Youth Orchestra of the Rockies

Virtual Conservatory

Youth Orchestra of the Rockies
Cynthia Katsarelis, Music Director and Conductor

Career Guidance

For all students, your experience in YOR is very important to Admissions Directors at colleges and universities. They love musicians! The YOR experience and repertoire provides excellent material for those college essays too!

If you are interested in pursuing music, you must develop your musicality, technical facility and knowledge of music and direct experience performing the repertoire. These activities must take priority:

Private lessons and personal practice toward those lessons.
School music programs, ideally in leadership positions.
Youth Orchestra, where you play significant repertoire and have contact with profes-sionals in the field.
Chamber music, to further refine all skills, and gain independence.
Listen to recording of orchestral, chamber and solo repertoire.

The top schools of music in America
The Juilliard School http://www.juilliard.edu/
The Peabody Institute (Cynthia’s alma mater) http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/
Curtis Institute of Music http://www.curtis.edu/html/10000.shtml
Oberlin Conservatory http://www.oberlin.edu/con/
New England Conservatory http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/
Manhattan School of Music http://www.msmnyc.edu/
Mannes College of Music http://www.mannes.edu/
Eastman School or Music http://www.esm.rochester.edu/
University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) http://www.ccm.uc.edu/
Cleveland Institute of Music http://www.cim.edu/index.php
University of Michigan School of Music http://www.music.umich.edu/
Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music http://www.music.indiana.edu/
Rice University Shepherd School of Music http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~musi/
Yale School of Music http://www.yale.edu/music/ysm.html

Note: There are numerous graduates of these schools in the region. Seek them out if you are interested in studying at their alma maters.

In addition to Peabody, Cynthia pursued graduate studies at CCM and Michigan.

Colorado has excellent state colleges, schools and departments of music.
CU Boulder College of Music http://www.colorado.edu/music/
University of Denver, Lamont School of Music http://www.du.edu/lamont/
UNC College of Performing Arts http://arts.unco.edu/music/default.html
UW Department of Music http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/Music/
CSU Department of Music, Theater and Dance http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Music/music/music.html

Inspiring Youth to Musical Excellence
ASOL CCA