Type of Ensemble: String Ensemble for violins, violas, cellos, and basses. 2020-21 enrollment: 37
Typical Symphonette Students: Symphonette members 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 12th 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. The 2020-21 Season is his last season with us. We will miss him terribly, but we are also excited to welcome our Artistic Team’s newest member! We will announce the new conductor in May 2021.
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.
Performances: Symphonette performs two to four concerts a year. Performances have taken place at Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland, Heinz Hall, and other local schools. We have enjoyed some Virtual Exhibitions during COVID-19 and will hold an outdoor concert in May 2021. We are currently in the planning stages for how to do performances in the 2021-22 Season within whatever COVID protocols are in place at the time.
Rehearsals: We anticipate that rehearsals will be in person in the 2021-22 Season, with the option for students to stream in to a live Zoom feed if they have a COVID exposure or are otherwise unwell. Symphonette currently rehearses on Saturday mornings/afternoons. We will determine the exact rehearsal times and venue once we know more about what COVID safety protocols will be required in Fall 2021. We hope to hold rehearsals at a convenient location near downtown to be centrally located for families in the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Past rehearsals have been at Duquesne University. In the 2020-21 Season, we met at the Energy Innovation Center (located near Duquesne University).
Retreats: Symphonette will likely have some sort of season start retreat, but it will not be overnight. We likely will have an intense opening weekend within whatever COVID protocols are in place at the time! More information about this will be issued over the summer during the registration process.
Travel: TRYPO believes that performing while traveling uniquely cements a student’s relationship with music and wants its large ensembles to 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 participated in a dual exchange with the Youth Philharmonic from the DC Youth Orchestra program. 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. The next travel year for TRYPO was anticipated to be the 2020-21 season, however given the current situation with COVID-19, we do not yet know when we will next be able to travel.
Auditions: Symphonette has auditions every May/June for entry to the next season. Due to the current restrictions on gatherings, we will move to an online audition model. See New Member Auditions for more information on joining Symphonette and current openings (if any).
Repertoire: Symphonette performs challenging repertoire for string orchestra according to their level of playing abilities. Recent repertoire selections have included:
- Wenrich – Red Rose Rag: 20-21 Season
- Mozart – Divertimento in D Major: 20-21 Season
- Pachelbel – Canon in D: 20-21 Season
- Handel – Water Music Suites: 19-20 Season
- Bach – “Air on the G String” from Orchestral Suite No. 3: 19-20 Season
- Finzi – Prelude for Strings: 18-19 Season
- Warlock – Capriol Suite: 18-19 Season
- Handel – Concerto grosso, op. 6 no. 6 in G minor: 17-18 Season
- Elgar – Serenade for strings in E minor: 16-17 Season
- Part – Summafor Strings: 16-17 Season
- Respighi – Ancient Airs and Dances: 16-17 Season
- Rutter – Suite for Strings: 16-17 Season
- Grieg – Two Elegiac Melodies: 16-17 Season
- Handel – Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 7 in B flat Major, HWV325: 15-16 Season
- Janáček – Idyllfor String Orchestra: 15-16 Season
- Mendelssohn – String Symphony No. 8 in D Major: 15-16 Season
- Telemann – Viola Concerto in G Major, TWV 51:G9 (featuring Marylène Gingras-Roy, viola): 15-16 Season
- O’Conner – Appalachia Waltz: 15-16 Season
- Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major, BWV 1048: 14-15 Season
- Haydn – Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Major (featuring Marta Krechkovsky, violin): 14-15 Season
Tuition: 2021-22 Tuition Fees are as follows. Visit our Tuition Assistance page for more information about scholarships.
| Symphonette Tuition Fees | Total Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $700 |
| Symphonette Day Tuition (Mandatory) | $20 |
- Financial aid and scholarship assistance are always available, and it is easier than ever to ask for what you need. Families should not be discouraged from applying to TRYPO due to financial limitations. Visit our Tuition Assistance page for more information about scholarships.
- Family Discounts: TRYPO offers a family discount for households with a child or children registered in more than one Sep-May TRYPO program. The first enrolled program will be charged at full price, but all subsequent programs qualify for $50 off per semester ($100/year).