ABOUT VSOI
Faculty | Repertoire | Concerto Competition | Conducting Residencies | Fees | Administration
THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE offers students aged 16-28 a once-in-a-lifetime comprehensive, and nurturing orchestral training program. Our faculty is comprised of musicians from the renowned Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of VSO Music Director, Maestro Otto Tausk. Musical opportunities abound, as all of our students play in the Institute Orchestra, rehearse and perform in chamber ensembles, and participate in masterclasses and repertoire classes with our outstanding faculty. The VSOI offers fantastic performance opportunities including student and faculty recitals, a concerto competition, as well as chamber music performances in truly unique settings. The entire Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is in residence during the VSOI for a series of concerts. Students can observe rehearsals from a seat on-stage and enjoy relaxing concerts after a great day of music making. The VSOI culminates with indoor and outdoor performances by the Institute Orchestra in iconic Vancouver settings including the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia, one of Canada’s finest concert halls.
Faculty
The Institute Orchestra will be directed by Maestro Otto Tausk, Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. VSO Institute instrumental faculty are musicians in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. All faculty members are outstanding performers and teachers with diverse backgrounds in orchestral and chamber music.
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Repertoire
At the Institute, you will experience some of the finest orchestral and chamber repertoire, as well as repertoire and orchestral excerpts specific and significant to your instrument.
2020 INSTITUTE ORCHESTRA REPERTOIRE
| Stravinsky | Le Sacre du printemps |
| Debussy | Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune |
| Liszt | Les préludes |
Concerto Competition
The VSOI Concerto Competition will once again take place this summer. The grand prize winner will perform as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in concert. The grand prize winner and up to 5 runners-up will perform as soloists during the UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival, taking place in July.
| Eligibility: | You must be accepted and plan to attend both the VSOI 2020 and the UBC COF to be eligible for the Concerto Competition. |
| To Apply: | Once you have been accepted into the VSOI, you will indicate that you plan to participate in the Concerto Competition on the application form. You will also be asked to confirm your participation in the UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival. At that point, a $50 (CAD) Concerto Competition registration fee will apply. Click here to download Concerto Competition repertoire. |
| Preliminary Round: | Applicants must submit a separate Concerto Competition video recording via YouTube to the VSOI on their application form. Videos must be unedited, continuous, and with accompaniment. |
| Finalists: | In advance of the VSOI, up to 6 finalists will be announced. The top three ranked finalists will be invited to perform, with piano, during the Institute to compete for the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize winner will perform as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in concert. All of the finalists, including the Grand Prize winner, will perform as soloists during the UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival. |
| Repertoire: | Applicants must select and perform a concerto from the VSOI-UBC COF Concerto Competition Repertoire List or a Concerto of their own choosing (with the understanding that they must also prepare a second piece from the UBCCOF list, to perform with the UBC Chamber Festival Orchestra if they are a finalist). Please prepare and perform the movement(s) specified. Please note repertoire changes are not permitted for the VSOI final round once videos have been submitted. Performances at the VSOI and UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival may include entire concertos or selected movements, at the discretion of faculty. |
The jury for the VSOI Concerto Competition will be comprised of Maestro Otto Tausk and VSOI faculty. All decisions of the jury are final. Concerto Competition finalists invited to perform during the Chamber Orchestra Festival will be required to register for the festival and participate as a member of the orchestra as well as a concerto finalist.
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Conducting Residencies
The VSOI invites applications from conductors in a pre-professional career stage. During the VSOI, conducting residents will be mentored by Maestros Tausk and Girard, actively observe and assist in Institute Orchestra rehearsals, coach chamber ensembles, and serve as conducting fellows of the UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival where they will work in close collaboration with concerto winners and Maestro Girard.
Please note, up to five conducting residents will be chosen for the UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival. Of those selected, two will be invited to also participate in the VSO Institute. Any individuals not selected for the residency are welcome to audit both the VSO Institute and the UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival as a conductor.
For further details on a conducting residency during the UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival, please visit https://music.ubc.ca/chamber-orchestra-festival/. In addition, conductors will have an invaluable opportunity to observe the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in rehearsals and performances during the Institute.
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| Application | $100 CAD ($90 CAD early bird fee; deadline February 15, 2020) |
| Tuition | $895 CAD |
| Lodging | $495 CAD |
| Administration Fee | $55 CAD |
| Meal Plan (optional, includes breakfast & lunch) | $175 CAD |
Optional additional fees will apply for individual lessons (varies) and the concerto competition application ($50 CAD).
Fees will be processed in Canadian dollars.
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Administration
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute is managed by the Vancouver Symphony’s Education & Community Programs Department. To read about the VSO’s Education & Community Programs, please visit our website:
www.vancouversymphony.ca/education/
CONTACT US DIRECTLY VIA EMAIL :
Director of Education & Community Programs
Education Production Coordinator