Eastman School of Music sophomore Nicholas Fitton has been selected as a finalist for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra and the chance to perform under world-renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.
Billed as the world’s first collaborative online orchestra, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra Project has two components: the creation of a symphony performance from video submissions, and a live performance in Carnegie Hall. Finalists for the live performance were chosen by a panel of experts from such leading orchestras as the London Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Philharmonic, and others.
Now, the YouTube community will be voting on their favorites, helping to choose the musicians who will perform in New York City this spring. Voting is underway and closes Sunday, Feb. 22.
Fitton, a sophomore from Cape Cod, Mass., and a major in flute performance, submitted videos of himself performing the piccolo part in composer Tan Dun’s “The Internet Symphony,” the fourth movement of Bach’s “Partita in A minor,” and an excerpt from Rossini’s “La Gazza Ladra.” The Tan Dun work will be performed by the YouTube Symphony Orchestra under Tilson Thomas on April 15 in Carnegie Hall. In addition, all the Tan Dun submissions will be compiled into a “mashup video” that will be available for viewing on YouTube.
Fitton’s performance can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/symphony, clicking on “Vote,” and searching for “halfnote07.” Voting is open to registered users and can only be done once in a 24-hour period. Winners will be announced on March 2.
At Eastman, Fitton studies flute with Bonita Boyd and piccolo with Anne Harrow. He performs with the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra, the Eastman Wind Orchestra, and the Aqua Winds Quintet.
If selected to be a member of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, Fitton will be flown to New York City to participate in a three-day summit with Tilson Thomas and leading classical music performers, culminating in the Carnegie Hall performance.
Composer Tan Dun is most widely known for his Grammy and Oscar-winning score for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Tilson Thomas is music director of the San Francisco Symphony, founder and artistic director of the New World Symphony, and principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.
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