Release Date: 8/3/2012 Contact: Diana L. Spencer, 410-887-4243

New Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras finds a home at Carver Center

TOWSON, MD. – The new Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras has announced that it will be based at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announced the creation of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, its first youth orchestras, in May 2012. The Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, which will begin operations September 1, 2012, will carry on the legacy of the 35-year-old Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestras, which will cease operations on August 31, 2012. The Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras will be comprised of competitively selected young musicians, ages 6 to 19, divided into three groups: a Youth Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, and String Orchestra. “Having the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras housed at Carver Center will provide opportunities and outreach to our students with musical enrichment activities," said Karen E. H. Steele, Carver Center principal. “It will allow Carver Center students who participate in the BSYO to receive instruction, feedback, and audition preparation as part of their total Carver Center experience." Carver Center, which has won national and international awards for excellence in arts education, will begin the 2012-2013 school year in a newly constructed building, located at 938 York Road in Towson. According to Steele, the relationship with the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras is an extension of the school’s tradition of community collaborations. Representatives of the Maryland Institute College of Art, The Hippodrome, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Center Stage, ClancyWorks Dance Company, and other cultural institutions regularly visit the school to work with students or invite students to programs at their facilities. “Our new relationship with the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras will invite community members to interact with our new facility as a cultural center," said Steele. “One of the goals for us in our new building is to deconstruct the lines between learner, community, and school, and to move beyond the imaginary barrier that separates the schoolhouse, natural environment, and community. This opportunity with the new Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras will put us well on the path to doing just that." “The BSO is very eager to see the new Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras thrive and finding the right home is crucial to its success," said BSO President and CEO Paul Meecham. “The Carver Center not only boasts an excellent new building but also shares the BSO’s mission to benefit young lives through quality arts education." Auditions for the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras take place on September 6–8, 2012. Interested elementary through high school aged instrumentalists can visit www.gbyomusic.org/auditions for more information or to schedule an audition.

Visit the BCPS News Center and BCPS News Archive to explore more BCPS news!