Winter Chamber Ensemble Program

We are pleased to invite you to apply for MYSO’s Winter Chamber Ensemble Program. Each year, MYSO supports motivated students by providing professional coaching and performance opportunities to small ensembles.

We hope you will consider applying for this exceptional opportunity!

Why study chamber music?

Working with a small ensemble (generally 4 to 5 musicians) is very different from playing with an orchestra or band. When performing chamber literature, you learn how to make the musical decisions that conductors normally make. With this responsibility, your own musicianship will improve.

how it works

MYSO will place students in groups based on instrumentation needs and musicians’ ages, musical expertise, and experience. The program supports a variety of ensemble configurations; we are especially interested in organizing string quartets, and brass and woodwind quartets and quintets. Other instrumental configurations are also possible.

Then MYSO hires professional coaches (who come from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Frankly Music, MYSO staff, and other professional groups) to work with your ensemble.

All rehearsals will take place in the new rehearsal spaces at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center and can be set up at times that work for your group and MYAC.

Each ensemble receives a performance opportunity. Selected ensembles may also be invited to play additional performances or in master classes.

commitment

Participation will require considerable time and effort, as well as serious preparation and commitment. It is important that all members of the ensemble are willing to learn their music outside of rehearsal. It is also critical that the students and families have a flexible mindset, especially with regard to scheduling rehearsals.

The program is student- and parent-driven, with groups making all their own arrangements, communicating with the coach, and setting up their own rehearsals. Mr. Dan Duffy, MYSO’s Artistic Administrator, serves as the contact point for parents to facilitate the reservation of rehearsal space and other administrative matters.

We request the assistance of parents in coordinating rehearsals. The parent coordinator for each ensemble schedules rehearsals in consultation with the other musicians in the ensemble, their parents, the coach, and Mr. Duffy. If you are willing to fill this adult role, please indicate this below; we will contact you. MYSO appreciates your essential support of this program!

Cost

This program is made affordable to MYSO members at a cost of $300 per cycle. (Financial aid is available.)

APPLY

Apply for the Winter Cycle program by Monday, November 20.

If you wish to organize a specific group of MYSO musicians, please indicate that on the application. Typically, we try to honor these requests when they help to achieve the program’s overall mission.

Please know that while we would like to include all interested students, it may not be possible to do so. Final decisions as to which applicants are selected for the program will be made by MYSO staff based on instrumentation, musicians’ ages, musical expertise, and experience.

PERFORMANCE

The final performance for the Winter Cycle program will be held in MYAC’s Youth Arts Hall on Sunday, March 16, 2025.

Concert times TBA. Please keep 1:00 – 8:00 pm open. When you apply, keep your schedule open for this entire block of time, and mark your calendars now to avoid future conflicts. Further details will be communicated as we get closer to the performance dates.

If you would like to be considered for participation in MYSO’s WINTER Chamber Ensemble Program, we must receive your completed application by MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20.