Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's Associate Concertmaster Receives Big Arts Sanibel Classical Music Scholarship

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Stephanie van Duijn received a $7,500 BIG ARTS SANIBEL CLASSICAL MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP this winter to support the continuation of her violin studies. The 17-year-old student who lives in Philadelphia, PA and Fort Myers, Florida, is a junior in a home school education program.

She and two other students - Brian Henry (percussion) and Sodie Finebone (tuba) - were the winners in this year's scholarship awards that support students who have professional goals to pursue training in classical music instruments. BIG ARTS has been providing cultural enrichment and fulfillment to Sanibel Island area residents since 1979.

Stephanie van Duijn started playing the violin when she was seven years old. She currently studies with Kimberly Fisher, Principal Second of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Glenn Basham, Concertmaster of the Naples Philharmonic. She enjoys playing chamber music, and has played in several string quartets. She is currently the Concertmaster of Philadelphia Sinfonia and as well as Associate Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

The talented violinist has won numerous regional and state concerto competitions. She performed as soloist with the Southwest Florida Youth Symphony, Philadelphia Sinfonia, Naples Philharmonic, and Southwest Florida Symphony, and as Bach Double Concerto Competition Winner at the Philadelphia International Music Festival, she performed the Bach Double Concerto with Marc Rovetti of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra President and Music Director, Louis Scaglione, is very happy for Stephanie and knows that she is a student with great skill and ambition. He said recently, "We all congratulate Stephanie for receiving this impressive scholarship. She has been a great asset to PYO as well as other music performance organizations."

About the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra:

Now in its 77th year, training tomorrow's leaders, the renowned Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization, led by President and Music Director, Maestro Louis Scaglione, is one of the nation's oldest and most respected community music education and youth orchestra performance programs, providing talented young musicians from across the tri-state area with exceptional musical training. Students go on to excel in many diverse fields, and it is with pride that Philadelphia Youth Orchestra notes that many members of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra are alumni. The organization is comprised of six program ensembles designed to meet specific needs and experience levels of students selected through a competitive audition process. The anchor group is the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), conducted by President and Music Director Louis Scaglione, featuring 120 gifted instrumentalists who range in age from 14-21. Young musicians 12-18 years old are featured in PYO's companion ensemble, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, which is led by Director and Conductor Maestra Rosalind Erwin, who is Music Director and Conductor of Drexel University Orchestra.

Philadelphia Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO), directed by Maestro Kenneth Bean, is a beginning to intermediate-level full symphonic orchestra that provides most students with their first introduction to large orchestral playing featuring students age 10-17 years old. Bravo Brass, directed by Curtis Institute Dean of Faculty and Students, Paul Bryan, is an all brass ensemble for promising middle and high-school instrumentalists. PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM Young Artists ensembles provide string large ensemble and sectional master class instruction for beginning and intermediate musicians ages 6-14. The director and conductor of PRYSM is Gloria DePasquale, cellist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and conductor of PRYSM Young Artists is Andrea Weber. Tune Up Philly (TUP) is PYO's engagement program, directed by Paul Smith, that focuses on creating and inspiring true community by providing children in under-resourced communities with invaluable opportunities to learn and perform a differentiated orchestral music curriculum. www.pyos.org.

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