordinates multiple educational outreach initiatives, such as Stringposium, an educational outreach for area string players, and multiple pre-audition workshops for local high school musicians.
Tedford holds degrees from Grove City College, Ohio University, and the University of Iowa. He has worked with conductors such as Steven Huang, William LaRue Jones, Kenneth Kiesler, Stuart Malina, Dwight Oltman, Robert Page, and Markand Thakar.
Williamsport Symphony Youth Orchestra Information
REHEARSALS
The WSYO will rehearse 6 times per school semester culminating in a performance.
FALL SCHEDULE:
Rehearsals from 6:00-8:00 pm at Loyalsock Township High School in the Band Room.
- 10/2, 10/9. 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6 (All Sundays)
Concert: Sunday, November 13, 2022 at the Community Arts Center at 4:00PM. It will be a combined concert with WSJS.
SPRING SCHEDULE:
Rehearsals from 6:00-8:00pm pm at Loyalsock Township High School Band Room.
- 3/12, 3/26, 4/2, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30 (All Sundays)
Concert: Sunday, May 7, 2023 at the Community Arts Center at 4:00PM. It will be a combined concert with WSJS.
The yearly tuition is $100 and is due by October 1st. All checks made payable to Williamsport Symphony Orchestra
QUALIFICATIONS
The WSYO is intended for high school students. Local college students who do not have access to a school orchestra are also invited to audition. Younger students are invited to audition as well and may be accepted based on their teachers’ recommendations and WSYO need. It is expected that WSYO members will also be active participants in their schools’ music programs.
PERFORMANCE LEVEL
The WSJS will play a variety of repertoire that is challenging enough that the group will have to practice, but also obtainable enough that ensemble techniques can be taught.
AUDITIONS
New members have to audition to join the WSYO.
Audition Repertoire
- Solo of your choice (one movement of a standard work for your instrument)
- Sight-reading (provided by Dr. Tedford)
For details, please download the form below and mail to WSO office at 220 West Fourth Street, Williamsport, PA 17701. To schedule an audition, please email your request to Dr. Tedford at [email protected] .
WSYO Sponsors
Williamsport Symphony Youth Orchestra Application 2023-2024