The InterSchool Orchestras of New York Focuses Upcoming Season on Cross-Cultural Music

The InterSchool Orchestras of New York (ISO), a nonprofit organization, is changing the face of youth orchestra music with its focus on cross-cultural genres in announcing its 2019-2020 Season in New York City. New partnerships with many diverse and prestigious organizations highlight the rich cultural heritage of the City and expose young musicians to a wide range of musical collaborations.

ISO serves more than 250 school-aged children and provides a nurturing environment where all children can realize their personal best, achieve high artistic standards, and share music with the community. Generous financial aid and scholarships ensure that every child can participate.

The ISO Season begins with A Tribute to Howard Johnson and Gravity at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall, on September 18, 2019 at 7:30 pm. The special event will honor the musical legend, who in his five-decade career has played alongside luminaries in multiple genres and pioneered the voice of the tuba in jazz. The event will also feature the talents of two-time Grammy-winning musician Taj Mahal and students of ISO. Howard Johnson is a legendary performer and mentor to a generation of African-American musicians and a distinguished member of the city's vibrant musical heritage. All proceeds from the event will support financial aid and scholarships for the ISO students.

ISO's new direction for youth orchestras gains momentum as the Season progresses with new commissions by Daniel Felsenfeld, Huang Ruo, Paquito Rivera and Arturo O'Farrill. Children will participate in innovative partnerships with the New York Chinese Cultural Center, Mingus Dynasty and Ballet Hispanico. In addition, young people will perform in community concerts at Kumble Theater at LIU, a PhilarMonster on the Upper West Side, and a 50th Anniversary of Earth Day Celebration with the Trinity Church Youth Chorus.

"We are so excited to be leading the field in cross-cultural, multi-dimension genre works for youth orchestra," said Karen Geer, ISO Executive Director. "We are focusing on doing concerts for the community, focusing on important social issues like diversity and widening students' experiences in orchestral music beyond the classical repertoire to experience the whole range of what an orchestra can do with collaborative effort and creative input from American jazz artists, Chinese American composers, dancers and musicians and Latin American and Hispanic artists. We are hopeful that this new direction will encourage students to practice, perform and invite their friends to concerts to make their experiences relevant and meaningful."

ISO would also like to announce the inaugural year of a brand new training program entitled the ISO Youth Orchestra Winds Training Program. ISO will be launching this new program, created by two of ISO's premier coaches: Mary Barto, flute and Lisa Pike, French horn. The students will begin their training program in the beginning orchestra and learn the basics of preparing for orchestra rehearsal, auditioning for placements, listening to scores, ensemble mastery and section leadership. This training program is the first of its kind in New York City and will include certificates of completion for each of the four levels, ultimately preparing the students for their college auditions. Currently this program is completely full.

New York City children make music together through four tiered level orchestras. The ISO stellar line up of conductors for the 2019-2020 Season include: Barry Stern, Conductor, ISO Symphony Orchestra; Joseph Meyers, Conductor, ISO Concert Orchestra; Steven Rochen, Conductor, ISO Carnegie Hill Orchestra and Matthew Rotjan, Conductor, ISO Morningside Orchestra and Anthony Morris, ISO alumnus, is the ISO Managing Director.

Founded in 1972 and incorporated in 1974, the InterSchool Orchestras of New York (ISO) began with a single orchestra of 20 children. Today, ISO serves more than 250 children, creating opportunities for school-aged children in New York City to make music together through four tiered level orchestras. ISO provides a nurturing environment where all children can realize their personal best, achieve high artistic standards, and share music with the community. The ensembles perform in major concert halls, schools and community centers, bringing great music to over 7,000 people annually. Generous financial aid and scholarships ensure that every child can participate. For more information, please visit http://isorch.org/.

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