As a selection ensemble of our music school, the Leipzig Youth Symphony Orchestra (LYSO or JSO „Jugendsinfonieorchester“) looks back on a history spanning over 40 years. With over 80 members aged between 14 and 20, it is able to cover almost all symphonic eras.
Solo concerts, music theater and choral symphonies in cooperation with other top youth ensembles complete the spectrum. The orchestra not only has access to the best of around 8,000 students, but also to experienced teachers and musicians from sponsoring orchestras who motivate it to achieve top performances.
The orchestra’s regular concert venues include the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, the famous St. Thomas Church and the Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig. The highlight of the orchestra’s busy activities are the annual concert tours. These have already taken the young musicians to Japan, Israel, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary. Also worth mentioning are the musical partnerships with Pennsbury High School in the US state of Pennsylvania, the Young Orchestra of the Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the Melbourne String Ensemble, Australia, which are maintained through joint projects.
The Leipzig Youth Symphony Orchestra is a multiple national prizewinner of the German Orchestra Competition (DOW). Most recently, it received the rating „Participated with outstanding success“ in the digital edition of the 2021 competition, as well as a special prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary work (Enjott Schneider: Raptus – Beethoven’s Freedom).
Information about the Orchestra
- Number and age of members: approx. 80 members between the ages of 14 and 20
- Repertoire: symphonies, choral symphonies, contemporary music, film music and popular music arrangements
- Regular performances: concerts in the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, St. Thomas Church, St. Peter’s Church and Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig, annual concert tours throughout Europe (e.g. Greece, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and the Netherlands) and worldwide (e.g. USA, Canada, Japan, Ethiopia)
- Rehearsal time and location: Music school, Kurt Masur Hall | Tuesdays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Requirements: many years of experience playing the instrument and playing in an ensemble
- Currently sought: double bass, tuba, percussion (classical or modern)
The Conductor
Deeply rooted in the musical tradition of his hometown, the former member of the St. Thomas Boy´s Choir Ron-Dirk Entleutner is one of the most interesting conductors in Leipzig.
While he was still studying at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music and Theatre, he founded the ensemble "amici musicae", choir & orchestra, Leipzig, with which he continues to give successful concerts at home and abroad. His musical work is dominated by two main areas: the work of Johann Sebastian Bach and rarely performed choral symphonies.
Since 2000, he has been extremely successful in leading the youth symphony orchestra of the Leipzig Music School "Johann Sebastian Bach", which has won several national prizes. Ron-Dirk Entleutner pays particular attention to the training and promotion of young musicians. In 2007, he was appointed university music director in Koblenz and took over the direction of the Saxony State Youth Choir in the summer of 2015.
Video-Impressions
The orchestra presents concert recordings and video productions on its YouTube channel. A small selection can be found here:
Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt – Pirates of the Carribean
Sergej Prokofjew – Peter and the Wolf
John Powell – How To Train Your Dragon
Fotos (24)
