Greetings!
Welcome to the 50th Anniversary of the Interschool Orchestras of New York! We invite you to become a member of one of the most prestigious and historic youth orchestras in the entire country. Alumni of ISO are members of some of the greatest orchestras in the world and you could follow in their footsteps.
Our 2020-2021 season was nothing like we’d imagined it would be, but we have managed to continue having our students make music, learn from world-renowned musicians, and for the first time ever we will present our one-of-a-kind collaboration with the Mingus Dynasty at the League of American Orchestras National Conference in June. This is the first time that ISO will be featured on the national stage and we couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity.
For 2021-2022, our 50th season, we will be celebrating the lives of the two people who shaped ISO into what it is today - our founder, Annabelle Prager, and our Music Director Emeritus, Jonathan Strasser. Many of our plans are still in motion, but we have some wonderful repertoire to play on numerous concerts planned for the year, including a year-end performance of Elgar’s Enigma Variations in its entirety. In addition to that, we are exploring opportunities for world premieres, exciting collaborations, major concert halls, the continuation of our groundbreaking mentor program, and an entirely new series of masterclasses. Of course, the plan is that we will be live and safely in person come September, which will be a long time coming for all of us.
Registration continues throughout the spring until sections are full. ISO’s goal is to make it possible for every interested young musician to be able to participate in an ensemble, regardless of ability to pay tuition. Financial aid is based on need, and half of our students receive some level of aid. New families can apply for financial aid and our Student Services team is here to assist. We hope that you share our excitement for the 50th anniversary celebration and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Yours,
Barry Stern
Musical Director, ISO at Third Programs
[email protected]
