Philharmonic Orchestra The
Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Yair Samet, is SJYS's premiere orchestra. Simply referred to as the '
Phil', it is composed of approximately 100 musicians mostly of high-school age. Three concerts are offered each season, usually during December, March and June. The orchestra has performed various works across the classical music spectrum, including works of
Antonio Vivaldi,
Piotr Tchaikovsky,
Dmitri Shostakovich,
Franz Liszt,
Édouard Lalo,
Aaron Copland, and
George Gershwin. In addition, the orchestra frequently plays with professional musicians (such as
Jon Nakamatsu and
Axel Strauss), winners of the Symphony's Young Artist Competitions, and, formerly, winners of the Philharmonic Concerto Competitions (at present discontinued). Philharmonic Orchestra has also partnered with various other musical groups in the past, including
Chanticleer, San Jose Taiko,
Crystal Children's Choir,
Children's Musical Theater San Jose, and other assorted non-profit or fundraising groups.
Benefit Concerts The Phil is also known for performing in
benefit concerts, in which the net proceeds from sold tickets (and, if present, auctions) are donated to welfare causes. In 2008 and 2009, all the various groups in SJYS performed in charity concerts for
Kenya Dream, a program that is raising a minimum of $100,000 to be donated to a
secondary school in
Kenya. In March 2010, the Phil dedicated their second set concert to
Chile, which had suffered a
massive earthquake weeks before the concert. Because Phil members had toured
Santiago in the summer of 2009, the SJYS Board decided to donate all the net proceeds from the March concert to Chile, even though it was a season concert. Furthermore, every Christmas season, the Phil performs a free benefit concert at St. Joseph's Cathedral for the Season Of Hope performance series.
Tours Every other year, the Phil conducts an international tour. During the usually-two-week-long trip, the musicians are given the chance to visit important monuments and buildings, spend some time with renowned soloists and ambassadors, and perform in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world. Often the Phil also combines with the countries' youth orchestras to perform massive joined concerts. Past tours have taken place in Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Austria, the
Czech Republic, Japan, and Spain. In the summer of 2009, the Philharmonic was the first California-based youth orchestra to tour South America, namely the countries of
Chile and
Argentina. In the summer of 2011, the Phil visited Italy, Austria, and Germany. The highlight of this tour was their concert at the world-renowned
Mozarteum concert hall in Salzburg. In the summer of 2019, they visited Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as Buenos Aires and Rosario, Argentina. The Phil had the opportunity to perform at the
Teatro Colón.
Chamber Orchestra The
Chamber Orchestra is a new addition to SJYS, created in 2010. Conducted by Yair Samet, who also conducts the Philharmonic, this ensemble is a level between the Concert and the Philharmonic Orchestras. Like the Phil, Chamber Orchestra is composed mostly of high school students; however, since it is oriented towards
chamber music, it sports considerably fewer members. While the Chamber Orchestra will usually perform as an entire ensemble, members will be given the chance to play in smaller chamber as well. Samet states that "It has been a long dream of SJYS to establish a premiere Chamber Orchestra."
Concert Orchestra The
Concert Orchestra, currently conducted by Scott Homer, is one of the two full orchestras in SJYS, with the other being the Philharmonic. It is an intermediate-level ensemble with a mission of providing its musicians with a firsthand experience of playing in a full orchestra. Unlike the Philharmonic, the Concert Orchestra does not embark on international tours, but it still has its own unofficial Concerto Competition within the orchestra. Several conductors have led the Concert Orchestra over the course of SJYS, and many of these conductors have gone on to successfully pursue other musical careers. Ben Jones, who conducted the Concert Orchestra from 2007 to 2009, joined the
Grammy award-winning men's choir,
Chanticleer.
Avant & Avancé Flute Choirs The
Avant & Avancé Flute Choirs are one of the ensembles dedicated to solely one instrument. The repertoire played by the Avancé Flute Choir is a little harder than ones of the Avant Flute Choir. Usually, members progress from one to another as their skill level increases. Currently conducted by Sarah Benton, the Flute Choirs have grown from 11 to 34 members. The repertoire consists of both classical pieces arranged for flute ensembles, and modern pieces covering genres such as jazz, pop, and ethnic. Members are often encouraged to play alto flute or bass flute for these pieces.
Concert Winds The
Concert Wind Ensemble is directed towards woodwind and brass players at the intermediate level. It is also aimed at proficient young musicians who express the desire to learn a woodwind or brass instrument. Led by Charles Ancheta, Concert Winds focuses on repertoire arranged for bands. The relatively small number of members allows for intimate practice and musical development.
Prelude String Ensemble The
Prelude String Ensemble, conducted by Heidi Modr, gives beginning musicians a chance to play in a collective group with each other. In addition to learning
music theory, the students also get their first tastes of playing in an ensemble and following a conductor. Many young violinists, violists, and cellists of elementary-school age begin their first year in SJYS in Prelude and progress through the various ensembles as the years go by.
Intermezzo String Ensemble The
Intermezzo String Ensemble mostly consists of former members of the Prelude String Ensemble. Conducted by Randy Cono, Intermezzo musicians graduate from learning technical skills and begin to develop musicality that will help prepare themselves for playing in a full orchestra. While in Prelude the musicians focus on rhythm, dynamics, and other mechanical techniques, Intermezzo teaches the students skills such as listening.
Percussion Ensemble The
Percussion Ensemble is conducted by Jeff Wilson. Members of the Percussion Ensemble play a wide range of percussion instruments, from drums to marimbas and even ethnic percussion. Aside from the usually modern repertoire, the percussionists also learn about instrument care, setting up, and advanced musical techniques. ==Summer Camp==