New York Youth Symphony

Just a quick post about some great news: Our FY2024 Grant for Arts Projects from The National Endowment for the Arts and also to introduce our newest trustee, Jen Zhang - Head of Strategy, Americas Management at Macquarie Group. John Kilkenny Betsy Maury #musiceducationmatters

Please join us in welcoming John Kilkenny as the new Executive Director for New York Youth Symphony (NYYS).  Afteran in-depth and extensive search, John has been appointed as our next Executive Director starting in late March 2024. John comes to NYYS from the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera and the Sewanee Music Festival, where he was Executive Director of both organizations. In these roles, he has had extensive experience leading orchestral, chamber music and composition programs and supporting music education for aspiring young artists. He has demonstrated a keen ability to enhance the profile of these groups by adding creative new programming, expanding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and increasing community outreach. As Executive Director, John will be overseeing all aspects of the organization, including programs in orchestra, chamber music, jazz, composition, musical theatre songwriting, conducting and the newest NYYS orchestra, Crescendo. His duties will include overseeing community outreach, fundraising, artistic programming and marketing. Congratulations John!  We can’t wait for you to start and guide us as we further look for ways to continually educate and inspire the next generation of musicians! #musiceducation #musiceducationmatters John Kilkenny

The New York Youth Symphony Board of Trustees and the entire NYYS Family mourns the passing of Co-Chairman A. Slade Mills, who served the organization with unreserved enthusiasm for 22 years. His care and vision in helping guide us through our 50th and 60th anniversaries (celebrated just this year were invaluable. Slade was our greatest fan -- always in the audience to cheer on our student musicians, whether from the orchestra or jazz band, or the chamber music, composition, or musical theater songwriting programs. Every NYYS musician in Slade’s years of service has benefitted from the indelible mark he left on the organization. NYYS sends its deepest condolences to his family and to all who had the honor and pleasure of calling Slade a friend.

Submissions are now being accepted for our composition competition, The Jon Deak First Music Commissioning Program! For any emerging American composer under 30, it has been widely acknowledged as one of the leading forces in the United States for bringing the work of gifted young composers to the public's attention. Learn more here! https://lnkd.in/eatRE6HH

Please join us in welcoming our newest NYYS employees. Adrian Rogers, Assistant Conductor for Orchestra and Conducting; Jackie Traish, Manager for Chamber Music; Dexter Stanley-Tauvao, Manager for Jazz; Fouad Dakwar, Assistant Director for Musical Theater Songwriting; Christopher Beckett, Assistant Conductor for Crescendo and Malachi Brown, Orchestra Manager for Crescendo. Welcome to the NYYS Family and here’s to a great season! #musiceducation

Shauna Quill, Executive Director of New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) for the past 12 years, will be leaving the organization as of October 3, 2023. She will be joining Music Academy, based in Santa Barbara, as its new President and CEO. The impact that Shauna has had on our organization and on inspiring young musicians is too long to list, but her tenure surely deserves us to name a few of them. Shauna helped guide the organization to receive a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance for its first professional recording; initiated an international touring program; and launched, expanded, and developed several new programs, including Musical Theater Songwriting and the Crescendo orchestral program for NYC students ages 10-18. She also built community partnerships and fellowships for the NYYS with Interlochen Center for the Arts, Harmony Program, Harlem School of the Arts, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s, in addition to significantly raising the national profile of the organization with performances on CBS Sunday Morning, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CNN and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The NYYS Board of Trustees has started the search process for a new Executive Director to continue the organization’s strong momentum, working with an executive search firm, The Catherine French Group. “Shauna has done an amazing job at NYYS,” said William Kapell, Board President for New York Youth Symphony. “I have no doubt that she will bring the same focus and creativity to her next endeavors. We wish her all the success in the world. At the same time, we are very excited about the future of NYYS, especially as it enters its 60th (diamond anniversary) season.” Shauna will be sorely missed, and we all wish her the best in her new position. Join us in celebrating her tenure and bidding her a fond farewell.

At its July meeting, the New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) elected Liam Fenlon to the Board of Trustees. Liam Fenlon is excited to become a Trustee of the NYYS and joins after playing in the NYYS Orchestra during the 2013-2016 seasons and the Chamber Music Program. Liam is a recent graduate of MIT, where he majored in Business Analytics, and currently works as an Analyst at Eku Energy developing and financing grid-scale energy storage projects. Prior to Eku Energy, Liam was an Analyst at Macquarie Capital and the Green Investment Group. Liam is passionate about advancing equity and inclusion in music and looks forward to supporting the NYYS as it continues to expand its programs and offerings to serve the students of New York City. Welcome to the NYYS Family Liam!