Audio: Brett Mitchell recaps COYO's China tour on "The Sound of Applause"

Brett Mitchell was a guest on yesterday's episode of The Sound of Applause on NPR affiliate 90.3 WCPN in Cleveland, discussing the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's recent tour of China with host Dee Perry and correspondent Dan Polletta. To hear this interview, please click here.

Video: China tour farewell speech

Brett Mitchell addresses the members of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra on the final evening of their four-city tour of China.

Video: China tour wrap-up interview

David Burnett interviews Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra music director Brett Mitchell on the final evening of their four-city tour of China.

Audio: "COYO China Tour: Maestro Minutes with Brett Mitchell"

Brett Mitchell recently sat down at the WCLV studios to discuss the works the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra would be playing on their upcoming four-city tour of China. To hear his remarks on Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Wojciech Kilar's Orawa, Samuel Barber's Medea's Dance of Vengeance, and Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, please click here.

Audio: Complete recording of COYO's China tour send-off concert

WCLV has made available on demand the complete send-off concert the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra performed the day before embarking on their four-city tour of China. To hear this concert in its entirety, please click here.

Review: Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra "is one that many cities would be happy to have as their professional orchestra"

ClevelandClassical has published a review of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's send-off concert in advance of their four-city tour of China.

On Sunday, June 14 at Severance Hall, a large and enthusiastic audience was treated to a thrilling send-off concert when music director Brett Mitchell led his talented young musicians in works by Shostakovich, Kilar, Barber, and Tchaikovsky.

The program opened with an exuberant performance of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. Following the grand brass fanfare, Mitchell set a fast tempo for the wind section’s opening melodic lines, which they played with aplomb. Throughout, the orchestra produced a clear, lush sound... Mitchell led COYO’s string section in an inspired performance [of Wojciech Kilar's Orawa] and they sounded splendid... Samuel Barber gives the wind section ample opportunity to shine in [Medea's Dance of Vengeance], and shine they did. Mitchell kept the tempos in check without losing any of the work's wonderfully hysterical qualities.

Following intermission, Mitchell and his brass section held back nothing as they launched into Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. As this ensemble has proven in the past, it is one that many cities would be happy to have as their professional orchestra. Mitchell again led a technically clean and musically thoughtful performance.

After acknowledging the audience ovation, COYO gave a fitting good-bye with an encore — a Huang Ruo arrangement of a traditional Chinese folksong.

To read the complete review, please click here.

Video: Interview from Beijing's Tiananmen Square

David Burnett interviews Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra music director Brett Mitchell in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on the morning of the ensemble's first performance of their four-city tour of China. To view this video, please click here.

Brett Mitchell receives commendations from Cleveland mayor and Confucius Institute

At this afternoon's send-off concert at Severance Hall, Brett Mitchell received commendations from Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson and the Confucius Institute in recognition of his upcoming four-city tour of China with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. Mayor Jackson's commendation states in part, "I invite all citizens to join me in thanking Mr. Mitchell for his continuous efforts to promote cultural exchange and for being a positive role model for Cleveland Youth." The Confucius Institute's commendation was presented "in appreciation for your continuous efforts in promoting people-to-people friendship and cultural exchanges."

Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra looks to draw closer on upcoming tour of China"

The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a story about the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's upcoming four-city tour of China, led by music director Brett Mitchell. COYO's second international tour—and its first to Asia—will feature performances of works by Shostakovich, Kilar, Barber, and Tchaikovsky in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Ningbo from June 15 to 24. The tour will launch with a send-off concert at Severance Hall on Sunday, June 14, which will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. Eastern on WCLV.org.

COYO send-off concert named among "Five Classical Music Events Not to Miss This Week"

Cleveland Scene has named the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's China tour send-off concert on Sunday, June 14 as one of "Five Classical Music Events Not to Miss This Week". The event is now sold-out, but may be streamed live on WCLV.org at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Preview: Banner season for Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra reaches local, national, and international audiences

Following the conclusion of a successful 2014-15 Severance Hall season on May 3, the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) will make a nine-day, four-concert tour to China June 15-24, 2015. These performances mark the Youth Orchestra’s second international tour in its 29-year history. The tour includes performances in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Ningbo, featuring Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Kilar’s Orawa, Barber’s Medea’s Dance of Vengeance, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. On June 14, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. at Severance Hall, COYO will present a free China tour send-off concert. WCLV 104.9 FM will broadcast the send-off performance live; it can also be streamed online at WCLV.org.

On the occasion of the League of American Orchestras’ 2015 Conference, held in Cleveland May 27-29, COYO alumna and world-renowned cellist Alisa Weilerstein makes a special appearance with COYO as part of the conference’s Opening Session concert on May 27 at Public Auditorium. The program features Weilerstein performing Saint-Saëns’s “The Swan” from The Carnival of the Animals, and she joins the Youth Orchestra for a performance of the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Weilerstein was a member of COYO from 1992 to 1994.

To learn more about these performances, read the following article in Broadway World: "Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra to Launch China Tour and More This Summer".

Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's China tour send-off performance to be broadcast live

WCLV 104.9 FM has announced that it will broadcast the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's send-off performance before upcoming their four-city tour of China in June 2015. This concert will be broadcast live from Severance Hall on Sunday, June 14 at 3 p.m. EDT, and may be streamed live at WCLV.org.

Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's plans for new season include tour of China"

The Plain Dealer has published a preview of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2014-15 season, which marks Brett Mitchell's second year as Music Director. The season--which opens on Sunday with a program of Adams, Harris, and Tchaikovsky--will conclude with a four-city tour of China in June 2015, marking the ensemble's first performances in Asia. To read this article, please click here.

Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra opens its season on Sunday, November 23"

ClevelandClassical.com has published a preview of the first concert of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2014-15 season, Brett Mitchell's second as Music Director. The season, which culminates with a four-city tour of China in June 2015, will also feature several other high-profile events, including a special performance to open the League of American Orchestras' annual conference in May 2015 in Cleveland. To read this article, please click here.

2014-15 season announcement: Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra

The 2014-15 season marks Brett Mitchell's second as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. In addition to their subscription series at Severance Hall, season highlights include performances at the Ohio Music Education Association's annual conference in February 2015, the opening session of the League of American Orchestras' national conference in May 2015, and a four-city tour of China in June 2015. For more information, please click the "SCHEDULE" page above.

Brett Mitchell to lead Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra on tour of China

Brett Mitchell will lead the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra on a tour of China in June 2015, including performances in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing. This will be the orchestra's first tour of Asia and their second international tour, following their tour of Europe in 2012. Further details will be announced in Fall 2014.