The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, a New Cultural Youth Organization, and the Transformation of Youth in a Concert Hall Replica

The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, a New Cultural Youth Organization, and the Transformation of Youth in a Concert Hall Replica

In 2012, the founding of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra created a new standard of artistic excellence for musical youth, and offered a new education program in which young musicians could practice their craft in an orchestra centered on orchestral leadership and artistic citizenship. The symbiotic relationship between the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology has allowed an auditorium space, a one-third-sized replica of Symphony Hall that was not often used due to its acoustical faults, to become the experimental space for new types of music events. The beginnings of this new organization has created an opportunity for community building amongst musical youth from all over Boston. This paper and podcast describes the founding of the organization as well as the many changes and influences in the Back Bay neighborhood as the result of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology becoming the new home of the Boston Philharmonic.

Max Tan