Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras
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Please contact us at csyo@charlottesymphony.org if you have any questions.
Member Portal:
The member portal is only accessible to current members of the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras.
About the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras
The Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras experience provides extraordinary music education in pursuit of musical excellence. The programs aim to inspire in our students a strong sense of character, discipline, commitment, and community. The ensembles are inclusive, diverse, and accessible to all students, regardless of financial resources. High-quality ensemble training is led by our amazing conducting staff including Interim Youth Symphony & Youth Camerata conductor Ian Passmore, Youth Philharmonic Conductors Katie Ebert, and Youth Ensemble Conductor Eric Thompson and professional Charlotte Symphony musicians, who provide a nurturing environment through which young musicians create lasting bonds in music and friendship. We offer regular performance opportunities throughout the city, including the Belk and Knight Theaters; plus, access to the Charlotte Symphony's renowned Music Director, Kwamé Ryan, and international visiting artists. Follow us @cltsymphonyyo!
Our Ensembles
| Youth Symphony |
| The Youth Symphony is our most advanced ensemble comprised mostly of high school students. Members are selected through a competitive audition process held annually in the spring. The Youth Symphony performs advanced and preprofessional level symphonic repertoire, and our students will focus on developing essential elements of professional musicianship by performing traditional and new works and collaborating with living composers and artists. By participating in this orchestra, musicians will hone skills such as transposition and proficiency in alternate clefs. Sectional and coaching opportunities with CSO musicians are offered on a regular basis. The Youth Symphony meets on Mondays, 5:45-8:15 pm. Repertoire Performed in Recent Seasons:BIZET Carmen Suite No. 1BORODIN Symphony No. 2 (Movements 1 & 3) COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Danse Negre from "African Suite" COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Valse de la Rheine from "Four Characteristic Waltzes" DVOŘÁK The Wild Dove DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8 ELGAR Enigma Variations Duke ELLINGTON Fantasy for Orchestra FAURÉ Pellèas et Mélisande GRIEG Symphonic Dances (Movement 1) HANDEL Harp Concerto, Op. 4, No. 6 HAYDN Symphony No. 100 "Military" (Movements 1 & 3) LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 ROSSINI Overture to Italian in Algiers TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 2 "Little Russian" (Movement 1) TCHAIKOVSKY Sleeping Beauty Suite John CORIGLIANO Elegy Steven BRYANT The Machine Awakes John WILLIAMS Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra (Movement 3) |
| Youth Camerata |
| The Youth Camerata caters to students mostly in middle school and high school and contains wind, strings, and percussion players who are building individual performance skills and ensemble playing techniques designed to prepare them to join our Youth Symphony program. All musicians should be able to play all major scales, and wind and brass players in this group should be able to double tongue and have knowledge of altissimo. String players should be comfortable playing outside of First Position. The Youth Camerata performs throughout the year at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Facilities as well as in communities in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. The Youth Camerata meets on Tuesdays, 6:00-8:00 pm. |
| Youth Philharmonic |
| The Youth Philharmonic provides intermediate students with the opportunity to refine the skills they developed in the Youth Ensemble. Students will learn appropriate etiquette for playing in an orchestra, expand their knowledge of orchestral repertoire, and further develop their skills in following a conductor and blending with other instruments in the orchestra. String players will focus on proper bow techniques, while wind and brass players will work on strengthening their breath control. The Youth Philharmonic performs three times per year at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Facilities in Uptown Charlotte. The Youth Philharmonic meets on Tuesdays, 5:45-7:30 pm. |
| Youth Ensemble |
| The Youth Ensemble is a training ensemble designed to bridge early music education with the Intermediate and Advanced Youth Orchestras. The Youth Ensemble will be an introduction to music ensemble learning and provide regular coaching by our Charlotte Symphony musicians and conducting staff. This group does not require an audition, but musicians should have a fundamental knowledge of their instrument. String players should be able to play at Suzuki Book 2 or higher. Wind and brass players should have at least one year of instruction on their instrument. The Youth Ensemble meets on Saturdays, 1:30-3:00 pm. |
Our Conductors
Christopher James Lees
CSO Resident Conductor & CSYO Orchestra Advisor
Christopher James Lees serves as the Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony and has 15 years of experience conducting secondary, university, and honors-level orchestras all across the country. In addition to his extensive professional work, he also has served on the college faculties of the University of Michigan, Kent State University, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. >> Read More
Ian Passmore
Interim Youth Symphony Conductor & Youth Camerata Conductor
Ian Passmore will serve as Interim Conductor of the Charlotte Youth Symphony and is the conductor of the Youth Camerata. He completed his Doctorate of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Delaware, and Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. >> Read More
The Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra Conductor Chair is made possible by a generous gift from The Symphony Guild of Charlotte.
Katie Ebert
Youth Philharmonic Conductor
Katie Ebert serves as Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Youth Philharmonic. Mrs. Ebert holds a Bachelor of Music Education and a Bachelor of Music Performance from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah GA, and a Master of Music Education from Western Carolina University. She is the Director of Bands at Cuthbertson Middle School in Waxhaw NC, and she also serves as the Assistant Director of Bands at Cuthbertson High School.
Eric Thompson, III
Youth Ensemble Conductor
Eric L. Thompson, III serves as the Conductor for the Charlotte Symphony Youth Ensemble. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2007 where he held the Robert Ehrman Fellowship. Upon graduation, Eric played double bass with the Charlotte Symphony prior to joining Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and will be rejoining the Charlotte Symphony as an acting Section Bass member for the 2025-26 season.
Coaches
We hold sectional rehearsals frequently throughout the year for all CSYO ensembles. These sectionals offer young musicians the chance to receive coaching by Charlotte Symphony musicians and special training on musical aspects and issues unique to their instrument.
Contact Us
For more information about Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras, please contact us at csyo@charlottesymphony.org or 704-714-5131.
