The Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) is back and ready to play. The 41-strong orchestra, made up of the region's top young musicians, has recruited 60 newcomers for its annual summer tour. Standing out, literally, is the 1.85 metre-tall Jeffrey Chan Chun-hin who, at 15, is also the youngest recruit this year. 'I am looking forward to meeting musicians from other countries. And I hope it will help me improve my music,' said Chun-hin, winner of this year's Pan Pacific Music Camp Scholarship. The orchestra has performed at grand venues throughout the world including the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House and Amsterdam's historic Concertgebouw. Beginning in August, they will play 17 concerts in 12 cities including Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The orchestra is never boring or repetitive. It holds auditions every summer to select new talent from all parts of Asia. These young professionals come together for six weeks. The first half of the programme is spent in rehearsal camp where they practise intensely for the tour. Lertkiat Chongjirajitra, 26, from Thailand joins them again this year. Chongjirajitra is one of the most promising talents in the orchestra. 'Every student that comes to AYO wants to learn as much as possible. [Chongjirajitra] gets the ideas, and takes them back to Bangkok,' said orchestra manager Keith Lau. This year's guests are composer and conductor Bright Sheng and pianist Robert Taub. Having collaborated with numerous orchestras and musicians including cellist Yo-yo Ma, Sheng is the recent winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant. Equally impressive as a Princeton University scholar, Taub also holds a doctoral degree from the Juilliard School.
