REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR
First Rehearsal: Sunday, September 19, 2021 @ 4pm-6pm
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Seating Audition Dates: September 2, 9, 10, 12, 16, and 17 2021
The Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra is for students ages 13-21 in public school, private school, or home school, who have experience playing one of the following instruments:
Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass
Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet*, Bassoon, Saxophone*
French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium*, Tuba
Percussion
*Bass Clarinet, Saxophone, & Euphonium Players: Due to the nature of orchestral music, we may not have music for you to participate in full orchestra. However, you will be able to participate in concert band.
COVID-19 Safety and Precautions
We are continually monitoring the latest recommendations by the CDC and the state of North Carolina to keep you and your children safe and comfortable. The necessary safety measures will be updated as necessary. Currently, masks are required for everyone participating in FSYO due to the requirements placed by the venue. Hand sanitizer will be available, and seats will be wiped down before and after rehearsals. We will also conduct temperature checks upon arrival for rehearsals.
In addition to the above, we also ask that any student stay home if they do not feel well. Students and/or parents must communicate with the appropriate faculty of FSYO to let us know the student is not attending rehearsal.
If a student has been exposed to someone else who has COVID-19, they will be required to stay home for a minimum of 14 days and must notify the faculty of FSYO when they were exposed and if they had attended FSYO rehearsal during the exposure window.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, we will also require that the student stay home and they may not attend rehearsal again until they have been symptom free for a minimum of 10 days.
Any updates to procedures will be posted on the website and communicated via email.
How to Register
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Please fill out the registration form and pay the tuition on or before September 15, 2021. Once your registration form is received, you will be emailed a link to pay the tuition.
Tuition is $250 per-student for the entire school year. Tuition can be paid in full by September 15, 2021, or paid in two installments ($125 on or before September 15, 2021 and $125 on or before January 7, 2022). Limited financial aid is also available. If you are interested in financial aid, please indicate so on your registration form.
Students will also be required to schedule a seating audition upon registering. Music for the seating audition can be found below. Please note that auditions are merely for seat placements in the proper ensembles – no one will be turned away from participating in FSYO.
Seating Audition Music
Auditions will be held on September 2, 9, 10, 12, 16, and 17 from 4pm-8pm. Please indicate what day/time you prefer for your audition on your registration form. An FSO staff member will confirm your audition day and time once we receive your registration form. Auditions will last no longer than 10-15min, and results will be announced prior to the first rehearsal on Sunday, September 19.
For your music, please click on your instrument below and prepare as best as you can. Remember, these auditions are purely for seat placement – no one will be turned away from participating.
Violins – Please prepare BOTH Violin I and Violin II audition pieces.
Rehearsal Schedule
Rehearsals are every Sunday at Fayetteville Academy beginning on Sunday, September 19th.
String Orchestra rehearses from 4pm-4:50pm
Concert Band rehearses from 4pm-4:50pm
Full Orchestra rehearses from 5pm-6pm
Perks of Joining FSYO
Play alongside students from other schools
Receive instruction from professional musicians
Perform a joint concert alongside the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra
Many performance opportunities with members of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra throughout the year.
For any additional questions, read our FAQ section here, or email us at info@fayettevillesymphony.org
May 2020 – Irish Suite, Part I – Leroy Anderson; Adapted by Douglas E. Wagner
April 2020 – Take Five
May 2018 – Theme from Jurassic Park
May 2018 – FSYO Concert Band, Amparita Roca
Meet the Faculty!
Dr. Larry Wells, FSYO Director and Conductor
Dr. Larry Wells holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Washington State University (1990). He holds a Master of Science in Teaching Music from Portland State University (1996), and completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in Trumpet Performance/Wind Conducting from the University of North Texas (2006). His dissertation is entitled Construction Applications, Practices, and Techniques of Natural Trumpets; A Comparative Analysis of Baroque and Modern Era Trumpet Construction Methods.
Currently, Larry holds the Union-Zukowski Endowed Professor of the Fine Arts position at Methodist University as the Professor of Music and the Director of Instrumental Studies/Trumpet. Prior to his appointment at Methodist, Larry taught for one year at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and three years at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
In addition to teaching, Larry is the music director for the Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra. Previously, Larry was the General Manager and Associate Conductor for the 500+ member Metropolitan Youth Symphony in Portland, Oregon. Larry also spent four years working for the David. G. Monette Corp. building custom trumpets for notable players such as Wynton Marsalis, Manny Laureano, Terrance Blanchard, the late Adolph Herseth, and Maynard Ferguson.
As a performer, Larry holds a position in the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, and the Carolina Philharmonic. In addition, he has played numerous times with the Cape Fear Regional Theater, North Carolina Symphony, Portland Opera, the Oregon Symphony, the Eugene Symphony and Opera, and the Salem Chamber Orchestra. While at the University of North Texas, Larry played with the UNT Symphonic Band, UNT Baroque Orchestra, and the UNT Opera Orchestra. He has performed with Marie Osmund, The Moody Blues, Mannheim Steamroller, and as a guest musician with the Jordanian National Symphony in Amman, Jordan.
As a soloist, Larry completed a recital tour in Italy during the summer of 2013. During that tour he played in Bologna, Florence, and Trent. In May of 2014, Larry recorded his first CD, using repertoire from the Italy tour along with some added material.
Larry regularly serves on the faculty of various summer camps and festivals. These include The Methodist University “Summer Jam”, the Fayetteville Symphony’s “Summer Music Festival”, The Presbyterian Music Association’s “Montreat Camp”, and The Oregon Coast Music Festival.
Outside of music, Larry’s interests include playing golf, woodworking, and exploring New Orleans with his wife Tracey and three children: Pruette, Harrison, and Daulton.
Email: lwells@methodist.edu
Mrs. Laurel Wachtler, String Education Coordinator
Laurel Wachtler, violinist, graduated with honors from New Mexico State University and has played with numerous groups, including the Phillips Symphony in Oklahoma and the Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland as principal second violin, before moving to Fayetteville. She has been a member of FSO for more than 15 years. She also plays with the Vilasi Quartet and the Dogwood Trio. She is a violin instructor at the Snyder Music Academy and has a private studio. She is the violinist and a soprano for the Coventry Carolers, sings in Cantate, and is a pilot for Skies Unlimited Aviation.
FSYO received start up funding from Cumberland Community Foundation and is Supported By:
Ronnal Ford, a DMA oboe student at UNC Greensboro, has been playing English horn and oboe with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra since the 2011-2012 season. Ronnal currently teaches at Guilford Technical Community College and Forsyth Technical Community College. Prior to those appointments, he held positions as the Graduate Teaching Assistant for the oboe studio at UNCG, and has served as the Adjunct Professor of Music at Winston Salem State University, where he taught Oboe, Bassoon and Violin. In addition to the Fayetteville Symphony, Ronnal often performs with the Durham Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, and the Piedmont Wind Symphony on flute, oboe, and clarinet. He is also an active chamber musician with the award-winning reed quintet, Quintet Sirocco.
