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The orchestra is holding its first Canadian residency in Moncton as it prepares for its tour
The YOA Orchestra of the Americas is holding its first Canadian residency in Moncton.
Hundreds of young musicians from New Brunswick and across the Americas are gathering at Crandall University to learn from some of the greatest instrumentalists in the world.
The YOA Orchestra of the Americas is a world class symphony orchestra of musicians between 18 and 30 years of age, representing more than 25 countries in the western hemisphere. It is joining three youth orchestras from the province in a two-week residency.
New Brunswicker Julie Rochus auditioned for the prestigious YOA Orchestra of the Americas with a YouTube video and she made the cut.
"We're making good music, but we're also connecting. I'm making friends with musicians from all over the Americas, which is so cool," said Rochus.
The New Brunswick students will have the opportunity to work with some of the world's great musicians, like violinist Leon Spierer.
He served as the first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic for 30 years.
"The art of instrument learning, thanks to all of these organizations, is getting better and better," said Spierer.
The participating orchestras will all perform a free outdoor concert outside of City Hall today in Moncton. It's called Pops NB and more than 350 musicians will be participating from the Sistema New Brunswick Children's Orchestra, the Moncton Youth Orchestra, the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and Tutta Musica, as well as the YOA Orchestra of the Americas.
YOA will use this time in Moncton to prepare for their Canadian tour. On Tuesday the orchestra will be in Fredericton, in Saint John on Wednesday and then return to Moncton on Thursday. The performances in Moncton and Saint John are free.
Young musicians rehearse at Crandall University on Thursday in preparation for the first Moncton POPS concert. (Lindsay Michael/CBC News)
