Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra

Activities

The members rehearse weekly at Severance Hall and are regularly coached by members of the Cleveland Orchestra. The orchestra's Music Director is currently Brett Mitchell, associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. COYO also has the opportunity to work with many of the famous guest conductors that visit to work with the Cleveland Orchestra.

COYO performs three subscription concerts per season at Severance Hall. Additionally, they perform at least three "outreach concerts", performances in the greater Cleveland area. One of COYO's subscription performances includes a performance with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. COYO participates in an education event annually, where members of the Cleveland Orchestra play a concert with COYO.

Directors

COYO is in its 27th season (2012–13) since it began in 1986 under the direction of Music Director Jahja Ling.

National Youth Orchestra Festival

In 1998, COYO participated in the second National Youth Orchestra Festival sponsored by the American Symphony Orchestra League. COYO was one of five youth orchestras that were selected to participate out of a pool of orchestras across the nation.

Past concerts

COYO is in its 31st season. It typically performs three subscription concerts each season. Subscription concerts are usually held at Severance Hall. COYO also plays community outreach concerts, in which the group travels to a nearby venue to perform. Many of these outreach concerts are held at schools and universities. Additionally, COYO performs at the annual MLK Community Open House at Severance Hall. The Open House is a day of concerts in remembrance of Martin Luther King.

Premieres

COYO has had the opportunity to host world premieres of several modern works throughout the years and has commissioned pieces, as well. The most recent piece commissioned is Roger Briggs' Fountain of Youth, which was premiered on November 18th, 2016.

Repertoire

COYO typically performs classical works. In the past, the group has performed pieces by Stravinsky, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Wagner, Mozart, and many others.

Orchestration

COYO is a full symphonic orchestra ensemble. The group typically consists of violins, violas, cellos, string bass, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, French horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, and percussion. Auxiliary instruments are used according to the instrumentation of the concert repertoire. Common auxiliary instruments are harp, piccolo, E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet, English horn, and organ.

Tours

COYO has participated in tours, extending their outreach from the greater Cleveland area to the world. Past tours have included:

COYO performed in Vienna, Prague, and Salzburg in June 2012.

In June 2015, COYO performed in its first tour of China, making its first appearance in Asia; they played in major concert halls Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Ningbo.

Auditions

Auditions take place annually for each season. Auditions are open to all middle-high school students who study privately. COYO auditions are live and typically take place at Severance Hall.

Rehearsals

COYO rehearses weekly at Severance Hall for four hours. Dress rehearsals are also scheduled immediately preceding a concert.

Coachings

Members of COYO have the unique opportunity to study with members of the Cleveland Orchestra. Coachings take place during one of the orchestra's rehearsals. Coaching groups are usually divided by Woodwinds, Brass, and Strings. Additional coachings are sometimes scheduled for smaller groups (i.e. specifically Cellos, Trumpets, Flutes, etc.).