Erie’s Premiere Youth Orchestra Program
About Us
The Erie Junior Philharmonic, created in 1947 by Fritz Mahler, is one of the oldest youth orchestras in the United States and has been a staple in the Erie community since. Graduates are now playing in orchestras across the country, including the New York Philharmonic, the Columbus Symphony, and even the Erie Philharmonic!
Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Jerry Anderson, the Erie Junior Philharmonic offers weekly rehearsals, sectional coaching, and advanced chamber ensembles for members of the string, brass, woodwind, and percussion sections of the orchestra. Performance opportunities include winter and spring concerts, ensemble performances, an annual concerto competition, and a performance with the Erie Philharmonic. They also host a Summer Music Camp to keep student music skills sharp over the summer.
Is your student already playing an instrument? That’s amazing! We have ensembles for all instruments and different playing abilities! Check out our ensemble page for more information.
Not sure where to start? That’s okay too! We have Prelude ensembles to ensure your student gets the best start on string or wind instruments. We start at the very beginning – how to take care of your instrument, how to hold it, how to read music, and more.
The Junior Philharmonic rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings at Strong Vincent Middle School. Our season runs September-May. Rehearsal times differ based on each ensemble, but we rehearse within the 6:00-8:30pm window.
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23 West 10th Street, Erie, PA 16501
(814) 455-1375 ext. 117
Business Manager/Audition Information
Maura Pelinsky · fiddlemo@msn.com
Erie Philharmonic Director of Community Programs
Lisa Herring · lisa@eriephil.org
Meet the Staff & Coaches
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Jerry Anderson, Artistic Director & Conductor
Jerry taught music at elementary, middle, and high school levels in the Millcreek Township School District for 35 years. He is a celebrated educator and mentor to many current music educators in our region. At McDowell High School, Mr. Anderson’s orchestra students consistently placed in the PMEA All-State orchestra as well as the NAfME All-East and National Honors Orchestra. His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and the Pennsylvania Federation of Contest Judges. He is also a member of the Gem City Concert Band. Mr. Anderson is a graduate of Mercyhurst College where he studied under Robert Dolwick and James DeSano. He lives in Millcreek with his wife Sharon. Sharon and their son Austin are both alumni of the Erie Junior Philharmonic.
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Maura Pelinsky, Business Manager
Maura, also a Junior Philharmonic alum (1975-80 and participated in the European tour in 1982), just completed her 37th season with the Erie Philharmonic as a first violin. She has been working with the (Junior) Philharmonic since 2018, after retiring from her full-time job as Adult Day Services Director at Saint Mary’s East. When not focused on music, Maura enjoys daily gym workouts, gardening, and baking. Maura and her husband Carl reside in Fairview with their 8-year-old Dalmatian “Ditto”. They have one son and a 17-year-old grandson.
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Carrie Borland, Chamber Orchestra Conductor
Carrie has been with the Junior Philharmonic since 2018 and also teaches instrumental music at Westlake Middle School in the Millcreek Township School District. She is an Erie native who graduated from Mercyhurst University in 2002. She has played bassoon with numerous ensembles in the Erie area and continues to be a sought-after musician in our region. Carrie runs the Junior Philharmonic’s Chamber Orchestra and also coaches our wind players (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon).
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Liesl Hook, Prelude and Overture Strings
Liesl was a member of the Suzuki Violin faculty at The Cleveland Institute of Music from 1994-2022 and is currently in the music faculty at Hawken School in Cleveland. Her Suzuki teaching has taken her to many festivals and Institutes throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Japan where she has been a guest lecturer and master class teacher. She’s shared the stage with artists including Tony Bennett, Bernadette Peters, Pink Floyd, Meatloaf, Johnny Mathis, The Three Tenors, Il Divo, and Andre Bocelli. She has recorded and performed for Pokemon: Symphonic Metamorphosis and The Legend of Zelda and is active as a musician for touring musicals. Liesl is a violinist with The Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Bluewater Chamber Orchestra, and the Erie Philharmonic.
