March Newsletter - 2026

Pops Concert Recap

Thank you to everyone who joined the Triangle Youth Philharmonic winter pops concert! With a costume contest, 50/50 raffle, lightsabers, and a photo booth, musicians and audience members had a great time! Our TYP students performed pops favorites from Star Wars, My Neighbor Totoro, and more, all to raise money for their upcoming trip to Europe this summer.

Thanks to amazing orchestra supporters like you, we were able to raise over $8,000 during this performance!

Swing & Sweets

Thank you to everyone who attended our Swing & Sweets fundraiser! We are so grateful for the support of our young musicians. It was a wonderful evening of music, dancing, and fun.

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to raise $13,000 through our fundraiser, ensuring that TYM can continue to offer programs to any young musician who wants to participate. 

Jazz Updates

Our jazz ensembles have had a busy spring! Both the Triangle Youth Jazz Orchestra and Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble competed in regional Essentially Ellington competitions, and brought home some big awards!

TYJO at University of South Carolina

TYJO traveled to the University of South Carolina, where they were the overall winner of USC's Essentially Ellington Regional Festival! 🏆

We are so proud of the entire group for sweeping the section awards, including:

• Outstanding Saxophone Section 🎷
• Outstanding Trumpet Section 🎺
• Outstanding Trombone Section 🦴
• Outstanding Rhythm Section 🥁
• Multiple Individual Soloist Awards

The absolute highlight of the weekend was likely Legendary trumpeter Jon Faddis sneaking on stage to perform with the band during their final tune! You know you are doing something right when a jazz icon decides he wants to join your horn section.

Beyond the awards, our students were inspired by incredible performances and comments from Jon Faddis, Vincent Gardner, the USC Left Bank Big Band, and the USC Jazz Faculty. It was a weekend filled with mentorship, downtime fun, and world-class music.

TYJE at UNC Chapel Hill

Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble travelled to UNC Chapel Hill where we took home the prize as Overall Winner of the UNC Chapel Hill Essentially Ellington Regional Competition!

In addition to the top prize, our musicians were awarded:

• Outstanding Community Band 🎼 
• Outstanding Rhythm Section 🥁 
• Multiple Individual Soloist awards!

TYJE goes to the Coast

Our Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble took a trip to Wilmington this January to perform as part of the Cameron Art Museum's prestigious jazz concert series. The students played to a remarkably enthusiastic crowd and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share their music with a brand-new audience outside of the Triangle. This excursion provided a wonderful opportunity for the musicians to bond as an ensemble while delivering a high-level performance for a new community!

Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble to attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington Festival & Competition

TYJE has once again been invited to compete in the Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington Festival & Competition! This is the 9th year that TYM has been chosen as a finalist, and we are so excited to be taking our musicians to New York City later this spring. Congratulations, TYJE!!!!