Three SSA students were selected as new members of two different youth orchestras in the Pittsburgh region for 2017-2018 after competitive auditions.

Juniors Nicole Jani and Amanda Zeng, both violinists, were accepted as members of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO), one of the oldest and most advanced youth orchestras in the country. The PYSO is comprised of 90-100 musicians ages 14-20 and utilizes conductors and coaches from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The PYSO performs several concerts each year at Heinz Hall and other venues around Pittsburgh, and is broadcast regularly on WQED-FM radio. Learn more about the PYSO.

Eighth grader Hector Lampert-Bates, also a violinist, was accepted to the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra (TRYPO). Most students in TRYPO are in high school, so making the orchestra as an eighth grader is a notable accomplishment. Lampert-Bates joins SSA junior Mark Appleman, another violinist who has been a member of TRYPO for a few years. The TRYPO is comprised of 90-100 musicians from the greater Pittsburgh region, West Virginia and Ohio. The orchestra performs two to four concerts per year, and will embark on its first international tour in June 2018 to Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Learn more about the TRYPO.

Congratulations, Nicole, Amanda and Hector!