The repertoire for our concert on April 27 @4:30 in Baldwin Auditorium will include: Dusk by Steven Bryant (2024), Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint Saens, Andante moderato for String Orchestra by Florence Price, and Eight Russian Folk Songs by Anatoly Liadov.Each week, please bring: Your instrument, a pencil or two, your music folder. If you leave your folder (or anything else) in Bone, check the lost and found clear bin the following week.Lost music? You can always… read more about Youth Symphony Music for April 27 Concert »
The repertoire for our concert on February 23 @4:30 in Baldwin Auditorium will include: Dvorak Legende mov't IV, Saint Saens Violin Concerto no. 3, mov't 1, Schubert Unfinished Symphony. Each week, please bring: Your instrument, a pencil or two, your music folder. If you leave your folder (or anything else) in Bone, check the lost and found clear bin the following week.Lost music? You can always download another copy and see the seating chart via this Google Drive Folder… read more about Youth Symphony Music for February 23 Concert »
Welcome to the DUSS Youth Symphony 2024/25!The repertoire for our concert on November 24 will include: The Gordian Knot Untied, Suite for Strings by Henry Purcell, Romance in Eb Major, op. 11 by Gerald Finzi, and Introduction and Allegro for Strings, op. 47 by Edward Elgar, featuring soloists from the DUSS faculty. Each week, please bring: Your instrument, a pencil or two, your music folder. If you leave your folder (or anything else) in Bone, check the lost and found clear bin the… read more about YS 2024 Fall Semester Music Links »
Dear Youth Symphony Students, The following are excerpts for the upcoming leadership auditions for violins, violas, cellos, and bass students for the YS. Applicants will be judged by their musicality, steady tempo, solid intonation, ability to cue, rhythm, posture, and technique. Throughout the year, leaders need to abide by the attendance policy and set a good example to the other orchestra members with their preparation, posture, and behavior. Violin leaders come from the 1st violin section… read more about YS Leadership Excerpts 2024 »
Dear YS Students, You can find the parts for our April 28th concert on this Google Drive Folder. Make sure to listen to recordings and practice your music with a metronome, and we'll see you in rehearsal on February 17th to start work on these pieces. read more about Repertoire for April 28 Concert Cycle »
Dear YS Students, You can find the parts for our February 11th concert, including newly added bowings for the Bruch on the Google Drive Folder Here. *String players* will need to add these bowings into your parts, or print them and replace the clean parts. Be sure to practice your parts with the metronome over the break so that you are prepared to work on the music and not just the notes! We'll see you at the next rehearsal of the new year on January 6th @10:30 in Bone Hall. read more about YS February 11 Concert Repertoire »
Welcome to the DUSS Youth Symphony 2023/24! The repertoire for our concert on November 12 will include: Symphony No. 1 in Bb Major by William Boyce, The Gordian Knot Untied by Henry Purcell, Two Pieces from Henry V by William Walton, Novelette No. 1 by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Capriol Suite by Peter Warlock. These parts are attached to this blog post in case you ever need another copy. We will have folders with music printed out for you on Saturday. Each week, please bring: Your instrument, a… read more about YS November 12 Concert Repertoire »
Dear Youth Symphony Students, The following are excerpts for the upcoming leadership auditions for violins, violas, cellos, and bass students for the YS. Applicants will be judged by their musicality, steady tempo, solid intonation, ability to cue, rhythm, posture, and technique. Throughout the year, leaders need to abide by the attendance policy and set a good example to the other orchestra members with their preparation, posture, and behavior. Violin leaders come from the 1st violin section… read more about YS Leadership Excerpts 2023 »
Congratulations to everyone for a great February concert! You can view the video of the performance below: For the April 30th concert, the orchestra will be performing the a Bach Air, Sarasate Carmen Fantasy, and Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 (focusing on mov'ts I and IV). You can access the Google Drive folder with parts HERE. read more about April 30th Concert Cycle Repertoire »
