Formed in 1990 by Music Director Michael Dadap, the Young Symphonic Ensemble consists of over 80 talented young musicians aged 12 to 18, who have earned their seat by audition. The size and diversity of the ensemble enable the YSE to discover a vast range of repertoire, from baroque to contemporary, short overtures to full-scale symphonies. Members are expected to learn numerous works during the course of the year, presenting them in concerts at least four times every season. One of these concerts is the annual Discovery Gala, in which the YSE performs with distinguished guest soloists, the year’s Discovery Competition winner, and by itself in an exciting symphonic finale.
Since its first concert in 1991 at the 92nd Street Y with pianists Jeffrey Biegel and Rowena Arrieta, the YSE has performed in many of New York’s major concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, Tilles Center, LeFrak Hall at Queens College, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The ensemble has also toured to major U.S. cities such as Boston, Denver, St. Louis, Washington D.C., and Hartford, as well as abroad to the Far East, Canada, and the U.K. with performances in London and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Remaining faithful to its goal to provide a bridge to the professional performing community, the YSE has collaborated with some of the world’s most distinguished artists including cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Hai-Ye Ni, and Eric Jacobsen; clarinetists David Shifrin, Richard Stoltzman; flutists Paula Robison and Eugenia Zukerman; pianists Emanuel Ax, Helen Huang, Li-Jian, Cecile Licad, Sharon Robinson, and Orli Shaham; violinists Sarah Chang, Chee-Yun, Soovin Kim, Cho-Liang Lin, Jaime Laredo, Stephanie Chase, Ray Chen, and Adele Anthony; and violist Michael Tree. In the 2001 season, the YSE premiered two new works by contemporary American composers, Tison Street and Michael Valenti.
The YSE has released several recordings, including the successful disc “Fire in the Belly,” a collection of orchestral masterworks by Grieg, Rossini, and Respighi. It has also released “The Best of COS, Vol. 1,” featuring the works of Bruch, Tchaikovsky, and the premiere of Tison Street’s Labyrinth for Violin and Orchestra with violinist Soovin Kim as soloist.
