(NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ) -- The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) will hold virtual auditions for the 2020-21 season from May 18–June 5 using the video conferencing platform Zoom. Audition registration for NJYS’ 15 ensembles including strings, winds, percussion, jazz, chamber music, and three full orchestras is available online April 1-May 10. Audition requirements and more information can be found at www.NJYS.org. Interested candidates with specific questions can also send an email to info@njys.org. Deadline for audition registration is Sunday, May 10, 2020.

Said Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Helen H. Cha-Pyo, “I believe looking to the future is important in this time of uncertainty, not only to maintain a sense of normalcy, but also because it is healthy for our young musicians to have goals to work towards.”

The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), founded in 1979, is a tiered orchestral program offering ensemble education for students in grades 3-12 across New Jersey. NJYS has grown from one orchestra of 65 students to over 500 students in 15 different orchestras and ensembles, including the internationally recognized Youth Symphony. NJYS ensembles have performed in venues including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Carnegie Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. NJYS has received numerous prestigious awards for its adventurous programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and has had six European tours, including participation in the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Festival and Competition (Vienna), winning First Prizes in July 2014 and 2017.

Now in its 41st season, NJYS continues to achieve musical excellence through intensive instruction and high-level performance. Under the guidance of a talented team of conductors, coaches, and teaching artists, students are immersed in challenging repertoire, learning the art of ensemble playing, and exploring their potential in a supportive and inclusive environment. NJYS remains committed to programming works by diverse composers and featured 20th century African-American and women composers such as Duke Ellington, George Walker, Yvonne Desportes, Emma Lou Diemer, Julia Perry, and Florence Price this season.

The New Jersey Youth Symphony is a program of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts. Wharton is New Jersey’s largest non-profit performing arts education organization serving over 1,500 students of all ages and abilities through a range of classes and ensembles. In addition to the New Jersey Youth Symphony, programs include the Paterson Music Project and Performing Arts School.