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Mariana Mathewson Bernstein, Prelude and Intermezzo Strings
Mariana Mathewson Bernstein is an educator, composer and musician. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from Mercyhurst University, as well as a Master’s of Music from Northwestern University. Her main instrument is cello and has most recently performed with the Chadokoin Chamber Ensemble. In addition to maintaining a private cello studio, she is also the music teacher at Grandview Elementary School in Millcreek and lives in Erie with her husband.
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Kent Tucker, Brass Coach
Kent serves as the trombone instructor at Mercyhurst University and Allegheny College. In addition, he teaches instrumental music in the Erie Catholic School System. Kent performs frequently throughout the tri-state region as a professional trombonist. He has performed with the Erie Philharmonic, the Erie Ballet Orchestra, the Bemus Bay Pops Orchestra, Presque Isle Brass, and numerous church brass ensembles. As a jazz player, he has performed with the Presque Isle Jazz Tentet, the Misery Bay Big Band, the Dave Stevens Big Band, the Dixie Doodlers, the Bayfront Dixieland Jazz Band, Sack of Bones, and others. He is a founding member of the horn section in the award-winning Erie band, The Groove.
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Brad Amidon, Percussion Coach
Mr. Amidon currently performs in the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra and the Misery Bay Big Band, as well as a host of other small chamber groups in the northwest PA area. In addition to keeping an active teaching studios and directing percussion ensembles, he is currently ABD in the music theory doctoral program at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Brad holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Edinboro University and an MFA in Percussion Performance from State University of New York at Buffalo. His teachers have included Jan Williams, Lynn Harbold, Cosmo A. Barbaro, Alan Zimmerman, and M’Baye Rama Diagne.
Our Ensembles
String Academy
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Beginning strings (violin, viola, cello, bass)
Students do not need to have any prior experience to be in the Prelude Ensembles.
Recommended for students in Grades 2+
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Graduates of Prelude Strings join this ensemble, or students with one year of experience on a string instrument can audition for placement
This ensemble is intended for students who are just starting to read music and learn how to play as an ensemble.
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This intermediate ensemble is for students that graduate from Overture Strings or have a few years of experience on a string instrument.
Winds Academy
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Beginning winds is for students with no prior experience on a woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument.
Students do not need to have any prior experience to be in the Prelude Ensembles.
We currently offer Prelude Winds for flute and clarinet, but we hope to open to other instruments at a later date.
Recommended for students in Grades 4+
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Graduates of Prelude Winds join this ensemble, or students with one year of experience on a woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument can audition for placement.
This ensemble is intended for students who are just starting to read music and want to learn how to play as an ensemble.
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This intermediate ensemble is for students that graduate from Overture Winds or have a few years of experience on their woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument.
Orchestras
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Our intermediate orchestra is for all instruments (strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion) and is our first level for playing in a full orchestra. They also rehearse in sections on a regular basis in preparation for joining the Symphony Orchestra.
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Advanced orchestra for all instruments. Members receive coaching on their instrument, masterclasses with Erie Phil musicians, and also perform Side-by-Side with the Erie Philharmonic on the Warner Theatre stage each season.
Auditions
The audition window for the 2024-25 Season is August 12-31.
All returning Erie Junior Philharmonic members and any interested new members need to submit an audition. All ensembles are audition-based, except for Prelude Strings and Prelude Winds, which are intended for new players with no experience.
All auditions are self-made video auditions and should be submitted electronically. You do not need a professional recording – most submit a recording from a phone.
(If the video is too big to email, you can use a platform like Google Drive, WeTransfer, or Dropbox to share it with us. Let us know if you have any issues with the submission. We can help!)
See the audition requirements to be included in the video. Once ready, please email your video submission to Maura at fiddlemo@msn.com.
Questions? Check out our FAQ below!
