In just a few weeks, the world's online, collaborative orchestra lands on our shores, as Sydney hosts the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011.

We asked for your auditions, and you voted for your favourites. Now, the 97 orchestral musicians and 4 winning improvisers are hard at work preparing for their musical journey down under:



New this year, we will be hosting a week-long extravaganza celebrating creativity, the arts, and global collaboration between March 14 - 20. Here are four easy ways for you to get involved:
  1. Want to see the winning orchestra in action? Grab your ticket to the Grand Finale, held in the Concert Hall of Sydney Opera House, under the baton of Grammy Award-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. An epic multimedia celebration of creativity and technology, this gala performance will come to life through soaring musical interludes and vast images projected on the interior and sails of the Sydney Opera House. More tickets should be released very soon - check back often as they’re going fast!
  2. Can’t make the finale performance? Check out any of the week’s ensemble concerts, which will feature musical luminaries from around the world and Australia joining members of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, including Synergy Percussion and didgeridoo legend William Barton, amongst others.
  3. Want to see some jamming? This year we’re bringing you a Brazilian guitarist, a Chinese guzheng player, an American violinist and an Australian double bassist jamming with their fellow musicians in a special, pre-finale improv session at The Basement. Grab your tickets now as this is sure to be a popular event.
  4. Win a chance to jam! The auditions aren’t over just yet... You could still win a chance to jam with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 on stage! Qantas is offering you and a friend the chance to win flights to Sydney, 7 nights accommodation in the Four Seasons Hotel and the opportunity to join the orchestra for an Open Mic concert. Just submit your non-traditional talent and prove you’ve got what it takes for a chance to win.
We’ll keep you up to date with news and content over the next few weeks on the YouTube Symphony Orchestra Channel. And of course, be sure to tune in to watch the live stream as this truly global orchestra takes the stage at Sydney Opera House on March 20, 2011.

Ernesto Soriano, YouTube Team, recently watched Synergy Percussion Mallet Quartet