The New Jersey State Youth Orchestra (NJSYO) is a youth orchestra based in New Jersey, United States. It was established as an independent non-profit organization in Red Bank, NJ in 1977 after being founded in 1972 as a program of the New Jersey State Orchestra. The NJSYO is the oldest independent youth orchestra in continuous operation in New Jersey. [1] [2] [3]
The NJSYO operates a variety of orchestral and ensemble music programs for young people which include public performance opportunities. [4] [5] [6] [7] The performance and educational programs offered include a symphonic youth orchestra, an intermediate string orchestra, a preparatory string orchestra, a chamber ensemble, and summer "bootcamp" programs in strings and woodwinds/brass. [8] The NJSYO is currently in residence at the Middletown Arts Center in Middletown, NJ. [9] [10]
The current music director is Dorothy Sobiesky, who is the recipient of the Art Scholarship Award from the Polish Ministry of Culture as well as numerous other awards for her performance work. [11] In 1990 Sobieski toured Europe while performing as a member of the European Youth Orchestra under Yehudi Menuhin. [12] She was preceded in this role by Ben Ringer, who was selected as the 2019 Outstanding Educator in Performing Arts by the Monmouth Arts Council for his work with the NJSYO. [13] Previous music directors include Alexander Yudkovsky, executive director of The School for Strings, [14] Roy D. Gussman, music director of the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra, [15] Daniel Spalding, music director of Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey, [16] and William Berz, director of the department of music at Rutgers University. [17]
Monmouth County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by the Raritan Bay. Monmouth County's geographic area comprises 30% water. The county is part of the Jersey Shore region of the state. It has also been categorized under the Central Jersey region, though it was not among the four counties explicitly listed as included in Central Jersey as part of legislation signed into law in 2023.
Allenhurst is a borough located on the Jersey Shore, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The settlement was named after resident Abner Allen and was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 26, 1897, from portions of Ocean Township. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 472, a decrease of 24 (−4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 496, which in turn reflected a decline of 222 (−30.9%) from the 718 counted in the 2000 census.
Asbury Park is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decrease of 928 (−5.8%) from the 2010 census count of 16,116, which in turn reflected a decline of 814 (−4.8%) from the 16,930 counted in the 2000 census.
Brielle is a borough located in southern Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, along the Manasquan River. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,982, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 208 (+4.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,774, which in turn reflected a decline of 119 (−2.4%) from the 4,893 counted in the 2000 census.
Middletown Township is a township in northern Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's 20th-most-populous municipality and the largest in the county, with a population of 67,106, an increase of 584 (+0.9%) from the 2010 census count of 66,522, which in turn reflected an increase of 195 residents (0.3%) from its population of 66,327 at the 2000 census, when it was the state's 17th-most-populous municipality.
Neptune Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 (+0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 27,935, which in turn reflected an increase of 245 (+0.9%) from the 27,690 counted in the 2000 census.
Roosevelt is a borough in western Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 808, a decrease of 74 (−8.4%) from the 2010 census count of 882, which in turn reflected a decline of 51 (−5.5%) from the 933 counted in the 2000 census.
Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,343, an increase of 221 (+3.1%) from the 2010 census count of 7,122, which in turn reflected a decline of 15 (−0.2%) from 7,137 in 2000.
Atlantic Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,414, an increase of 29 (+0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 4,385, which in turn reflected a decline of 320 (−6.8%) from the 4,705 in the 2000 census.
Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. It enrolls about 4,400 full-time and 260 part-time undergraduate and 1,750 graduate students and employs 302 full-time faculty members.
Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, Freehold Township, Long Branch, and Wall Township.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) is an orchestral music education organization in Chicago, Illinois that was founded in 1946 to provide music education and instrumental training of the highest quality to Chicago area youth.
Middletown High School North, home of the Lions, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the two secondary schools of the Middletown Township Public School District. Other students from Middletown Township attend Middletown High School South. The school also houses a 750-seat theater. Approximately 90% of North students attend college after graduation. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1936.
Middletown High School South is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the two secondary schools of the Middletown Township Public School District. The other school in the district is Middletown High School North. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1977.
Mater Dei Prep: A Catholic Preparatory School was a four-year Catholic coeducational high school that served students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the New Monmouth section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) is a non-profit organization based in New Providence, New Jersey. Founded in 1979, it provides young instrumentalists from all around New Jersey with music performance and educational experiences. There are three string ensembles, three full symphony orchestras, three flute ensembles, chamber music programs, music theory classes presented in accordance with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (UK), a summer camp, and other various outreach activities. It operates under the auspices of the Wharton Institute of the Performing Arts. The symphony performs regularly in the United States and Europe. Helen Cha-Pyo has served as the artistic director of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts and conductor of the NJYS since July 2018.
Asbury Park High School is a comprehensive, community public high school serving students in seventh through twelfth grades. It is in a landmark building in Asbury Park, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that was constructed during the New Deal as a model high school campus. It is part of the Asbury Park Public Schools, an Abbott District serving children in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The current school building opened to students in September 1926.
Monmouth Civic Chorus is a community chorus in Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA. Monmouth Civic Chorus was established in 1949 and draws its members primarily from the Monmouth County community. Its performances encompass choral classics, premieres, rare and contemporary music, musical theater, opera, and operetta. Monmouth Civic Chorus has performed on tour in Europe and the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Darryl Kubian is an American composer, thereminist, violinist, and audio/video engineer. His compositions have been commissioned and performed by North American orchestras, such as the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Omaha Symphony, and he has written soundtrack scores for the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Pangolin Pictures, NHK, CBS, The Learning Channel, and others. Darryl performs and records as a thereminist, including chamber and solo works by Herb Deutsch, Martinu, and others, and has also been a featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia of New York, and the NJ Symphony on theremin. He was the featured theremin soloist for the Lincoln Center Festival production of Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton. Darryl Kubian is a member of the first violin section of the NJ Symphony, and was the principal second violinist of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Indigo Fox Media, Kubian's New Jersey-based audio/video production company, has recorded artists such as the Emerson String Quartet, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, members of the NY Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera, among many others. He is married to violinist JoAnna Farrer.
Gerard P. Scharfenberger is an American politician, adjunct professor and Republican Party politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 13th Legislative District since 2020, replacing Amy Handlin. Scharfenberger had previously served on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and as Mayor of Middletown Township.