Shanghai Orchestra Academy Starts Worldwide Admissions Process for 2018 Academic Year

SHANGHAI, Oct. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA), a partnership between the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, formally kicked off its worldwide student admission program for the academic year 2018 last month (September 2017). Applicants will take part in two rounds of auditions at the end of 2017 and classes will start for selected students in September 2018. During the following two years, students will be mentored by senior musicians and professors from the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and will be given numerous opportunities to perform and audition for internship placements with internationally renowned orchestras, including the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, in addition to earning a Master of Fine Arts degree upon graduation.

Established by Maestro Long Yu, Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, in September 2014, the SOA has now just started the process for its fifth year of admissions. Mr. Yu said during the commencement ceremony for the class of 2015: "Guidance from senior musicians is instrumental for today's professional music career. Orchestral training, teamwork and self-discipline coupled with a deep understanding of music are all part and a parcel of a well-rounded education that one needs to become a professional orchestra player."

The SOA, an important educational partnership between the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, boasts a faculty consisting of leading musicians from the two symphony orchestras, complemented by professors from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Following a course structure that combines a traditional music education with internships, students learn from and perform with professional musicians as key steps towards earning their degree. This curriculum allows students to rapidly gain first-hand experience and to learn ensemble playing skills directly from musicians while combining theory with practice.

Students have regularly scheduled one-on-one sessions with leading musicians from the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and perform alongside their professor-musicians when the orchestra puts on a professional performance. In addition, musicians from the New York Philharmonic visit Shanghai at regular intervals helping students design their personalized curriculum, teach practical orchestra and ensemble playing skills, providing in-depth guidance to master class students.

The SOA is committed to nurturing professional orchestral musicians and providing varieties of external practice opportunities. In the past year, several groups of students performed side-by-side with orchestras including the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the China Philharmonic Orchestra. Students who excel in their studies and show the most promise will have opportunities to perform in New York as interns or alongside members of the New York Philharmonic when the orchestra visits Shanghai in the summer of each year.

Most SOA graduates choose to work within professional orchestras as a vehicle for consolidating career progress. A sizeable number of students receive job offers during two years of study or advance to higher career positions upon completion of the program. The employment rate of the inaugural class of the SOA was 100%.

Admission schedule for 2018 academic year students:
Deadline for Master of Fine Arts degree applicants from Mainland China: October 31, 2017

Deadline for performance certificate and for applicants from Hong Kong, Taiwan and abroad: December 1, 2017

For more information and registration, please visit OrchestraAcademy.com

Phone: +86-21-5466-7821
Working hours: Monday to Friday 9 am to 4:30 pm
Admissions: admissions@orchestraacademy.com
Inquiries: inquiries@orchestraacademy.com
Address: 1380 Middle Fuxing Road, 200031 Shanghai, China
Postal code: 200031

Website: www.orchestraacademy.com

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