Announcing the Winners of the 23-24 Concerto Competition

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 23-24 AYPO Concerto Competition! In the first round, over 50 candidates from AYCO, AYSO, and AYP competed for a chance to perform live with their orchestra.

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AYCO Winner
Elaine Zhang, cello
Cello Concerto in D Minor by Édouard Lalo

AYCO Finalists pictured from left to right: Jackson Winn, Timothy Oh, Elaine Zhang, Yenna Kang

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AYSO Winner
Goldie Woods
Danses Sacrée et Profane by Claude Debussy

AYSO Finalists pictured from left to right: Goldie Woods, Gianna Thiede, Jane Morrison, Owen Hochwald

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AYP Winner
Ryan Chun
Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 by Jean Sibelius

AYP Finalists pictured from left to right: Enzo Baldanza, Ryan Chun, Michelle Pan, Anne Valerie Ter

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Winners will perform with their respective orchestras at their final concerts of the season

AYCO & AYSO
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall
Sunday, May 12th at 3:00 PM

AYP
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall
Sunday, May 19th at 3:00 PM

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Congratulations to all of the competitors on wonderful performances!

Congratulations to the AYPO musicians accepted into the VBODA North Senior Regional Orchestra!

For those located in Northern Virginia, many AYPO 9th-12th grade musicians recently auditioned against high school players in the VBODA districts 10, 11, and 12 to receive the honor of acceptance into the prestigious VBODA North Senior Regional Orchestra (SRO). Each year, musicians compete for one of the highly coveted spots and AYPO is delighted for the 40+ musicians admitted who are members of various AYPO ensembles and orchestras. These musicians are also now eligible to audition for All-Virginia Band and Orchestra. SRO will perform Ballade for Orchestra by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and selections from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet with conductor, Daniel Myssyk on November 11th at Wakefield HS (Arlington County). Congratulations to all that auditioned!

Announcing the American Youth Prelude Violins!

AYPO is proud to announce the development of our newest ensemble for young violinists! The American Youth Prelude Violins* will meet for the first time on September 18th.

This newest ensemble will aim to provide a continued focus on reading and ensemble skills and will also provide showcase performances for young, elementary school-age violinists. The creation of this ensemble will allow for smaller performance ensemble sizes and a shorter rehearsal time. These factors will help to create a more intimate learning experience for all, as younger musicians benefit from a shorter rehearsal and specialized teaching. This ensemble aims to provide support for violinists specifically in grade 4 or younger. 

The American Youth Prelude Violins will also be taught by Kristin Gomez, the director of the American Youth Prelude Strings program, and the ensemble will rehearse from 5:00-5:50PM on Mondays. Come see AYPV in action at their first Showcase in January 2024.

*2023-2024 season program only

AYPO Welcomes A Staff Member - Ike Sae-Tang, Music Librarian

Ike Sae-Tang graduated with a Bachelor’s in Viola Performance from Stetson University in Deland, FL in the Spring of 2020. While at Stetson, he served as the head librarian for the Stetson Symphony and Stetson Chamber Orchestras as well as prepared music for Stetson Opera Theatre, Choral Union, and guest composers. After graduating, Ike was accepted into the Glimmerglass Festival Apprenticeship Program as the music librarian apprentice for the 2022 and 2023 summer seasons, At the Glimmerglass Festival, he had the opportunity to work on Glimmerglass premiere productions, commissioned operas, and music for guest artists including Denyse Graves, Anthony Roth Costanzo, and Natalie Merchant.

As the music librarian for AYPO, Ike will be managing music acquisition, preparation, and distribution for all seven orchestras. Ike will also be overseeing the Flute Ensemble, Harp Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble, and Co-Managing Percussion Ensemble for the 23-24 season!

Please help us give a warm welcome to Ike in this new, full-time role at AYPO!

Ike can be reached at isaetang@aypo.org.