Carnegie Hall

Please note that we will only be accepting Orchestra Library Apprentice and Orchestra Management Apprentice applications for the 2021 season. The Apprentice Composer application will reopen for the 2022 season.

Orchestra Library Apprentice

Orchestra librarians have the important role of preparing all of the music a symphony orchestra uses in rehearsal and performance. This includes researching available editions, ensuring the material is as accurate as possible and marked consistently for all players and conductors, and preparing parts so that bowings are in sync. NYO-USA’s orchestra library apprentice will receive first-hand experience working alongside NYO-USA’s principal orchestra librarian during the orchestra’s residency and tour. The apprentice will also explore this little-known profession through meetings and conversations arranged by NYO-USA with leaders in the field. The interest and background of the apprentice will help shape the experience in order to introduce aspects of the field that are of special relevance.

The successful candidate for this apprenticeship will have a strong interest in printed music, the ability to read full scores, and strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Orchestra Management Apprentice

This apprenticeship is an opportunity to work alongside NYO-USA’s orchestra personnel manager and other artistic and administrative staff to learn about the planning and execution of an orchestra’s activities in rehearsals and the successful presentation of concerts. Orchestra personnel managers are musicians who serve as the key liaison between and among conductors, players, and other administrative personnel. The apprentice will assist with seating assignments and rotation, rehearsal orders and timings, backstage logistics, and preparation of venues for rehearsals and concerts. He or she will also have a window into the larger planning of an orchestra tour, particularly from the perspective of ensuring that the artistic needs of the musicians are addressed as fully as possible.

The successful candidate will have experience as a member of instrumental ensembles, a general familiarity with orchestral music, and excellent communication and organizational abilities.

Apprentice Composers

One of the goals of the apprenticeship will be to give the composers experience with orchestration and writing for larger forces. These new pieces will be workshopped, rehearsed, and recorded during NYO-USA’s residency. Apprentice composers will have the opportunity to meet and learn from a number of guest composers during the residency, and to work on additional music with input from their peers in the orchestra.

Celebrated American composer Sean Shepherd, who wrote a new work (Magiya) for NYO-USA’s inaugural season in 2013, serves as the composition program director and mentor/coach to the apprentices. Shepherd has held composition fellowships with The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Reno Philharmonic. Shepherd has had a number of notable premieres with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra, Paris’s Ensemble intercontemporain, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, and FLUX Quartet at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Most recently, his piece Express Abstractionism, was premiered by its co-commissioners, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.