Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra

06/06/2022

Quick reminder that TODAY is the last day to enroll for the Community Music School Summer Strings Camp! Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to learn under UA School of Music Faculty and to play fun and diverse orchestra repertoire!!

10/01/2021

Happy Friday, TYO!

Monday, October 4: STRINGS SECTIONALS!

Strings, you’ll meet in the IRR first and go your separate ways from there. Winds, brass, and percussion, you’re off this week!

Strings, we’ll see you Monday! Winda, brass, and percussion, we’ll see you the week after!

Have a nice weekend!!

09/10/2021

Good afternoon everyone!

Monday’s (9/13) TYO rehearsal will be STRINGS ONLY. Winds, brass, and percussion will meet at a later date.

Enjoy your Friday afternoon and weekend, and we will see STRINGS PLAYERS on Monday!

08/29/2021

Good afternoon everyone!

We are excited to start a brand new season of TYO, and it all begins TOMORROW!

Rehearsal will begin at 5:30 in room 204 (also known as the IRR) of the Moody Music Building. We will be having full orchestra rehearsal and we will do some sightreading and also go over concert repertoire for the fall semester.

See you soon!

09/22/2020

Hello TYO Students and Friends,

We miss you at Moody Music Building and hope you are keeping your practice routine going. We look forward to being back in-person (hopefully Spring, 2020) with you.

There is a great opportunity for you to engage with UA School of Music faculty coming up: the Huxford Symphony Orchestra High School String Orchestra Workshop. This event will take place over Zoom on October 22-24 and is open to all high school string students. Spread the word to your string friends. This event is FREE. More information may be found at https://orchestra.music.ua.edu/string-workshop/

All the best to you – stay healthy!

String Orchestra Workshop University of Alabama Huxford Symphony Orchestra High School String Orchestra Workshop October 22-24, 2020 Location: via Zoom   The University of Alabama School of Music is pleased to announce the inaugural Huxford Symphony Orchestra High School String Orchestra Workshop. ...

09/05/2020

Hello everyone,

We hope that everyone has been continuing to stay safe and healthy throughout our unfortunate break. We understand that this is an extremely frustrating and discouraging time, and we genuinely miss making music with all of you.

If any of you wish to get in touch with any questions, comments,or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us via this page or by email.

We look forward to seeing you in the spring!

07/23/2020

Hello Youth Orchestra Students, Parents, and Friends;

I regret to inform you that, in accordance with the statements made by the Director of the School of Music, no ensembles will be allowed to meet in the Moody Music Building this fall semester.


This includes all School of Music ensembles and Community Music Ensembles. CMS lessons will continue via distance methods this fall, but distance is simply not the best option for large ensembles such as TYO. I know you are as disappointed as Prof. Gregoire, and Dr. Zaheri with this necessary but frustrating extension of our break.


We will remain in touch via email and this page. You all are in our thoughts – we miss your energy, your humor, and your collective musicianship. You are simply an excellent group of people!


Stay healthy – we look forward to seeing you on campus again in January.

06/30/2020

Hello Everyone,

I hope all of you are staying in good health. This post contains some updates to our fall plan for TYO. Please read all of it and let me know if you have any questions about the plan. Due to the size of the full TYO ensemble, we are not able to rehearse as a full group this fall. Available rehearsal space and distancing mandate requires us to split into two rehearsals: Strings and Wind/Brass. A schedule of rehearsals will be forthcoming as soon as we have the dates from the School of Music and hear back from some band directors.



STRINGS: We have decided to have the seating audition via Zoom the week of August 17-21. Returning Strings: you will be asked to sign up for a day/time in advance of that week and Prof. Gregoire will be hearing you and seating you. If you know a string player who wants to join TYO, please give them Dr. Weigel's email ([email protected]) so she can assist them with the audition sign-up process. The first rehearsal (Strings only) will be on MONDAY, August 24 from 5:30- 7:00 p.m. on the Concert Hall stage – distanced appropriately apart. You will need to wear a mask. We won’t be in the IRR (204) at all this fall – only on the concert hall stage. Audition Information and excerpts: https://cms.music.ua.edu/tuscaloosa-youth-orchestra/



WINDS/BRASS: We are going to program Gounod’s Petite Symphonie this fall. If you were playing on this piece spring 2020, then you will be assigned same part this fall. We will also add another work for this group (FALL = 1-2 fl, 2 ob, 2 bssn, 2 cl, 2 hn). Those assigned to the Gounod last spring DO NOT have to re-audition. The wind/brass weekly rehearsal will be on TUESDAYS from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. (not on Mondays) on the Concert Hall stage. Your first rehearsal will be August 25. Masks must be worn until we are in chairs and begin rehearsal and back on before leaving. With a smaller number of wind/brass we will be able to be 10 feet+ apart from each other.



