The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO) is an orchestral training programme for musicians under 22, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1] The TSYO is led by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's RBC Resident Conductor, Trevor Wilson, and coached by TSO musicians Shane Kim (Violin), Peter Seminovs (Violin), Ivan Ivanovich (Viola), Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron (Cello), Christopher Laven (Double Bass), Miles Haskins (Woodwinds), Nicholas Hartman (Brass), and Joseph Kelly (Percussion).[2] Previous conductors include Alain Trudel, who conducted the orchestra from 2004 to 2012, and Shalom Bard.[3]
Founded in 1974 by Victor Feldbrill, the TSYO has a close partnership with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.[4] A collaborative on-stage performance by the two orchestras named "Side-by-Side" is held annually at Roy Thomson Hall.[5] Additionally, all TSYO members are encouraged to compete in an annual concerto competition.[6] The prize of this competition is the opportunity to perform as a soloist for one of the TSO's young people concerts or with the TSYO.[6]
Through their affiliation with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the TYSO has worked with guest artists and conductors including: Henning Kraggerud,[citation needed] Vadim Gluzman,[citation needed] James Ehnes, Colin Carr,[citation needed] Pinchas Zukerman, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg,[citation needed] Pekka Kuusisto, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stoltzman,[citation needed] Wynton Marsalis, Christian Lindberg, Colin Currie,[citation needed] Jukka-Pekka Saraste,[citation needed] Günther Herbig,[citation needed] Maxim Vengerov, Andrew Davis, Peter Oundjian, Alison Balsom, Alisa Weilerstein, James Gaffigan, and Stéphane Denève.
The group has toured within Canada and abroad. In 1999, the TSYO represented Canada at the Banff International Festival of Youth Orchestras.[3] In 2012, the TSYO traveled to British Columbia with performances in Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Victoria.[3] Other destinations have included Quebec, Texas, Massachusetts, California, Japan, and Europe.[5]