American Youth Philharmonic - Cello Masterclass with Alumnus Zuill Bailey

“Media Videos.” Zuill Bailey 01, https://www.zuillbailey.com/index.php/en/media-zuill-bailey.

We are excited to announce that the AYPO Cello Masterclass video with Alumnus Zuill Bailey has gone live!

Here is the Library of Congress announcement link, which includes the performing cellists names: https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-10153

YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/sS8VfnVgTLI

Thank you to all of the AYP cellists for participating in this special event and a congratulations to Kevin Shan, Kyle Ryu, and Alexandra Lukashuk for their performances!

ABOUT ZUILL BAILEY

AYPO alumnus, Zuill Bailey, grew up in Northern Virginia. At an early age, he was influenced and inspired by Rostropovich, who was then Director of the National Symphony. His parents are musicians. His mother is a pianist and his father has a Doctorate in both music and education. His sister is a violinist.

As an energetic four year old, while running furiously down a back hallway following a concert, Zuill Bailey had his first "run- in" with a cello. The instrument was broken following the encounter but not Bailey's spirit. He announced then that the cello would be his instrument of choice. The rest is history.

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Zuill Bailey, widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, is a Grammy Award winning, internationally-renowned soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has secured his place as one of the most sought after and active cellists today.

A consummate concerto soloist, Mr. Bailey has been featured with symphony orchestras worldwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, Indianapolis, Dallas, Louisville, Honolulu, Milwaukee, Nashville, Toronto, Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, Israel, Cape Town, Philharmonia (UK) and the Bruchner Orchestra in Linz, Austria. He has collaborated with such conductors as Itzhak Perlman, Alan Gilbert, Andrew Litton, Neeme Jarvi, Giancarlo Guerrero, James DePriest, Jun Markl, Carlos Kalmar, Andrey Boreyko, Krzysztof Urbanski, Jacques Lacombe, Grant Llewellyn and Stanislav Skrowaczewski. He also has been featured with musical luminaries Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, the Juilliard String Quartet, Lynn Harrell and Janos Starker.

Click here to read more...

American Youth Concert Orchestra presents Philip Herbert's "Elegy"

AYPO is proud to be the first orchestra in the Washington DC Metropolitan area to present Philip Herbert's Elegy: in memoriam - Stephen Lawrence". Under the direction of Conductor Doug Martin, AYCO will work with the London-based composer and perform his recent work that symbolizes empathy and paying homage to a young life unjustly lost.

Philip has eclectic interests and has taken the path of a portfolio career, where he has enjoyed combining teaching up to University level, composing, Examining for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music for a period, writing for publication, performing, project origination and broadcasting: as well as developing workshops, masterclasses and residencies across an eclectic musical range, for young people and Adults, of all abilities, in collaboration with some of Britain’s finest musicians.

In 1998, Philip conducted a research trip that took him to the USA, to visit the St Louis Orchestra, Chicago Center for Black Music, Indiana Bloomington University’s Music department - to see the African American Archives for Music: then finally Schomburg Music Center for Research in Black Culture. It was through this trip, that his awareness of the need to promote the hidden repertoire, written by Black Composers of classical music.

In February 1999, he wrote ‘Elegy: in memoriam - Stephen Lawrence, as a gesture of empathy, after watching heartbreaking media footage involving a case of a student. This piece was premiered at the first annual memorial lecture of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, in September 2000: which was given by HRH Prince Charles.

Please join us as our American Youth Concert Orchestra presents this virtuosic piece by Philip Herbert at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center on November 21, 2021 at 3:00pm.

Read more about Philip Herbert here.

Purchase tickets to the Sunday, November 21, 2021 concert here.

Presenting the New AYPO Ensemble: American Youth Sinfonietta (AYS)

American Youth Sinfonietta

Auditions for AYS open until September 1, 2021

SAMPLE PROGRAM SELECTIONS   

Armory for Strings and Percussion,

Serenade for Strings, 

Century One Tusonic,

The Old Boatman,

Mambo

AYPO Musician, Joshua Thrush, wins International Society of Bassists' solo competition (updated 6.25.21)

Updated 6.25.21, visit https://www.broadwayworld.com/norfolk/article/Vienna-Youth-Joshua-Thrush-Places-First-In-International-Bassist-Competition-20210625 For a special press release in Broadway World regarding Joshua’s recent accomplishment!

A special congratulations to Joshua Thrush, the competition winner, Age 14 and Under Division, at this years International Society of Bassists' biennial double bass competition.

Joshua, has been with AYPO for four years, including 1 year AYDO, 1 year AYSE, 1 year AYCO, and this past season in AYSO.

Joshua Thrush, age 14 from Vienna, Virginia, recently won first place in the Age 14 and Under division of the 2021 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition. The biennial convention of the International Society of Bassists is the premier double bass gathering, with its performance competitions drawing competitors from countries all over the world. The competitors must play a required piece and then have the remainder of 15 minutes to perform a diverse program. In addition to the required piece, Joshua played Capriccio from David’s Anderson’s Four Short Pieces, the Allemande from Bach’s First Cello Suite, and the first movement of the Dittersdorf Bass Concerto.

Joshua has been playing the bass for nearly five years, beginning private lessons with Ira Gold of the National Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2016 after having previously played clarinet, saxophone, and even, briefly, the cello. Joshua is currently a Youth Fellow with the National Symphony Orchestra and a member of the American Youth Symphonic Orchestra (AYSO), a division of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras program (AYPO) for which he’s played for the past four years. In 2021, Joshua won the AYSO Solo Competition, the Rockville Music Competition Intermediate Strings division, and was chosen as a Bass Alternate for the National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2). In 2020, Joshua was given the title of Principal Bass of northern Virginia’s Junior District X Honors Orchestra and was accepted into the Fairfax Symphony’s All-Stars Youth Orchestra program. As part of winning the Aspiring category and the Misbin Family New Talent Award in the 2019 Joseph and Goldie Feder Memorial String Competition, Joshua performed the first movement of the Dragonetti Concerto in a recital at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. In that same year, he received the distinction of highest score in the Junior Division of the George Mason Academy Honors Recital.

Joshua has performed in master classes for Paul Ellison and Francois Rabbath and has attended various workshops including ISB Young Bassists 2019, KC Bass, and Bass Works. This summer, after attending the virtual ISB Young Bassists 2021, he plans on playing with the Birch Creek Symphony in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin and in the National Philharmonic Summer Strings program. Outside of playing the bass, Joshua enjoys boating, fishing, and discussing the stock market. Joshua looks forward to starting high school in the fall and to having more opportunities to grow and develop his skill on the double bass.

To learn more about Josh’s recent competition win, click here: https://www.isbworldoffice.com/performance.asp