Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra is the affiliated student orchestra of Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. Founded in July 2011, it is the first semi-professional student orchestra in China that is ever organized and administered by a professional orchestra. Its current Music Director is Huan Jing. Its members are selected from multiple cities in Guangdong Province. GSYO’s rehearsals and training programs take place at the headquarters of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, a multi-venue facility that is one of the most advanced in China. The administration and training was following the management guidelines of a professional ensemble.
Foundation
GSYO was co-founded in July 2011 by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and the Bureau of Education of Guangzhou Municipality under the assistance of the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Guangzhou Municipal Government.
Development
The development of GSYO obtained support from many musicians as to its institutional and training programs, among them are: Long Yu: Music Director, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra; Xian Zhang: former Associate Conductor, New York Philharmonic; Yip Wing-sie: Music Director, Hong Kong Sinfonietta; Guoyong Zhang: former Music Director, Shanghai Opera House; Yang Yang: Music Director, Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra; Yun Chen: President, China Chamber Music Society, and Concertmaster, China Philharmonic Orchestra. Members of the GSYO obtained professional training from the best musicians in Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and had the opportunity to be trained under each of the above-mentioned artists. The young musicians of GSYO have also benefited from the support of internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang and violinist Maxim Vengerov. Until the end of 2014, the GSYO has held more than 30 concerts for local school students with the purpose of music popularization. In September 2013, the GSYO launched its own independent performance season.
Important events
On May 13, 2012, the GSYO appeared on stage for the first time at the Xinghai Concert Hall. Among the audience were officials of the municipal and provincial government. In December 2013, the GSYO and the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra took part in a cultural Exchange project, leading to joint concerts held at the Xinghai Concert Hall and the Macao Cultural Centre, the latter was the first in Macao to have a youth orchestra perform on a New Year’s concert. In August 2014, the GSYO and the Hong Kong Youth Symphonic Orchestra held a joint concert at the Xinhai Concert Hall, with the GSYO visiting Hong Kong the following month. In December 2014, the GSYO established a junior orchestra explicitly for young musicians under the age of 14. Since then the GSYO consists of two ensembles: the “Junior Orchestra” and “Youth Orchestra.” On August 12, 2015, upon invitation from the administration authorities of Frankfurt, GSYO made its first German performance in Dr. Hoch’s Konservatorium - Musikakademie, Frankfurt. More than 300 Chinese and German people from all walks of life watched the performance and among the audience were Liang Jianquan, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Frankfurt. On August 15, 2015, the GSYO made its performance in the Konzerthaus Berlin. The performance was one of the Young Euro Classic music festival featuring some of the best youth orchestras around the world. The performance included the European premier of the modern Chinese piece Duo for Yo-Yo Ma, composed by Zhao, Lin.
