Call to audition for YouTube orchestra

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 is looking for South African musicians to audition online for a collaborative orchestra where amateur musicians can share their knowledge and experience of making music with the support of some of the world's leading classical artists. Musicians selected for the orchestra will be invited to a week of rehearsals and master classes at an orchestra and summit at Sydney Opera House in March, 2011, culminating in a performance conducted by Grammy Award-winning Michael Tilson Thomas, with the London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, and many other leading institutions and figures of the classical music world.

The 2011 Symphony follows the success of the original YouTube Symphony Orchestra, which brought together more than 90 musicians from 30 countries to play at a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall in New York in April, 2009.

Solo improvisers sought

To be considered, musicians from South Africa are invited to upload audition videos of designated pieces to demonstrate their musical and technical abilities. New this year, a second search for solo improvisers extends the audition process beyond traditional classical instruments and invites musicians of any instrument to submit an original improvisation based on the new composition Mothership from composer Mason Bates for the opportunity to play their own solo during the final performance. An expert panel from leading orchestras around the world will narrow entries down to the semi-finalists in both audition categories. The YouTube community will be invited to vote online on the semi-finalists from 10 to 17 December, 2010. Musicians who are selected from this semi-finalist group will be announced on YouTube on 11 January, 2010. For official rules of entry and FAQ, go to the YouTube Symphony Orchestra Channel (youtube.com/symphony).

Celebrating musical education

In March 2011, selected musicians will be flown to the Sydney Opera House to participate in a week-long classical music summit with leading performers in the field, culminating in a final performance on 20 March, 2010, which will be live-streamed on YouTube. The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 will further focus on celebrating musical education, from offering online master classes with orchestras around the world, to classes for Australian musicians during the summit week in March. The programme also works to bring the creative multimedia and collaborative qualities of YouTube into the classical music world.

Conductor and artistic advisor Michael Tilson Thomas said: "We're exploring how classical music's 1200-year-long tradition can enter the realm of high technology and what that will mean for its mission and legacy. The YouTube Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall was a first step in that process. The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 at Sydney Opera House will be the next step as we seek to expand beyond the rehearsal room, beyond the concert hall and connect with a global audience."