Youth Orchestra
ABOUT US
The Rio Grande Youth Orchestra at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a new initiative that brings classical music to life for young people across the Rio Grande Valley region. Its mission is to enrich, educate, and entertain diverse audiences of all ages in our communities through performances of orchestral music, offering a pre-college orchestra experience for young musicians while enhancing the vibrancy and vitality of the arts in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Rio Grande Youth Orchestra features talented student musicians from the Rio Grande Valley and communities nearby. Members perform a wide variety of standard and newly composed orchestral repertoire, including full scale symphonies, solo concertos, and works by living composers. Concerts take place at the beautiful UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg. Students have the opportunity to meet regularly for sectionals with distinguished members of the UTRGV music faculty and other professional community musicians, including members of the Valley Symphony Orchestra. The Rio Grande Youth Orchestra is open through auditions to all string, woodwind, brass and percussion students ages 12 to 21. Applicants should have several years of orchestra and/or band experience and perform individually at a high level. To participate in the Rio Grande Youth Symphony students must be members of their school’s parent organization (band and/or orchestra) in order to be eligible for membership (students from schools with no performing music ensembles and homeschool students exempted).
The orchestra performs two programs every season, one in the fall and one in the spring. Rehearsals will take place every Sunday afternoon from 2:00-4:30 p.m. in the School of Music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, starting in September and ending in May each season. Members are selected through annual auditions which take place in late August. 2022-2023 application information and materials can be obtained here.
For more information please contact Dr. Norman Gamboa via email at norman.gamboa@utrgv.edu, or by phone at (956) 665-8713.