In the summer of 2014, Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras (TRYPO) Executive Director, Lindsey Nova, and TRYPO Board President, Paula Rehn, were invited to Chautauqua, NY, to visit with a dozen young musicians, guests of Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) and his wife, Laurie. For three summers, the Cunninghams rented a house so students from Pittsburgh could attend Chautauqua Music Camp and study chamber music together. Most of the students that summer were members of TRYPO, and a few would be joining the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO) that fall. Lindsey and Paula saw the potential for the program to grow, and TRYPO's Board of Directors agreed to assume responsibility for the residential camp the next year.

August 2015, TRYPO expanded the Chautauqua program to two houses, including members of both TRYPO and PYSO, and doubled attendance! Lindsey and Craig Johnson, Executive Director of PYSO, invited members of their board of directors to visit Chautauqua, attend the students' final performance, and discuss the possibility of forming a shared chamber program in Pittsburgh that fall. Carolyn and Bill Byham, avid arts-supporters in Pittsburgh, agreed to host the group for lunch at their summer home in Chautauqua. It was on the Byham's back porch, surrounded by sunshine, good food, and the students' love of chamber music, that the seeds of YC² were planted.

For several years prior, TRYPO had been working with City Music Center (CMC) of Duquesne University to offer chamber music education and performance opportunities to their members. Since 2000, PYSO had been partnering with Chamber Music Pittsburgh to offer their Montgomery Fellowship Quartet program to a quartet of PYSO members, which includes a year of chamber music coaching with a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO), performance opportunities, and other benefits.

Fall 2015, TRYPO, PYSO, and CMC combined efforts and began the Youth Chamber Connection (YC²). Within the first three days, dozens had signed up; and by the end of September, 60 musicians assembled into 15 chamber groups, ages 8-18, coached by members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra, CMC faculty, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, and other area music educators. The students performed over 75 times across Western Pennsylvania during the inaugural year. YC² began an enrichment program for its members, offering master classes, group chamber events, and Chamber Music Pittsburgh offers our members two free tickets to attend each of their internationally-recognized concert series!

Our second year, YC² placed 85 students in 21 chamber ensembles which performed over 100 times, including a new Pop-Up Concert series of simultaneous performances in seven neighborhood branches of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Each school year since, YC² has placed 75-85 students into quartets and quintets, including many students new to chamber music each year. We have expanded our Pop-Up Concert Series into more neighborhoods, holding performances in branches of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in the West End, Lawrenceville, Homewood, East Liberty, Carrick, Knoxville, Woods Run, Brookline, the North Side and more. These community connection events are designed to take classical music out into neighborhoods where live music is rarely heard.

Summer 2016, YC² at Chautauqua Music Camp doubled attendance once again, filling four houses with 50 high-school-age musicians, and we began coordinating the chamber music program for Chautauqua’s camp. Conductor Eddie Leonard, then Music Director of Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Philharmonic, joined the team and prepared the students to perform three world premieres written by Pittsburgh teen composers Hannah Ishizaki and Sasha Voinov. In fact, Sasha has written a new composition for our Chautauqua campers all eight summers!

Every summer since, YC² at Chautauqua Music Camp has filled four houses, and continued its collaboration with Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua Music Camps Director Pete Lindblom, and a terrific staff of coaches including members of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and wonderful Western NY music educators. Maestro Leonard now serves as Conductor in Residence for the Department of Religion for Week 8 every summer, and he has prepared the students for a performance of Faure's Requiem along with Chautauqua Music Director Jared Jacobsen and the Chautauqua Choir; Sunday evening, as well as performances Sunday morning and Friday morning. 

When Pennsylvania began to shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, YC²’s school-year program moved online. Inspired by the Bayberry String Quartet, the new approach included weekly Zoom working sessions for each group with their coach. They had listening assignments, and recording assignments weekly using the educational version of Bandlab. Via Zoom, each chamber group gathered to listen to the previous week’s solo recording homework, study their score and make musical decisions together, compare and critique professional recordings, and work on excerpts individually for group feedback and tips from their coach.

Maestro Leonard and four dozen young musicians were on board for another great week at Chautauqua Music Camp for August 2020 – sadly without our dear Jared Jacobsen, who passed away August 2019, just days after our collaboration – however, plans were cancelled when Chautauqua Institution cancelled all in-person programming as well. YC² worked with TRYPO to offer a fantastic virtual summer music camp for 53 campers, employing new teaching methods tested during the quarantine.

For our 2021-22 Season, as we cautiously and optimistically return to chamber music in person, don’t be surprised if you see YC² incorporate techniques learned during quarantine into our program. We have been delighted to see our students grow musically in new and creative ways, and as chamber groups working together this year. Keep checking for updates as we finalize our season! There’s so much in store and we look forward to sharing with you!