PERCUSSION: There are percussion parts that go with some of the string works. If you were in TYO in the spring please let me know if you are planning on returning this fall so I can get you the parts.



If you have any questions please send an email, comment on this post, or direct message through messenger. Certainly COVID-19 concerns may impact further UA decisions regarding fall session and as we will learn more we will email you and/or post on the Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra page. Keep in touch and stay safe and healthy! Dr. Zaheri and I will be very happy to see you all again!

Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra Audition Date: Monday, August 24. See requirements below. In order to follow COVID mandated distancing for this ensemble size, the TYO will rehearse on the stage of the Concert Hall where we can spread out appropriately. Audition Date: August 24, sign-in starts at 5:00 p.m...

04/06/2020

Hello TYO members and parents;

This is a reminder that TYO students are now shifted to School of Music studio class attendance for the remainder of the semester instead of meeting as a group on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. with Dr. Zaheri. Attending studio classes is not mandatory, but UA faculty sincerely WANT you to join their sessions. We are excited for this opportunity for the TYO students to hear highly accomplished performers on their instrument and have access to UA faculty members’ teaching. We hope all of the TYO students will take advantage of this opportunity to the degree that they are comfortable – they can simply observe the classes and be inspired (!). Each studio class format and content may be different so please email with the professors for more information about participation and day/time of your class. They welcome you!



VIOLIN: Prof. Jenny Gregoire [email protected]

VIOLA: Prof. Jacob Adams [email protected]

CELLO: Prof. Moisis Molina [email protected]

BASS: Prof. Benjamin Crofut [email protected]

FLUTE: Prof. Diane Schultz [email protected]

OBOE: Prof. Mary Bailey [email protected]

CLARINET: Prof. Osiris Molina [email protected]

BASSOON: Prof. Jenny Mann [email protected]

HORN: Prof. Skip Snead [email protected]

PERCUSSION: Prof. Andrew Lynge [email protected]



EARLY COLLEGE ENROLLED STUDENTS FOR TYO CREDIT: Your attendance in studio classes IS mandatory. Be sure to check your email (from me and/or Prof. Gregoire).

03/19/2020

Hello Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra Students, Parents, and Friends;



The purpose of this post is to touch base with regard to the TYO path forward this spring. As you read this, please know that this is an evolving situation and we may have slight adjustments as time goes on, but for now, we act on what we know today. As we move into the mandated shift from in-person to alternative methods of instruction, I wanted to remind you that TYO does NOT meet on March 23. AGAIN, TYO WILL NOT BE MEETING ON MARCH 23. Our next meeting will be via Zoom on Monday, March 30. Join Dr. Zaheri at your regular time, 5:30 p.m. You’ll get a link sent from Dr. Zaheri directly. You simply select the link to “join the meeting” via Zoom using your phone, laptop, or desk top computer. You do not need to have a Zoom account.

We’re looking forward to seeing and working with you again on Monday, March 30 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. Look for the emailed link to be sent from Dr. Zaheri. At our meeting we to go over how Zoom works and how we plan to go forward.



Thank you and take care.

02/10/2020

TYO Members! Please read:

Weather Advisory: Although there is a weather advisory, UA is still open. TYO WILL have rehearsal tonight unless a closure is announced. Please go to prepare.ua.edu OR watch your local news to find out if UA announces a closure.

The University provides safety information to help the UA community be prepared in the event of an emergency. View a summary of quick safety tips.

01/26/2020

Hello TYO members and friends;

We have some great music to sight read this coming Monday, January 27 at 5:30 p.m. – full orchestra! We need all of you. We’ll be reading arrangements of Smetana’s The Moldau, Dvorak’s 8th Symphony Finale Mvt and Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance No. 1; and Selections from Les Miserables (At the End of the Day – I Dreamed a Dream – Master of the House – On My Own – Do you Hear the People Sing?)

Then, from 6:15 – 7:00 p.m. the group will split and the strings will stay with Dr. Zaheri to read Shostakovich’s Waltz No. 2 and another arrangement of Les Miserables (just for strings).

Winds and horns will go to another room to read Gounod’s Petite Symphony. Not all winds/brass are scored for this work so if you are not playing then you are free to leave at 6:15 p.m.



CONCERT INVITATION:

There is a Quartets Plus concert this Tuesday, January 28 at 7:00 p.m. in Moody Recital Hall. It is a benefit for the Tuscaloosa City Schools string program sponsored by Chamber Music Tuscaloosa and the School of Music and is ticketed at the door. $25/adult; $10 College Student; Under 18Y Free. Come on out to support the youth of Tuscaloosa and hear some lovely music!