Everyone performed beautifully in the November concert! You can view the video of the performance below: For the February 19th concert, the orchestra will be performing the Lalo Cello Concerto mov't 1 and Beethoven Symphony No. 1. You can access the Google Drive folder with parts HERE. read more about February 2023 Pieces »
Welcome Youth Symphony! We are so excited to see everyone tomorrow, Saturday, 9/10 @ 10:30 - 12:30 in Bone Hall for our first rehearsal! Please arrive 5 minutes early to get unpacked and ready to tune. This year DUSS would like you to write your own names on your stand tags and folders. We will have markers available but feel free to bring anything you would like to personalize (colored markers, stickers, etc.). You can view the seating chart for the… read more about Welcome to Youth Symphony, Fall 2022 »
Dear Youth Symphony Students, The following are excerpts for the upcoming leadership auditions for violins, violas, cellos, and bass students for the YS. Applicants will be judged by their musicality, steady tempo, solid intonation, ability to cue, rhythm, posture, and technique. Throughout the year, leaders need to abide by the attendance policy and set a good example to the other orchestra members with their preparation, posture, and behavior. Violin leaders come from the 1st violin section… read more about Youth Symphony Leadership Auditions 2022 »
Dear Youth Symphony members, We look forward to finally welcoming back our winds, brass and percussion for a full symphony concert in April, which includes our Concerto Competition winners! Click on the link below for access to the parts (Shostakovich forthcoming). 4/24 Concert Repertoire Link read more about Music for April, 2022 Concert Cycle »
Dear Youth Symphony members, We will be working on three very different and beautiful pieces from three distinct time periods this concert cycle: - Mozart, Divertimento K. 136 in D major - Elgar, Serenade for Strings - Peter Askim, As Glaciers Thaw... You wil have the opportunity to continue rehearsing with Professor Harry Davidson with you until mid- February, when Professor Peter Askim will work with the orchestra for a few weeks as guest conductor and for the concert. This will be a great opportunity to work with a… read more about YS Music for February, 2022 Concert Cycle »
Dear Youth Symphony members, We are excited to see you for our first rehearsal on Saturday, September 11 in Bone Hall from 10:30am-12:15pm. Please arrive 5 minutes early to get unpacked and ready to tune. We are very fortunate to have Professor Harry Davidson conducting for our November concert. The repertoire will be: Telemann's Don Quixote Suite and Britten's Simple Symphony, which is anything but simple! Click the hyperlinks to listen to recordings before rehearsal, and parts are attached to this email in case you ever… read more about Fall 2021 Youth Symphony Music »
Dear Youth Symphony Students, The following are excerpts for the upcoming leadership auditions for violins, violas, cellos, and bass students for the YS. Applicants will be judged by their musicality, steady tempo, solid intonation, ability to cue, rhythm, posture, and technique. Throughout the year, leaders need to abide by the attendance policy and set a good example to the other orchestra members with their preparation, posture, and behavior. Violin leaders come from the 1st violin… read more about 2021 Youth Symphony Leadership Audition Music »
This intriguing piece by Hubert Parry was commissioned by Helen, Countess of Radnor, who lived in Longford Castle near Salisbury, England. She was a woman who pushed boundaries for the Victorian era, including commissioning this piece for orchestra, and then conducted it herself! I look forward to working on the following movements with the Youth Symphony Chamber Orchestra this spring: I. Prelude, III. Sarabande, IV. Bourree, VI. Gigue. Click here for a recording of the piece Our rehearsals are A Saturdays from 12:40-1:… read more about YS Chamber Orchestra Spring 2021 Repertoire »
I'm looking forward to working on these great pieces with the Youth Symphony Violin Virtuosi this fall! See PDF attachments below. -Erica Shirts Download(s): Canonic Sonata No.2.pdf Bartok Duos #28, #32.pdf read more about Youth Symphony Violin Virtuosi Fall 2020 Music »
Welcome to the 2020 spring semester with DUSS Youth Symphony! Please download your music for the spring 2020 concert here. Russian Easter Overture was composed by Rimsky-Krosakov in 1888 and was premiered by him in St. Petersburg on December 15 of that year. This composition calls for three flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones and tuba, timpani, glockenspiel, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, tam-tam, harp, and strings. This work is based entirely on themes… read more about DUSS - Youth Symphony - Spring 2020 Music »
