West Michigan Youth Symphony Auditions

The West Michigan Youth Symphony will hold auditions on Tuesday, May 21 for the 2013-2014 season.

Open auditions will be held beginning at 6 p.m. at Muskegon Community College. The Youth Symphony is seeking to fill positions in the following sections: all strings, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba and percussion. Sixth-graders through college sophomores who are members of school music ensembles are eligible to participate.

The Youth Symphony is also looking for students to join the Debut Strings program.  Launched in 2012, Debut Strings is a program intended for students who have not yet played in a large orchestra ensemble. This group calls for students who have strong note reading skills and at least two years prior instruction.

For more information or to schedule an audition, call 231855.6010, or e-mail gslimko@westmichigansymphony.org. A scheduled audition is strongly recommended; at that time, interested students will receive the specific audition requirements. Walk-ins will be allowed and heard around scheduled auditions as time permits. Eligible students may earn college credit from Muskegon Community College for participation.

The Youth Symphony is under the director of Daniel M. Meyers, music director and conductor.  Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings from 6-8:30 p.m. at Muskegon Community College from September to April. The Youth Symphony performs two concerts annually.

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The WMYS Mission:

The mission of the West Michigan Youth Symphony (WMYS) is to provide musical training through challenging orchestra performance experiences that complement school and community music programs in West Michigan. The WMYS is committed to nurturing young musicians (6th grade through sophomore in college) with creative and unique performance and educational opportunities not otherwise available to them.

The WMYS is part of the West Michigan Symphony. The Youth Symphony comprises 60-70 young musicians from over 20 area schools as well as home school students.

WMYS Music Director Daniel M. Meyers

Daniel M. Meyers begins his sixth season as Conductor and Music Director of the West Michigan Youth Symphony.  He is also Professor of Music and Director of Music at Muskegon Community College where he conducts the college Wind Ensemble, Activities Band, instructs classes in conducting, music theory and humanities and has served as the Music Director at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Ludington, MI for the past 18 years.  Maestro Meyers is an active lecturer, clinician, adjudicator and guest
conductor throughout the state of Michigan. He is a native of Manistee, MI and studied conducting with the late Elizabeth Green while attending the University of Michigan.  He also studied at Central Michigan University and the Vandercook College of Music.  Meyers resides in Norton Shores his wife Melissa who is a professional cellist, Chair of Music in the Grand Haven Public Schools and director of the Grand Haven High School Orchestras and their daughters Danielle, Ariana and Elaina.

WEST MICHIGAN YOUTH SYMPHONY CONCERT PHOTOS, NOVEMBER 2010