Philharmonia

Rehearsals will be held on Monday evenings from 6:15 – 8:30 pm. Musicians are expected to arrive and be prepared to rehearse 15 minutes prior to start time.

SPRING QUARTER 2025 DETAILS

Rehearsals Spring Quarter Dates
Mondays from 6:15 – 8:30 pm 3/24, 3/31, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, and 5/12
There is no rehearsal on April 7 (Spring Break).
Rehearsal Location Drop Off/ Pick Up
Bellevue Children’s Academy, South Campus Plan on prompt drop off and pick up to avoid
14640 NE 24th St, Bellevue, WA 98007 congestion.
Retreat Time & Date
Retreats take place in TBD
Fall and Winter quarters only.
Concert Time & Date
Meydenbauer Theater Sunday, May 18 at 3:00 pm
11100 NE 6th St Call time: 1:15 pm
Bellevue, WA 98004 See below for more details.

Student Checklist

  • Bring a pencil
  • Bring a music stand
  • Print your sheet music prior to first rehearsal (using link at top of this page) and bring with you to rehearsal
  • Arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of rehearsal to ensure you are in your chair and ready to play at the start of rehearsal
  • Have fun!

ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR LAST REHEARSAL BEFORE CONCERT

In order to participate in the concert, Philharmonia students who miss the final Monday night rehearsal before a concert will be required to submit a video recording of them performing the seating audition excerpts posted in the Conductor’s Messages on the Philharmonia page (below). Students can send a link to accessible platforms like YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.  Please make sure you have adjusted the sharing settings appropriately and make sure you are clearly visible in the video recording.  Students must submit this no later than 11:59 PM Wednesday.  Mr. Kempisty will review the submission and notify the student and parent of the result by end of day on Thursday.

CONCERT DETAILS | Sunday, May 18 @ 3:00 pm

CALL TIME | 1:15 PM
All musicians should arrive promptly 1:15 pm.

DROP OFF & PARKING
Musicians can be dropped off via the garage below the Meydenbauer Center. Parking cannot be reserved ahead of time. Rates are $7.00 for 1 hour, $11.00 for 1-3 hours, and $13 for 3-5 hours. For more details, click HERE to view parking information on the Meydenbauer website.

CONCERT ATTIRE
Be sure to check your ensemble’s concert attire requirements. Students must arrive wearing their concert clothing. They will not have a place to change later.

REQUIRED MATERIALS
Reminder to bring your instrument, music, a pencil, and any instrument accessories (i.e. reeds, resin, etc.). You do not need to bring a music stand.

STAY THE WHOLE TIME
It is expected that all students playing in the concert stay for the entire concert. Please do not request that BYSO staff retrieve your student from backstage so that you can leave early.

VOLUNTEERS – WE NEED YOU!
Volunteers will be a vital part of a successful day at Meydenbauer for all of our students. We need volunteers to help the check in process and supporting ensembles during their dress rehearsals. Volunteers have early access to reserve their seats in the hall. Click here to sign up now! 

MEYDENBAUER CONCERT TICKETS
Families of enrolled BYSO students may find the concert ticket link in the weekly newsletter. Community members will be able to purchase tickets on May 1. Reminder: BYSO musicians performing in the concert do not need their own ticket.

About

Philharmonia is an advanced orchestra in the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra organization. The typical Philharmonia student has had several years of private instruction and substantial ensemble experience and is highly skilled on his or her instrument.

Philharmonia prepares high-level musicians for possible entry into Youth Symphony with challenging full orchestra pieces. Past works performed include Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Slavonic March in Bb Minor, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 35.

Recent Philharmonia Performances

Conductor: Joseph Kempisty

Joseph Kempisty holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The Ohio State University and a Master of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies degree from the University of Washington. He has taught elementary, middle, and high school orchestras in the Midwest as well as in the Bellevue School District, where he was also a school administrator for fourteen years. Learn more.

Contact Joseph Kempisty at philharmonia@byso.org

Messages from the Conductor

Seating Auditions on April 14th

French Horn seating auditions are first on Monday, March 31st.

All other instrument sections have seating auditions on Monday, April 14th.  Part spots are below.

Important Details for all:  All instruments have four spots with at least three being from the Verdi.  Please use the first part for your instrument (if more than one part).  For the Verdi ‘Piu animato’ section, tempo should be quarter = 136 with focus on articulations, note length, and dynamics in addition to note accuracy.

Flute

  • Verdi: C to 14 measures after D;  I to J;  Piu animato to the end
  • Bizet Les Toreadors: Beginning to A

Oboe

  • Verdi:  C to 14 measures after D;  I to J;  Piu animato to the end
  • Bizet Aragonaise:  Opening solo to A

Clarinet

  • Verdi:  G to H;  I to J;  Piu animato to the end (check the original part for missing dynamics)
  • Bizet Les Toreadors:  Beginning to A

Trumpet

  • Verdi:  4 measures before D to E;  H to I;  O to the end
  • Bizet Les Toreadors:  11 measures before the end to the end

Trombone/Euphonium/Tuba

  • Verdi:  C to E;  I to J;  O to the end
  • Bizet Les Toreadors:  E to the end

Violin

  • Verdi:  A to bottom of the first page (stop at the 2/4 time signature);  6 measures before E to F;  I to J;  Piu animato to the end

Viola

  • Verdi:  H to I;  6 measures before E to F;  Piu animato to the end
  • Bizet Les Toreadors:  D to E

Cello

  • Verdi:  Beginning to A;  I to J;  6 measures before E to F;  Piu animato to the end

Double Bass

  • Verdi:  I to J;  6 measures before E to F;  Piu animato to the end
  • Bizet Les Toreadors:  9 measures after A to B

Congratulations on a fantastic Winter Concert!

Spring Quarter Reference Videos

This is Verdi’s La Forza Del Destino Overture performed by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano (Italy) and conducted by Xian Zhang who will be Seattle Symphony’s new music director next season.

This video shows the score to Verdi’s La Forza Del Destino Overture.  This performance is by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli.

 

This is a compilation of both of Bizet’s Carmen Suites performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Japan) conducted by Kimbo Ishii.  We will be performing ‘Les Toreadors’ (mvmt 1 in this video), ‘Prelude’ (mvmt 2), and ‘Aragonaise’ (mvmt 4).  Check the YouTube notes for direct links to each movement in the video.

Winter Quarter Reference Video

For a video of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 4, Fourth Movement (Allegro con fuoco), use the link below.  This final movement begins at 32:38. This is the ‘All-Star Orchestra’ conducted by Gerard Schwarz who was the music director of the Seattle Symphony for 26 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcrRDrMyYi0

Fall Quarter Reference Videos

Alpha and Omega by American composer Soon Hee Newbold.  This is a computer-generated recording with the score.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge3Ckg_qzfc

Symphony No. 4, Finale (Fourth Movement) by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky.  This is a recording by a Russian symphony with the score.  The Fourth Movement begins at 33:27.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xldfaf4NGw

Welcome to Philharmonia’s 2024-25 Season!

The music for our first concert will be posted on our website and linked above in the weeks ahead. Please check for email notifications so that you can print out your music before our first rehearsal on Monday, September 23rd.

I am in the process of selecting repertoire for this season, and I would like to have the input of our Philharmonia musicians.  If you have a piece or composer in mind, please email me the details at philharmonia@byso.org, and I will consider it.

Looking forward to a great season!

Mr. Kempisty, Philharmonia Conductor

 

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