SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Meet TRYPO’s 8th Music Director!

Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras Names Brian Worsdale as Music Director

Pittsburgh, PA – The Board of Directors of Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras (TRYPO) has announced the selection of Brian Worsdale as the organization’s next music director, effective September 2018.

The Brooklyn born and raised conductor, educator, and instrumentalist served over twenty years with the InterSchool Orchestras of New York where he held various conducting positions and founded the ISO Symphonic Band. His commitment to education has led to work with All-State, Regional, and District Bands and Orchestras in Texas, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Worsdale will relocate to Pittsburgh full-time, and during the summer months will continue his role as Artistic Director and Conductor of the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts (Delaware County, New York).

“Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, allows for a young person to have a small town feel in a big city. Pittsburgh may be away from my birth place, but it shares so many wonderful attributes. I’m attracted to the community feel in a city as wonderful as Pittsburgh,” Worsdale says. “It’s going to be an exciting journey.”

Worsdale brings with him time-honored experience building and sustaining youth programs in New York and looks forward to building positive relationships with music educators to grow music education in the Pittsburgh community. “Being selected to serve the students of Pittsburgh as Music Director of TRYPO is a privilege and an honor,” he shared. “I will serve with passion and purpose as we continue to bring music to life in Pittsburgh. TRYPO has a great history of providing a safe and encouraging environment for its young musicians. It is my hope to expand that reach of musicians and celebrate the wide diversity that Pittsburgh has through its citizens.”

Dr. Becky Stephan, Fairview Elementary School Principal and TRYPO Board President, described the search process for TRYPO’s next music director: “Our Music Director Search Committee engaged in thorough and careful consideration of each candidate in collaboration with student musicians, coaches, music educators, and board members. The four-round process consisted of resume screening as well as phone, conducting, and final interviews.”

“Throughout the process—from crafting the job description to selecting the finalists—an emphasis was placed on passion, dedication, and leadership in working with young musicians; conducting experience and artistic excellence; vision spanning concert programming to long-term growth; and a collaborative spirit embracing both the TRYPO community and the region in which it serves,” adds Dr. Paul F. Doerksen, Associate Professor and Chair of Music Education and Music Therapy at Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music and TRYPO Board of Directors Vice President. “Thanks go to all members for their considerable contributions and to a first-class pool of applicants for their interest. Congratulations, Brian Worsdale and TRYPO.”

“When current Music Director, Maestro John Wilcox, announced last year that he would be stepping down at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, we all knew this appointment was coming at a critical juncture in TRYPO’s 44-year history,” TRYPO Executive Director, Lindsey Nova, explains. “Not only have TRYPO’s seven music directors created an incredible legacy to follow, but the work we need to do in Pittsburgh is only growing. Music can make a big difference in the lives of Pittsburgh kids, but a large piece of that is making sure students from all backgrounds have access to it. We were looking for someone who could provide the artistic leadership and vision for the future both on the podium and in the community; for someone who is not only a top-notch conductor but is also a music educator at the core. We were humbled to have had so many qualified and talented candidates who offered many different unique combinations of skills and gave the committee so many different visions for our future. However, after the extensive search process, it was clear that Brian has the perfect combination of skills and talents that TRYPO and Pittsburgh need. We are thrilled to have Brian lead TRYPO into our 45^th season as TRYPO’s eighth Music Director.”

Worsdale will be formally introduced to board members, donors, musicians, and parents later this year, and his first official performance as music director for the orchestra will be TRYPO’s annual winter concert on December 9, 2018, at the Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland.

For more information about Brian, see Meet Brian Worsdale or contact Marketing and Community Engagement Manager, Rachel Howard, at 412.391.1984 / Rachel@TRYPOandPYC.org.

Click here the full press release.