Type of Ensemble: String Training Ensemble for violins, violas, cellos, and basses. 2016-17 enrollment: 51
Typical Symphonette Students: Symphonette are generally from the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area and from as far as West Virginia and Ohio. While auditions are based on playing level and not age, most students are in between 7th and 10th grades, with some younger students and some older students.
Conductor: Andrew Wickesberg is the conductor of Symphonette. See Artistic Staff for more information about Mr. Wickesberg.
EQTeach Coaches: Students break out into periodic sectionals to focus on technique and their individual parts. Symphonette coaching staff is drawn from members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and other professional local teaching artists. See Artistic Staff for more information about Symphonette’s artistic staff. EQTeach is underwritten by EQT.
Performances: Symphonette performs two to four concerts a year.
Rehearsals: Symphonette rehearses on Saturday mornings from 10:30am to 1:00pm at the Mary Pappert School of Music of Duquesne University.
Retreats: Symphonette has a season retreat day camp at the start of each season at the Mary Pappert School of Music of Duquesne University.
Travel: TRYPO large ensembles travel every three years. The 2014-15 season was a travel year for Symphonette, which had a day trip to the Chautauqua Institute. During the 2017-18 season, Symphonette will participate in a dual exchange with the Youth Philharmonic from the DC Youth Orchestra program, where each ensemble will have an opportunity to have a day trip to visit each other’s cities, get to know other like-minded young musicians, and work with each other’s conductors. All Symphonette students are expected and encouraged to travel with Symphonette during a travel season. However with proper notice, permission to miss the trip may be granted without jeopardizing the student’s membership in the orchestra.
Auditions: Symphonette has auditions every May/June for entry to the next season. See New Member Auditions for more information on how to join Symphonette and for current openings (if any).
Repertoire: Symphonette performs challenging repertoire for string orchestra according to their level of playing abilities. Recent repertoire selections have included:
- Handel’s Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 7 in B flat Major, HWV325: 15-16 Season
- Janáček’s Idyll for String Orchestra: 15-16 Season
- Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 8 in D Major: 15-16 Season
- Telemann’s Viola Concerto in G Major, TWV 51:G9 (featuring Marylène Gingras-Roy, viola): 15-16 Season
- O’Conner’s Appalachia Waltz: 15-16 Season
- Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major, BWV 1048: 14-15 Season
- Haydn’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Major (featuring Marta Krechkovsky, violin): 14-15 Season
City Music Center: TRYPO is pleased to be affiliated with City Music Center [CMC] of Duquesne University at the Mary Pappert School of Music. Through TRYPO’s affiliation with City Music Center, the following opportunities are available to TRYPO members:
- TRYPO is included as a core curriculum component for members enrolled in the full curriculum at CMC. What does this mean? Tuition for the full curriculum program at City Music Center includes your base tuition in TRYPO for cross-registered members. (Available to the first 15 students who commit participation in both programs. Other program fees are not included. See below for more information.)
- For members not interested in participating in CMC, your TRYPO membership can stay just as it is. There are no obligations, just opportunities for those who want them.
- Please note: TRYPO does not give any preference to City Music Center students at auditions, seating assignments or any other program or event.
Tuition: 2017-18 Tuition Fees are as follows. Most tuition fees are split into fall and spring payments. For info on Tuition Assistance, see bottom of page.
| Symphonette | Total Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition (Symphonette students only) | $700 |
| Tuition (CMC students accepted into Symphonette*) | $0 |
| Symphonette Day Fee (applies to all CMC and Symphonette students) | $20 |
| DC Youth Orchestra Exchange Day Trip (applies to all CMC and Symphonette students) | $TBA fee/student |
*For City Music Center full-curriculum students who are cross-registered in TRYPO, your TRYPO tuition fees are included in your City Music Center tuition. Available to the first fifteen cross-registered students who commit membership to both TRYPO and CMC.