Welcome to the 2019-20 winter semester with DUSS Youth Symphony! Please download your music here. Shoshtakovich’s Festive Overture is a vivacious and brilliant orchestral firework that it has found a secure place in the international repertoire. Please find more information about this work in the wikipedia link provided here. Congratulations to the Concerto Competition Winners! * Alexander McDowell, Barber Violin Concerto Op. 14, Movement 1 - Allegro * Amelia Cho, Prokofiev… read more about DUSS - Youth Symphony - Winter 2019-20 Music »
Welcome to the 2019 fall semester with the DUSS Youth Symphony! Please download your music here. El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat or Le tricorne) is a ballet choreographed by Léonide Massine to music by Manuel de Falla. It was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev and premiered in 1919. We shall be performing the three dances from Act II of this ballet. 1. The Neighbours’s dance 2. The Miller’s dance and … read more about DUSS - Youth Symphony - Fall 2019 Music »
Dear Youth Symphony Students, The following are excerpts for the upcoming leadership auditions for violins, violas, cellos, and bass students for the YS. Applicants will be judged by their musicality, steady tempo, solid intonation, ability to cue, rhythm, posture, and technique. Throughout the year, leaders need to abide by the attendance policy and set a good example to the other orchestra members with their preparation, posture, and behavior. Please look for an email in your inbox with a Sign-Up… read more about 2019 YS Leadership Audition Pieces »
The Heiligenstadt Testament of Ludwig Van Beethoven Notes by W. T. S. Thackara The Heiligenstadt Testament,* an early will written by Ludwig van Beethoven to his brothers Carl and Johann, is a remarkable document. The Heiligenstadt Testament of Ludwig Van Beethoven by W. T. S. Thackara - theosociety.org read more about Heiligenstadt Testament »
The Symphony No. 5 in C minor of Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 67, was written between 1804 and 1808. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music, and one of the most frequently played symphonies.[1] First performed in Vienna's Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterward. E. T. A. Hoffmann described the symphony as "one of the most important works of the time". As is typical of symphonies… read more about DUSS - Youth Symphony - April 2019 Music »
Mr Sam Hammond has long been a treasure to all of us at DUSS. Please see this wonderful article about him and his lifelong dedication to our Duke community! https://today.duke.edu/2018/11/university-carillonneur-retire-after-53-years read more about University Carillonneur to Retire After 53 Years »
Enjoy the recording from Fall concert performance on Nov 11, 2018! read more about Video recording from Fall Concert on Nov 11, 2018 »
Danse Bacchanale - Saint-Saëns Samson and Delilah (French: Samson et Dalila), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the Grossherzogliches (Grand Ducal) Theater (now the Staatskapelle Weimar) on 2 December 1877 in a German translation. Wikipedia You can download the… read more about Music for February 2019 Concert »
CALLING FOR ALL ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS, especially STRING PLAYERS: The Duke Wind Symphony is hosting its annual VIENNESE BALL on Saturday, February 16, 2019. We are looking for musicians (especially, but not limited to, string players) to play traditional Austrian Waltzes, such as Blue Danube, Sleeping Beauty, Emperor Waltz, and more, with a full orchestra. Are you interested? - please fill out this quick form (please let us know by Dec… read more about CALLING FOR ALL ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS for VIENNESE BALL »
'The Planets' At 100: A Listener's Guide To Holst's Solar System One hundred years ago, a symphonic blockbuster was born in London. The Planets, by Gustav Holst, premiered on this date in 1918. The seven-movement suite, depicting planets from our solar system, has been sampled, stolen and cherished by the likes of Frank Zappa, John Williams, Hans Zimmer and any number of prog-rock and metal bands. To mark the anniversary, we've enlisted two experts to guide us on an interplanetary… read more about NPR Article by TOM HUIZENGA »