Youth Symphony

Rehearsals will be held on Monday evenings from 6:15 pm – 8:45 pm. Musicians are expected to arrive and be prepared to rehearse 15 minutes prior to start time.

FALL QUARTER 2025 DETAILS

Rehearsals Fall Quarter Dates
Mondays from 6:15 – 8:45 pm 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, 11/17
There is no rehearsal on 11/10 (Veteran’s Day).
Rehearsal Location Drop Off/ Pick Up
Odle Middle School Plan on prompt drop off and pick up to avoid
502 143rd Ave NE congestion.
Bellevue, WA 98007
Retreat Location Time & Date
Location TBD Saturday, September 27
Time TBD
Concert Time & Date
Benaroya Hall Sunday, November 23
200 University St. ALL DAY. Exact details will be posted here
Seattle, WA 98101 at a later date.

Student Checklist

  • Bring a music stand
  • Bring a pencil
  • 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 THE CONCERT

Students who miss the final Monday night rehearsal before a concert (regardless of the first or second absence) may be required to submit a video recording of the seating audition excerpts (posted on the Youth page of the BYSO website) in order to be deemed eligible to participate in the concert.
Mr. Salvaggio will communicate whether a video recording is required or not to the student on Tuesday. If a test is required, the student must submit it no later than 11:59 PM Thursday evening. Mr. Salvaggio will review the submissions Friday morning and notify the student and parents of the results.
Failure to submit a video may result in the student being disqualified from playing in the concert.
Videos may be sent to Mr. Salvaggio by uploading to Youtube, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Please make sure you have adjusted the sharing settings appropriately, so the video is accessible.
For more details about the absence policy, please see the BYSO Student Handbook.

About

Youth Symphony is the most advanced ensemble in the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra organization. The typical student in Youth Symphony has had significant private instruction as well as school and extra-curricular ensemble experience. Youth Symphony members must have a high degree of technical proficiency and must enjoy challenge.

Youth Symphony provides a chance for advanced students to tackle the works of the great masters as well as new music composed especially for them. Past works performed include Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.

Recent Performance of Youth Symphony

Conductor: Matthew Salvaggio

Conductor Matthew Salvaggio is a dynamic artist dedicated to exploring and promoting new music, reimagining diverse orchestral performance experiences, and creating equitable access to music education. He founded Cleveland Repertory Orchestra in 2021 to explore thebreadth of the orchestral repertoire, with an emphasis on new music and music by historically excluded voices. Additionally, the 2023/24 season marks his first season as Music Director and Conductor of the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra, where he conducts the top-tier Youth Orchestra and manages a team of eight conductors responsible for leading the other BYSO ensembles. Committed to increasing access to music education, in 2022 Matt announced an initiative to expand the Erie Junior Philharmonic’s Prelude program for beginning students to include opportunities for beginning woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. In 2019, he established the Tom Baker Young Artists Competition with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra. The annual competition, which has attracted students from throughout the Midwest, awards the winner a concerto performance opportunity with the ESO and a cash prize. An advocate for new music, Matt has commissioned works for band and orchestra with his ensembles, and his artistic collaborations include members of the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Erie Philharmonic, and more. Upon the conclusion of the 2022/23 season, Matt completed several successful Music Directorships, including six seasons with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra, six seasons with the University Heights Symphonic Band, and two seasons with the Erie Junior Philharmonic. He has previously served on the faculty at Mercyhurst University, Hiram College, and Lakeland Community College. Learn more.

Contact Matthew Salvaggio at musicdirector@byso.org

Messages from the Conductor

2024-2025 Youth Symphony Season Repertoire

Spring Quarter (Saturday, May 17, 2025) – note this change
J.S. Bach/Stokowski: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Frank Ticheli: An American Elegy
Howard Hanson: Symphony No. 1 “Nordic”

Update from Mr. Salvaggio (4/1/25)

Dear BYSO Youth Students,

Thank you for a great rehearsal last night! Please find seating audition results/part assignments for the remainder of the quarter below. Winds, there have been small changes, so please be diligent about making sure you have the right parts for each piece.

Seating/Part Assignments

Spring 2025 Seating Chart

Reminder that we only have 5(!) rehearsals left this quarter, so stay on top of your practicing! Hope you all have a good spring break, and I’ll see you again on April 14.

Mr. Salvaggio

SPRING Seating Auditions
All excerpts should be from the FIRST part of your section.

 

WINTER Seating Auditions
All excerpts are from Brahms: Symphony No. 2. Prepare all excerpts listed for your instrument. All excerpts are included in PDF format below and bracketed in blue.

Spring 2025 Reference Recordings

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