The Palestine Youth Orchestra

The Palestine Youth Orchestra is the flagship orchestra of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. It was created in 2004 with the vision of bringing together young Palestinian musicians from around the world. Today, the PYO membership consists of eighty young Palestinian musicians residing across the world, creating a quality national youth orchestra on a par with similar groups worldwide. Over the past six years, the PYO has performed in Jordan, Germany, Syria, Bahrain and Lebanon, and this year will perform in Greece. In 2008, the orchestra realised its dream of performing in Palestine, alongside young musicians from the Collegium Musicum Bonn, who took the place of several young Palestinian musicians unable to enter Palestine due to entry restrictions imposed by the occupation. These concerts were given in Haifa, Ramallah, Amman and Damascus, with repertoire including Khatchaturian’s ‘Gayane Suite’ and Brahms Symphony No. 1, alongside songs celebrating the city of Jerusalem by Stephen Adams, Rima Tarazi, Rim Banna, Suhail Khoury and the Rahbani Brothers, with Reem Talhami, Rim Banna and Dima Bawab as soloists.

PYO students meet once or twice a year for a 10-day residential course followed by a concert tour. Individual sections of the orchestra are coached by leading professionals from the classical music world. The most recent workshop, held in Jordan, was coached by musicians who regularly play as principals of the world’s top orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Amman Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera, Stockholm Philharmonic and Paris Conservatoire, and was directed by the English conductor Sian Edwards, who regularly works with many of the world’s best classical ensembles and orchestras, and guided the PYO musicians through music by Gershwin, Haydn, and specially commissioned works by leading Palestinian composers. The PYO occasionally invites a small number of guest music students to participate in the orchestra, most recently from Greece, Italy and Spain, as well as neighbouring Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. This provides a wonderful insight into contemporary Palestinian culture as well as a rewarding musical experience.

In addition to performing the classics of the symphonic repertoire, the PYO makes a special effort to promote the work of Palestinian and Arab composers, with recent concerts including the music Marcel Khalife, Issa Boulos, John Bisharat, Ahmed al-Khatib and Salvador Arnita. Core symphonic repertoire performed by the orchestra has included Dvořák Symphony No. 5, Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony and Leonore Overture No. 3, Kodaly’s Dances of Galanta and excerpts from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. This unique approach to repertoire is reflected in what the orchestra conveys to the Palestinian society and to the different communities and people abroad who have the opportunity to attend its performances; it caries with it a taste of Palestine signed by the fingers of the young musicians. The PYO in fact, is a reflection of young Palestine, and our PYO members are our ambassadors to the world.
 
The PYO team is always keen to hear from young Palestinian musicians residing around the world. If you are of Palestinian origin, between 13 – 26 years of age and have reached a standard of at least grade 7 (ABRSM) on an orchestral instrument, please visit the PYO website and click on the ‘join the orchestra’ link. 
 
All enquiries regarding performances, collaborations and exchanges with other musical institutions, or participation in the PYO either as a student or teacher should be directed to the orchestra manager Tim Pottier, tpottier@ncm.birzeit.edu, tel: +972–5-46957447