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To celebrate Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the females whose compositions will be performed at our spring concert on May 28 at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. Today we feature Julie Giroux, born and raised in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. By the age of three, she was already playing piano, and by the age of eight, Ms. Giroux was composing her first works. She was 13 when she published her first piece for concert band. With over 100 film, television, and video game credits, Ms. Giroux has collaborated with dozens of film composers, producers, and celebrities, including Samuel Goldwyn, Martin …

We love to hear from our TRYPO Alumni about what they have been doing since their time with us. Today we connect with Jimmy Cunningham. Jimmy used to play viola in our Young Peoples Orchestra ensemble and also participated in Youth Chamber Connection (YC²). (Jimmy’s mom, Laurie Cunningham, founded and managed YC² up until this season.) Jimmy writes about everything he has accomplished and what he is up to now: Hi friends!! I loved my time in TRYPO as YPO principal viola (2012-2014), and I loved playing chamber music from 8th-12th grade with TRYPO’s Youth Chamber Connection while attending CAPA. Since …

This past January, TRYPO was able to host our first concert with an in-person audience for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. While we were very excited to hear our young musicians perform together again, it was just as powerful to hear how meaningful the experience was for them after living through these difficult times. Elizabeth Bennett, a flutist in our Young Peoples Orchestra and a member of Youth Chamber Connection, writes about how determined she was to be on stage for the concert despite all the obstacles!: As a woodwind musician, the COVID-19 pandemic caused major …

    Jim Rodgers has been the Principal Contrabassoonist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since September of 2001. Formerly, he was the Principal Bassoonist with the Jacksonville Symphony, Associate Principal Bassoonist with the Florida Orchestra, Second Bassoonist with the Houston Symphony, and Contrabassoonist with the Colorado Symphony. Summer activities have included the Grand Tetons Music Festival, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Colorado Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, and Tanglewood Music Center. He studied bassoon with Norman Herzberg at the University of Southern California and with Benjamin Kamins at the Rice University Shepherd School of Music. He also studied bassoon with …

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we will highlight the female composers who will have their works performed at our spring concert on May 28 at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. For our first post, we are highlighting Hannah Ishizaki. Hannah is a former TRYPO member and Pittsburgh native who now lives and works in New York City. She is currently in residence as a Toulmin Creator through National Sawdust and The Center for Ballet and the Arts. Hannah made history as the youngest woman ever to have a world premiere performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2017. Her …

Congratulations to Becky Mack, winner of this season’s Young Peoples Orchestra Concerto Competition! Becky will perform the Strauss Oboe Concerto at the spring concert on Saturday, May 28, 2022, at Heinz Hall. We also want to congratulate all of our musicians who competed! Keep reading to learn more about Becky and the competition experience! Q: How long have you studied the oboe? I switched from flute to oboe in 8th grade, so approximately five years! Q: Why did you choose the oboe? I chose the oboe because it had a fuller sound than the flute, and it was much more …

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 …