Play at Carnegie Hall with YouTube and Tan Dun

Play your part in music history.

If you thought ASIMO conducting an orchestra was cool, you have a chance to be a part of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Interested in joining the first-ever collaborative online orchestra? Professionals and amateur musicians of all ages, locations and instruments are welcome to audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra by submitting a video performance of a new piece written for the occasion by the renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). They provide tools to help you learn the music, rehearse with the conductor and upload your part for the collaborative video.

Learn the piece with Tan Dun as your conductor. You can practice with video clips that have audio and ones that don’t as well. Members of the London Symphony Orchestra also teach you about specific instruments. It’s like getting private lessons. Every orchestra instrument is covered from pianos to piccolos to violins.

And how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice and upload. Send your talented video performances from a list of recommended pieces. (Try playing a piece like Martin Leung.) Finalists will be chosen by a judging panel and YouTube users to travel to New York in April 2009, to participate in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra summit, and play at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Participation in this Competition is open to individuals who are 14 years of age or older as of December 1, 2008 and are registered users of the YouTube website. The deadline for all video submissions is January 28, 2009.

Tan Dun on the YouTube Symphony Orchestra project