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Cornell Symphony Orchestra

Welcome to the homepage of the Cornell Symphony Orchestra!

This website aims to keep the Cornell and Ithaca communities up-to-date with all symphony-related information. Additionally, this website serves as the course website for MUSIC 343/344, the academic courses for Cornell students participating in the orchestra.

News Highlights

Fall Audition Information

August 31, 2008

Fall auditions have concluded, and the results have been posted on the members page. Congratulations to all those who will join this year's ensemble! More »

The Planets

October 11, 2008

The symphony orchestra's first concert this year features the renowned work by Holst, as well as the world premiere of Roberto Sierra's Anillos. More »

Symphony News & Announcements

Oct 2

First Concert of the Fall Season

Cornell Symphony Orchestra and Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, October 11th, 8:00pm, Bailey Hall.

Chris Younghoon Kim and Jeffery Meyer, conductors. As part of the annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, the orchestras present The Planets by Gustav Holst and the premiere of Roberto Sierra's new work featuring percussionist Tim Feeney.

Sep 27

CSO Board Meetings

The orchestra board will be having weekly dinner meetings at 5:30 pm on Mondays (before rehearsal) at Okenshields Dining Hall. All CSO and CCO members are welcome to attend.

Aug 31

CSO & CCO Audition Results

Orchestra auditions for the fall semester have concluded and the results have been posted on the members page. Any questions should be directed to Chris Kim (cyk8@cornell.edu). A list of CCO audition results is also available on the CCO homepage.

July 21

CSO Awarded for "Adventurous Programming"

The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) has awarded third place to the Cornell Symphony Orchestra in a ranking of collegiate orchestras recognized for their programming of contemporary music. Awards were distributed to a selection of American orchestras grouped by annual operating expenses. Among the nation's leading orchestras were the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Full story...

May 17

Symphony Tour Details Updated

The Cornell Symphony Orchestra will be touring Ireland next year, during the week of January 8, 2009. The tour page has been updated to reflect the governing board's current plans for the trip.

Mar 6

Featuring the Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra

Be sure to attend this weekend's concert, a joint concert with the CU Wind Symphony, on Sunday (March 9) at 3 PM in Bailey Hall.

The orchestra will be performing Jacob's Ladder by Marc Mellits, the first movement of Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major (featuring Jimmy Liu), and the Porgy and Bess Symphonic Picture (Gershwin, arr. Russell Bennett). Free admission.

Jan 31

Rehearsal Schedule Updates

The rehearsal schedule has been updated with information regarding the week of February 4th. Orchestra members are encouraged to check the schedule page weekly for such updates.

Jan 20

Spring Semester First Rehearsal

The first rehearsal for the orchestra's spring semester will be on Wednesday, January 23rd, at 7:00 PM in Lincoln B20. There will be no Monday rehearsal this week.

Dec 15

Concerto Competition Winner: Jian Liu

Congratulations to Jian Liu (violin), the winner of the Fourth Annual Cornell Concerto Competition. Jian will perform Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, March 9, 2007 at 3 PM in Bailey Hall.

Dec 7

Concerto Competition, First Round Results

The results of the first round of the Cornell Concerto Competition are in! A total of twelve musicians will be moving on to the second round:

  • Adam Neumann
  • Jian Liu
  • Jennifer Huang
  • Kyle Story
  • Jake Lee
  • Stephanie Chu
  • Tom Jackson
  • Nathan Drenkow
  • Chris Gerig
  • Andrew Yeo
  • Christine Marschilok
  • Tomomi Takada
Dec 6

Spring 2008 Audition Results

Spring 2008 auditions for the Cornell Symphony Orchestra have concluded. The results are posted on the orchestra board in Lincoln Hall, and the orchestra roster has been updated to reflect these changes. Welcome all new members to the orchestra!

Nov 13

Cornell Concerto Competition Update

Further information regarding the participants in the competition and the order of events has been posted. The competition this year will feature 23 entrants, of which three to five will be chosen for the finals concert on Sunday, December 9.

Oct 26

Auditions for Spring 2008

Auditions for the next spring semester will be held in November. Visit the audition page for more information. A list of openings:

  • 3 first violin
  • 3 second violin
  • 3 viola
  • 4 bass
  • 1 bassoon
  • 1 horn
  • 2 trumpet
  • 1 tuba
Sept 28

Concerto Competition Information

The Fourth Annual Cornell Concerto Competition is approaching quickly. Three to five finalists will play in the finals evening concert at 8:00 PM in Barnes Hall on Sunday, December 9. Further information regarding the competition, including the guidelines and application form, is available here.

Aug 26

Audition Information and Results

2007 Fall auditions began on Monday August 20 and lasted for the entire week ending on Saturday, August 25. The following number of instrumentalists auditioned on each instrument:

  • 66 violin
  • 16 viola
  • 21 cello
  • 6 bass
  • 14 flute
  • 4 oboe
  • 4 clarinet
  • 3 bassoon
  • 7 horn
  • 4 trumpet
  • 6 trombone
  • 1 tuba
  • 7 percussions

The audition results are posted on the members page. Thank you all for auditioning for the orchestra.

Aug 19

Election Results Are In!

The elections for the 2007-2008 Orchestra board were held during Finals Week, May, 2007. After tallying the votes, the results are in. Visit the board's webpage for the results and more information.

Upcoming Rehearsals

Monday, October 13th

  • No Rehearsal

Wednesday, October 15th

  • No Rehearsal

Support CSO

The Cornell Symphony Orchestra is always looking for outside support to provide for the future endeavors of the Orchestra. If you would like to make a donation to the Orchestra, please e-mail Chris Younghoon Kim, or call him at 607-255-8614.