SPECIFIC FEATURES OF WORKING WITH YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS: THE CASE OF THE SIBERIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA AND THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF THE DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY SIBERIAN STATE ACADEMY OF ARTS

Leonid Zhukovsky

UDC 7.067

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF WORKING WITH YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS: THE CASE OF THE SIBERIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA AND THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF THE DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY SIBERIAN STATE ACADEMY OF ARTS

Published in Siberian Art History Journal · Volume 5, Issue 3, 2026 · Pages 77–84 · Rubric: musical art

Received: 29.09.2026 Accepted: 30.09.2026 Published: 30.09.2026

Authors

Leonid Zhukovsky

Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State University of Arts Russian Federation · Krasnoyarsk

ABSTRACT

The article examines the key pedagogical and performance-related aspects of the professional training of young musicians through the example of work with the Siberian Youth Orchestra (SYO) and the Symphony Orchestra of the Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts. Following a brief historical overview of the development of orchestral performance in the context of children’s and youth music ensembles, the author outlines the principal stages of working with youth orchestras, ranging from the initial study of the musical text and the development of ensemble coordination to achieving artistic integrity in interpretation. Particular attention is paid to the importance of a properly organized rehearsal process as the foundation for the future artistic result. In this regard, the author emphasizes that rehearsals should encompass both the mastery of technical challenges and the development of the musicians’ ability to perceive the orchestral score as a unity of form and content. The consistent progression through these stages, from working on individual elements of the musical texture to concert performance, is regarded as the basis for educating a thoughtful and reflective musician. For the orchestra conductor, the principal means of achieving this goal include the expressiveness of conducting gestures, well-developed manual conducting technique, and a methodologically structured working process. Taken together, these aspects contribute to achieving creative mutual understanding within the ensemble. The article concludes that once the principal technical difficulties have been overcome and the process of preparing the musical program has been organized in a logical and coherent manner, the concert interpretation of the score becomes a genuine artistic statement, while the collective music-making of young performers within the orchestra develops into an art form.

KEYWORDS

orchestra, orchestral musician, conductor-educator, Siberian Youth Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts

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JATS XML

Doctor of Cultural Studies, Docent

Julia Zamaraeva

rybka08@bk.ru

Candidate of Philosophical Sciences

Anastasia Kistova

Candidate of Cultural Studies, Docent

Maria Kolesnik

masha_kolesnik@mail.ru

Doctor of Philosophy, Professor

Natal'ya P. Kopceva