The New York Youth Symphony’s Chamber Music Program (CMP) was founded in 1983 to foster the growth of musicians in an intimate setting. Over 2,000 students between the ages of 12-22 have participated in the CMP since its inception and it has become one of the most comprehensive training programs in the country for strings, winds, brass, and piano.
The CMP combines high standards, immersion in contemporary and core repertoire, and performances at venues including Scandinavia House, Frederick R. Koch Foundation Townhouse, MET Museum and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, with development of extra-musical skill sets such as public speaking, networking, and advocacy to ensure students’ growth as both musicians and citizens.
While tickets are not yet on sale, be sure to mark your calendars for all Chamber Music performances this season.
MET Museum Date Night at the Balcony Cafe 6, 7 & 8pm
Friday, January 24, 2025
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Our end of the year Chamber Music Festival – that is a two-day celebration of chamber music and a culmination of all the students hard work over the year.
Scandinavia House – April 21, 2025 6 & 8:30pm
Weill Concert Hall – May 1, 2025 7pm
Under the direction of violinist Dr. Lisa Tipton, approximately 100 students each season participate in competitive auditions adjudicated by CMP faculty, and form ensembles including string quartets, piano trios, woodwind and brass quintets, and more. The ensembles choose their repertoire in consultation with their coach, rehearse independently, and receive regular coachings every other week. Bi-annual assessments monitor each ensemble’s progress.
Participants in the CMP have the opportunity to play for professional world class chamber players in masterclasses. Recent masterclass guests have included:
The CMP also features The Unsung, created during the 2020/21 season to introduce and promote repertoire by composers from diverse culture through a series of educational videos. Now fully engrained into the curriculum, student ensembles select at least one piece by a composer from a background that has been historically underrepresented in the classical music sphere – including Black, Latinx, Arabic, Asian, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, LGBTQIA+, and Women – and perform it throughout the season.
A major highlight of the CMP is the opportunity to study contemporary music. Each season, one ensemble is selected to perform the world premiere of a piece by a young American composer commissioned through the First Music program. Past commission winners include Timo Andres, Derek Bermel, Amanda Harberg, Christopher Theofanidis, and Sean Shepherd. In addition, CMP ensembles collaborate with students in the NYYS Composition Program, performing their works at the Composition Date concert at National Sawdust. See the First Music page for more information.
Each year, the Director recognizes individuals at the season’s final concert for dedication to the Program and for musical advancement. The recipient of the 2022/2023 Director’s Award was Andromeda, composed of:
Truly a wonderful program for students of chamber music, exceptionally important to a student's growth as a musician as well as a human being.
André Watts
Pianist
The Chamber Music Program of the New York Youth Symphony has established itself as one of the most well-respected ensemble music training programs in the country
Chamber Music America magazine
Ensembles comprised of strings, winds, brass, guitar, harp, and piano meet bi-weekly from October through April for individualized coaching sessions with a staff of outstanding professional musicians. Current CMP coaches include:
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