Audition Requirements
Prelude Strings or Prelude Winds
We offer beginner ensembles with no experience necessary. Auditions are not required for Prelude groups. Registrations open late summer. Contact Maura to register and get on the sign-up list!
String Academy Audition Requirements
Overture Strings
Major scales (1 octave; G or D). Choose one.
A solo or piece of your choosing that fully demonstrates your finest playing, such as a piece you are working on in lessons or a piece you performed with your school
Intermezzo Strings
Major scales (1-2 octaves; C, G, D, F or Bb). Choose one.
A solo or piece of your choosing that fully demonstrates your finest playing, such as a piece you are working on in lessons or a piece you performed with your school
Winds Academy Audition Requirements
Overture Winds
Major scale (1 octave; concert Bb)
One year of playing experience on instrument
A solo or piece of your choosing that fully demonstrates your finest playing, such as a piece you are working on in lessons or a piece you performed with your school
Symphony/Chamber Orchestra Requirements
Auditions require short excerpts and scales. Please click the button to open the dropbox file for Chamber/Symphony. You’ll find a PDF for each orchestra. You can click through the folders to find any music that you may need to prepare.
FAQs
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The Erie Junior Philharmonic is for students who are seven (7) years of age or older by September 14, 2023. Students are eligible until they graduate from high school.
If a younger student is interested in Prelude ensembles, it must be approved by Maura prior to registering. Prelude ensembles do NOT need to audition are eligible to participate until they graduate from high school.
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See above section for audition information. Prelude ensembles do NOT need to audition. The spots for the beginning class (Prelude Strings or Winds) are first come, first serve. The rest of the ensembles are audition based.
Candidates audition for a place in the Erie Junior Philharmonic at large - not a specific ensemble - and selected candidates will be placed in an ensemble based on level. Please note that auditions are competitive for intermediate and advanced ensembles and not every student is placed.
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The Erie Junior Philharmonic has a limited supply of instruments to help students. Schools are usually willing to help out as needed, too! Reach out, and we’ll do our best to make sure you have access to an instrument.
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The Erie Junior Philharmonic has the ability to help students record their audition materials. To learn more, please contact Maura Pelinsky at fiddlemo@msn.com.
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The Erie Junior Philharmonic requires students to resubmit an audition each season to ensure they are placed in an ensemble that most closely matches their level of playing. This means that a student might spend a few seasons in one ensemble before moving to the next.
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The Erie Junior Philharmonic wants to make quality music education accessible to all students. Because of this, we are providing auditions at no charge to all students. Tuition will be charged for all students accepted to the Erie Junior Philharmonic. Tuition ranges from $200-350 for the year, depending on which ensemble student is placed in. Tuition payments can be for the entire season, each semester or monthly.
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Need-based scholarships are available to all students. Tuition can be paid yearly, by semester, or monthly.
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Private lessons are important for all musicians, even the professionals! We highly recommend that all Junior Philharmonic members take private lessons if possible. We can send you a list of teachers that we know of in our area. Then, we suggest you contact a few and see what the best fit is for you and your student. Their location, costs, and schedule will all be different.
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Maura is the Junior Philharmonic’s Business Manager and can answer any questions or lead you in the right direction. fiddlemo@msn.com or (814) 450-6951 (cell).
Ways to Support
The Erie Junior Philharmonic is supported by the Erie Philharmonic. Your donations earmarked to educational programs or the Junior Philharmonic help in keeping the program sustainable and thriving in our area. Please click above to donate.
Can’t contribute financially? There are other ways to help! Reach out to Lisa at lisa@eriephil.org or 814.455.1375, ext. 117, to see how you can help! We need help in a variety of ways, including volunteering for concerts, helping with summer camp, instrument donations, coordinating trips, and more.
We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without our generous sponsors! To see how your business can help, click below:
Alumni
Were you previously in the Junior Philharmonic? We have an incredible group of alumni, and we like to keep them up-to-date with the current information about our programs, concerts and announcements! Please fill out the below form to be added to the list.
