Emily Bovan

While President’s Day is a great time to learn more about our presidents and what they did for America, did you know some of our most famous presidents were talented musicians? It’s true! Here are five presidents who were musically inclined. Thomas Jefferson – Even though Jefferson is most known for his work on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, he still had time to hone his musical skills. Jefferson enjoyed singing and playing the cello, violin, and clavichord in his free time. He was also quoted saying that music was “the favorite passion of my soul”. John Quincy …

For Black History Month, we want to start off by telling you a bit about two fantastic living composers – Omar Thomas and Kelijah Dunton – and what inspired them to write some incredible pieces of music. We are excited for our students to be performing these works this semester! Omar Thomas’ piece “Of Our New Day Begun” was written to honor the nine people who lost their lives to an act of hate and domestic terrorism that occurred in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. Throughout the piece, you can hear …

A native of Pittsburgh, Kathleen Melucci holds the Principal Cello position with the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra and  Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. Kathleen holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Mannes College of Music. Her major teachers include Bernard Greenhouse, Steven Doane, and Timothy Eddy.  In addition to her orchestral positions, Kathleen is an active freelancer, chamber musician, and educator.  Kathleen is a member of the Artistic Staff at the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestras (where she was a member at age 10), Youth Chamber Connection, and maintains a thriving private cello studio. A committed Suzuki teacher, Kathleen has …

Since today is Veterans Day, this is the perfect time to find patriotic songs to enjoy! Check out this Classical Veterans Day Playlist compiled by the Houston Symphony. They even included background information for each piece and its composer so you can really enjoy the music to the fullest. From Sousa to Gershwin, the playlist is full of fun tunes! You can listen here.  

We want to congratulate TRYPO staff member Eric Baker for being named the Outstanding New String/Orchestra Teacher for 2021 by The Pennsylvania – Delaware String Teachers Association! Mr. Baker has been working with TRYPO since the 2018-2019 season as a Program Assistant. He supports TRYPO for in-person gatherings, ensuring all spaces are ready for rehearsals, leading chamber group coaching sessions and so much more! “It has been great to work with so many amazing people in the Pittsburgh area over the past few years, all coming together to make such wonderful music and experiences,” Mr. Baker says.  To see all …

  We love to see TRYPO students doing amazing things for our community! TRYPO violinist Katy Appleman has become the first female Eagle Scout in Western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands Council. This is a big achievement considering that it is one of the largest councils in the country which includes almost 17,000 young people. TribLive wrote a great story about Katy and this honor. You can read all about it here. Make sure to show your support in the comments!

TRYPO is excited to welcome the newest administrative staff additions to the #TRYPOfam! Alyssa Hensley recently assumed the role of Manager of Youth Chamber Connection and Special Projects. And Emily Bovan now serves as TRYPO’s Marketing Assistant in addition to her current position as the UniSound Program Coordinator, which she began in March of this year. Both staff members are off to an awesome start! Harpist Alyssa Hensley is hitting the ground running as the manager for Youth Chamber Connection. Having performed as a chamber and orchestral musician, she is excited to take on new projects and grow the chamber …