Fall Concert call times are available! Scroll to see details below.
Fall Quarter music will be posted on our website in PDF format by mid-September. All enrolled students will receive instructions via email on how to access and print these PDFs in September. In the meantime, email admin@byso.org with any questions.
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.
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. This also may apply to students who miss more than 30 minutes of the final Monday night rehearsal (by arriving late or leaving early).
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.
CALL TIME | 5:45 pm All musicians should arrive promptly 5:45 pm.
DRESS REHEARSAL | 6:00 pm – 6:45 pm This is when students rehearse on stage for a soundcheck. If students arrive at this time, they are late.
DROP OFF Musicians can be dropped off via the Meydenbauer Parking Garage. The first 30 minutes are free.
PARKING Parking is available in the Meydenbauer Parking Garage. Parking cannot be reserved ahead of time.
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.
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!
CONCERT TICKETS Families of enrolled BYSO students get priority access to concert tickets from October 15 – November 4. On November 5, tickets will be open to the general public on our website, here.
STAY THE WHOLE CONCERT Performing students are expected to stay from their call time to the end of the concert. Listening to other musicians perform is an important part of each student’s music education, and it’s also important to support fellow BYSO musicians in this way. Students who must leave early due to unavoidable schedule conflicts must get permission from their conductor and the BYSO office prior to the concert.
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.
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.
Winter Quarter (Sunday, March 14, 2027, 6:30 PM at Meydenbauer Center)
TBD: Concerto Competition winner
Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 “The Four Temperaments”
Spring Quarter (Monday, May 17, 2027, 7:00 PM at Meydenbauer Center)
Brian Balmages: TBA – new piece commissioned in memory of Christine Gero
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1
Update: Masterclass and Ahn Family Foundation Signups (November 4)
Information about this was shared via email to all Youth Symphony student and family email addresses. If you are interested in signing up to play for the Ahn Family Foundation Concert, email me ASAP (musicdirector@byso.org).
Deadline to register to perform for the masterclasses is November 16.
Update: Seating Audition Results (October 3)
Thank you for a great retreat today! Please find the seating and part assignments for the quarter below. If you have moved to a different part, please be sure to print your new parts before rehearsal Monday night.
Also, please be sure you’ve printed copies of the chorales on the music links page – we will need them as part of our warmup process starting this week.
I’m so excited to welcome you to Youth Symphony! This season is all about Exploring Possibility.
This season’s Youth Symphony is larger and collectively more talented than at any point in my last four seasons as Music Director. That means this season is an opportunity for us to stretch what we’re all capable of. It will require you to be willing to take risks in rehearsal and to be willing to push your musical abilities.
Exploring possibility together means that by the time we get to the first rehearsal of each quarter, we’ve already spent time with our parts and listened to recordings, and it means we spend time outside of rehearsal each week to bring a clearer, more refined version of our musical ideas into our rehearsal space.
Preparation is what makes the risk-taking possible.
Can’t wait to see you all at our first rehearsal on September 28!!
Seating auditions will take place at our retreats (October 3 in fall, January 9 in winter) and the second rehearsal of spring quarter (March 30). There will be no makeups for students who are absent.
Ear Protection
As I mentioned during the parents meeting, you may want to consider bringing ear protection with you to rehearsal – there will be a lot of us in a small space. Here are some recommendations for good quality ear plugs at various price points:
Minuendo ($109, $179) – They have two different models. I’ve never used these but I know a few people who swear by them.
ER Series Musician Earplugs ($200) – These are custom earplugs and require a visit to an audiologist to get impressions of the ears
Fall 2026 Seating Auditions
Seating auditions will take place during the first two hours of our retreat on Saturday, October 3 (12:30-2:30 PM). All excerpts are taken from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, and should be from the first part for each instrument.
Flutes
Flutes
Mvt. 1: 3 after C – D
Mvt. 1: Moderato mosso (8 before E) – E
Oboes
Oboes
Mvt. 1: pickup to 1 before C – 7 after C
Clarinets
Clarinets
Mvt 1: m. 106-129
Mvt 1: m. 153 – 160
Bassoons
Bassoons
Mvt 4: m. 2-36
Horns
Horns
Mvt. 3: 4 before W – X
Trumpets
Trumpets
Mvt 1: 8 before K – K
Trombones
Trombones
Mvt 4: L to 3 before N
Tuba
Tuba
Mvt 2: O – 2 measures before Q
Mvt 3: G – H
Violins
Violins
Mvt. 1: 6 after I – K
Mvt 3: pickup to AA – 7 after AA
Violas
Violas
Mvt 1: m. 40 – C (63) (top when divisi)
Cellos
Cellos
Mvt 2: m. 1 – 16
Basses
Basses
Mvt 1: m. 174-197
Mvt. 3: m. 72-86
2026-2027 Reference Recordings
Tschaikowsky - Sinfonie Nr. 6 | Alan Gilbert | NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester
Nielsen - Sinfonie Nr. 2 - Die vier Temperamente | Paavo Järvi | NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester
Sergei Rachmaninov - Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13 (1895)
Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra's Youth Symphony
