YouTube has invited classical musicians around the world to enter a competition to join the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, calling for submissions of audition videos at the Symphony YouTube channel.
Professionals and amateur musicians of all ages, locations and instruments are welcome to audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra by submitting a video performance of a new piece written for the occasion by the renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Youtube has tools to help contestants learn the music, rehearse with the conductor and upload their part for the collaborative video. In addition, each competitor is invited to submit a video demonstrating their musical and technical strengths.
Tan Dun’s Inspiration
“YouTube is the biggest stage on Earth, and I want to see what the world’s undiscovered musical geniuses will create on it,” said Dun, the Oscar-winning composer of the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Tan Dun talks about the inspiration behind the project: street noise and Beethoven.
Click on the image below to play the video.
Winners from the competition will be flown to New York for a three-day summit with San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and other performers leading up to an April 15, 2009, Carnegie Hall show. Entries will be narrowed down by a panel of judges from the world’s leading orchestras, including London, Berlin, Hong Kong, Sydney and New York, before semi-finalists will be voted on by viewers of YouTube.
Entrants can submit videos through January 28, 2009. YouTube viewers will vote on the semi-finalists February 14-22 and the winners will be announced on the YouTube website on March 2.
Click on the image below to play the video.
The thing that sucks me into this kind of show is to watch the growth in the people. You see ordinary people with talent who develop into incredible people who are capable of being superstars. Some disney acting auditions of them really disappoint – they appear to have so much potential, but they just don't change and get overtaken by the others. I always try and pick the winner from the list of finalists (just after the auditions) and I've never got one right yet!!