Summer Camps
Make music in GTCYS this summer! Week-long camps for beginning to advanced students.
2024 Summer Orchestra Camps: July 22 – 26, 2024
Led by GTCYS conductors Mary Sorlie, Dan Mollick, Tamara Gonzalez, Diane Hallberg, and Mark Russell Smith, and talented artists including Jason Tanksley and Jonathan Brandt, our four weeklong camps are for beginning to advanced strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion students. Half-day sessions on July 22-26 are filled with music, social activities, and summer fun at the University of Minnesota’s School of Music in Minneapolis. The week culminates in a free public concert at 12:30pm at Ted Mann Concert Hall. Need-based tuition assistance is available.
Registration for GTCYS 2024 Sumer Camps has closed. If you are interested in auditioning for a school-year orchestra, please visit our auditions page!
Summer Orchestra Camp Descriptions
Conductor: Mary Sorlie
Meets: 9:00am – 12:00pm, July 22-26 with 12:30pm concert on July 26
Cost: $25 registration fee + $350 tuition; tuition assistance available
Summer Philharmonia introduces beginning violin, viola, cello, and bass players ages 7-12 to playing in an orchestra. This camp is designed for students who have been playing their instrument for at least one year. Students must be able to read music. No playing sample needed.
Co-Conductors: Tamara Gonzalez, Dan Mollick, Diane Hallberg
Meets: 9:00am – 12:00pm, July 22-26 with 12:30pm concert on July 26
Cost: $25 registration fee + $350 tuition; tuition assistance available
Summer Sinfonietta is a full orchestra camp open to strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. This camp is best for string players ages 12-15 with at least two years’ playing experience, and best for woodwinds, brass, and percussion students ages 13-16 with at least two years’ playing experience. Playing sample video required (see below for details).
String Playing Level
- This camp is best for string players age 12 – 15 with at least two years’ playing experience.
- Students should be comfortable playing with a range of articulations in music including up to 3 sharps and 2 flats concert pitch.
- Students should be able to play in the full range of their instrument in first position and have some experience in other positions.
Winds, Brass, and Percussion Playing Level
- This camp is best for woodwinds, brass, and percussion students age 13 – 16 with at least two years’ playing experience.
- Students should be comfortable playing with a range of articulations in music including up to 3 sharps and 2 flats concert pitch.
Summer Sinfonietta Playing Sample
If you are auditioning for the 2024-25 GTCYS season, your audition video will be used as your playing sample. If not, please prepare a solo using the parameters below:
Solo: Prepare one piece of music that demonstrates your best abilities. Selections can include solos, studies, school music, or other pieces. Your solo selection should not be more than 2 minutes in length. If your solo is longer than 2 minutes, please make appropriate cuts within the music.
Conductor: Mark Russell Smith
Meets: 9:00am – 12:00pm, July 22-26 with 12:30pm concert on July 26
Cost: $25 registration fee + $350 tuition; tuition assistance available
A fulfilling and rigorous full orchestral experience for the advanced student, Summer Symphony is similar to the Philharmonic and Symphony levels in GTCYS school-year orchestras. Students will be immersed in challenging orchestral literature, striving for musical expression at the highest level. This camp is best for students ages 15-18, with exceptions for younger students playing at a very advanced level. Playing sample video required (see below for details).
Summer Symphony Playing Sample
If you are auditioning for the 2024-25 GTCYS season, your audition video will be used as your playing sample. If not, find your instrument below and follow the instructions to prepare your playing sample. All playing samples will include scales, a solo, and prepared excerpts, as listed below:
| Violin | Viola | Cello | Bass |
| Flute | Oboe | Clarinet | Bassoon |
| Horn | Trumpet | Trombone | Tuba |
| Percussion | Harp |
Co-Directors: Jason Tanksley & Jonathan Brandt
Meets: 12:30pm – 2:30pm, July 22-26 with 12:30pm concert on July 26
Cost: $25 registration fee + $245 tuition; tuition assistance available. Discounted rate of $145 for students who also participate in one of the morning orchestra camps.
GTCYS’ Summer Brass Camp serves beginning, intermediate, and advanced horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba students ages 10 – 18. This camp provides a unique brass experience designed for students with at least one year of playing experience.
Summer Brass Camp Playing Sample
If you are auditioning for the 2024-25 GTCYS season, your audition video will be used as your playing sample. If not, please prepare a solo using the parameters below:
Solo: Prepare one piece of music that demonstrates your best abilities. Selections can include solos, studies, school music, or other pieces. Your solo selection should not be more than 2 minutes in length. If your solo is longer than 2 minutes, please make appropriate cuts within the music.
Which Summer Camp Orchestra should I register for?
Registering for a specific orchestra does not guarantee you’ll be placed in that orchestra, but this guide below will give you an idea of where you’ll have the most fun this summer!
| Orchestra | Instrumentation | Age Level | Playing Level | Playing Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Brass Ensembles | Brass Only | Ages 10-18 | At least one year playing your instrument | Playing sample: solo piece of your choice |
| Summer Philharmonia | Strings Only | Ages 8-12 | At least one year playing your instrument | No playing sample needed |
| Summer Sinfonietta | Full Orchestra (strings, winds, brass, percussion) | Strings: ages 12-15 Winds, brass, percussion: ages 13-16 | At least two years playing your instrument | Playing sample: solo piece of your choice |
| Summer Symphony | Full Orchestra (strings, winds, brass, percussion) | Ages 15-18 | Advanced playing level | Playing sample: scales, solo piece of your choice, and prepared excerpts |
Playing Samples for Summer Orchestra Camps
Playing sample videos are required for Summer Sinfonietta, Summer Symphony, and Summer Brass Camp to help conductors get to know you as a player and match you with a camp level. No playing sample is required for Summer Philharmonia. Playing sample requirements are listed under the camp descriptions, and videos will be due June 25. Students auditioning for the 2024-25 school year orchestras will not need to prepare an additional playing sample.