YPO

Help us celebrate our 2022 graduating musicians by learning more about them. Today, we feature Kaydence, who plays Trombone in Wind Symphony and Young Peoples Orchestra. She has been a TRYPO member for four years and joined to have the opportunity to play alongside other musicians outside of her school district. Her favorite memory was the first time she performed at Heinz Hall when TRYPO presented Carmina Burana. Kaydence is graduating from Mount Lebanon High School and plans to attend Youngstown State University, where she will major in electrical engineering and minor in music. Kaydence’s advice for future TRYPO musicians …

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 …

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 …

  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!

Congratulations to the following students who have been invited to join TRYPO’s 2021-22 Season! Welcome to the #TRYPOfam! Check out the full ensemble rosters!