New Jersey Youth Symphony Alumnus to Apprentice with the Berlin Philharmonic

    NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ, January 11, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), a program of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, announced today that alumnus Omar El-Abidin won a worldwide audition to apprentice at the famous Berlin Philharmonic in Germany and will start his tenure next month. El-Abidin participated in the New Jersey Youth Symphony from 2011-2013 and studied thereafter at Juilliard's pre-college program. At 15, he toured South America with the New York Youth Symphony followed by a tour of South America and Europe with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. Since graduating from The Juilliard School, El-Abidin has lived and studied in Zurich, Switzerland prior to winning an audition for the Karajan Academy, the prestigious training program of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Said Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Helen H. Cha-Pyo, "The New Jersey Youth Symphony community celebrates with Omar as he steps into this amazing opportunity. Omar is a great role model for any young musician but especially for our current percussionists here at NJYS."

"It is so wonderful to see the global impact a musical education at the New Jersey Youth Symphony can generate," said Peter H. Gistelinck, Executive Director at the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts. "We wish Omar all the best in his professional orchestra career and we know this apprenticeship at the Berlin Philharmonic may just be the beginning."

The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), founded in 1979, is a tiered orchestral program offering ensemble education for students in grades 3-12 across New Jersey. NJYS has grown from one orchestra of 65 students to over 500 students in 15 different orchestras and ensembles, including the internationally recognized NJYS Youth Symphony. NJYS ensembles have performed in venues including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Carnegie Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. NJYS has received numerous prestigious awards for its adventurous programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and has had six European tours, including participation in the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Festival and Competition (Vienna), winning First Prizes in July 2014 and 2017.

Now in its 43rd season, NJYS continues to achieve musical excellence through intensive instruction and high-level performance. Under the guidance of a talented team of conductors, coaches, and teaching artists, students are immersed in challenging repertoire, learning the art of ensemble playing, and exploring their potential in a supportive and inclusive environment. NJYS remains committed to programming works by diverse composers and regularly features 20th century African American and women composers such as Duke Ellington, George Walker, Yvonne Desportes, Emma Lou Diemer, Julia Perry, and Florence Price.

The New Jersey Youth Symphony is a program of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts. Wharton is New Jersey's largest non-profit performing arts education organization serving over 1,500 students of all ages and abilities through a range of classes and ensembles. In addition to the New Jersey Youth Symphony, programs include the Paterson Music Project and Performing Arts School.

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