Violist Rebecca Young joined the New York Philharmonic as its youngest member in 1986. In October of 1993 she won her current position of Associate Principal Viola. She has also won the Principal Viola positions of the Boston Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ultimately, she has chosen to remain in New York with her family. Ms. Young is the principal violist of the Classical Pops Orchestra of Barbados, as well as the All Star Orchestra, a televised educational project spearheaded and conducted by Gerard Schwartz.
An avid chamber musician, Ms.Young has played with many world renowned artists, including Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Edgar Meyer and Pamela Frank. Ms. Young appears often with the New York Philharmonic Ensembles and has played with the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and others.
Ms. Young was first introduced to classical music by her parents, who took her to hear the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts led by Leonard Bernstein. Today, she is the host and part of the creative team of the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young People’s Concerts, where her philosophy is less to educate the audience than “to make it so much fun that kids and parents alike want to come back!” This ensemble made its European debut in London in April, 2017