Peconic Youth Orchestra

Peconic Youth Orchestra was founded in 1999 by Michael Tortorice, who had the imagination and initiative to conceive of a string orchestra for his daughters and their musical friends to meet outside of the traditional school setting. He worked with founding music director, Andrea Perea, and the Southampton Cultural Center in order to create the PYO, a group which grew from a handful of students to two critically acclaimed groups comprised of more than 70 members. The PYO and Prelude Ensemble have performed to full enthusiastic houses for many years.

Peconic Youth Orchestra (PYO) is a 40 person symphonic ensemble comprised of students from all areas of Eastern Suffolk. In its nine year history, the group has performed (in the original composer’s scoring) such works as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, and Handel’s Messiah, as well as more contemporary works such as Williams’ Star Wars, and Hans Zimmer’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Students in this group are playing at NYSSMA Levels 4-6 and are directed by conductor Ken Vignona.

Prelude String Ensemble, conducted by Steve Watson, is targeted towards younger musicians early in their orchestral development (NYSSMA Levels 1-3.) Students with basic sight reading abilities are welcome to take on the exciting challenges and rewards of playing in a string orchestra.

Rehearsals for PYO and Prelude Ensemble begin on September 23rd and will take place on Thursdays throughout the school calendar at the Southampton Cultural Center. (See attached schedule.)
Prelude rehearsals take place from 4:30 to 5:30
PYO rehearsals are from 6:00 to 7:30

Students must arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of each rehearsal to assemble and tune. It is essential that rehearsals begin on time with students ready to play.

Attendance and Practice: Members must attend all rehearsals with a maximum of three absences in order to participate in the final concert. Any additional absence will require a parent’s note to the conductor and the conductor’s approval to play in performance. Students are responsible for bringing their instruments (including mutes, extra strings, etc.), their music and a pencil. It is expected that students spend time at home on their music; an hour of practice per week is a general guideline.

PYO Eligibility
Players must be in the sixth grade or above and playing NYSSMA Level 4 and above.

Prelude Eligibility
Prelude players are expected to have basic music reading skills.

PYO Seating Auditions give the conductor the opportunity to observe each student’s progress and polish the balance of the group. These auditions are scheduled for October. The PYO and of Prelude Ensemble conductors will be responsible for the final determination of all seating assignments.

Special Workshops focusing on different skills will be included in the program.

Tuition is $450.00 for the academic year. The first additional sibling is $250.00 and any additional sibling is $100.00 each. A monthly payment plan may be arranged through the Southampton Cultural Center. Unless prior arrangements are made, failure to remit tuition by September 22nd may result in suspension until fees are paid.

Registrations can be e-mailed to scc@scc-arts.org or send to Southampton Cultural Center, P.O. Box 5008, Southampton NY 11969

For any questions, please contact Kirsten Lonnie, Southampton Cultural Center’s Executive Director office; 631-287-4377 or klonnie@scc-arts.org

2010/2011 Rehearsal and Concert Dates

First rehearsal: Thursday, September 23, 2010
Last rehearsal: Thursday, June 9, 2011

No rehearsals on: 11/27, 12/16, 12/23, 12/30 in 2010 and 2/24 and 4/21 in 2011

Concert Dates:
Holiday Concert: Sunday, December 12th at 4 PM
Spring Concert: Thursday, March 24th at 7 PM
Final Concert: Sunday, June 12 at 4 PM