Susquehanna University Orchestra Summit and Mini-Tour
July 19-25, 2026!
We're excited to welcome students from Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia
and Brazil in 2026!
PA High Schools: Berwick, Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg), Elizabethtown, Emmaus, (Allentown), Gettysburg, Lewisburg, Lower Dauphin (Harrisburg), Reading
&
Alexandria City HS, VA; Newark Charter School, DE; Victor Senior HS, Rochester, NY; Lake Braddock Secondary School, VA
&
Harrisburg & Williamsport Youth Symphonies
&
an Au Pair Student from Florianópolis, Brazil!
JSW on podium
Brighton conducting
2nd Violins, Violas, Heilman Rehearsal Hall
JSW on podium
Dr. Zachary Levi & Dr. Jennifer Sacher Wiley
co-directors
REPERTOIRE
Complete Playlist HERE
Copland "Hoe Down"/Britten, Simple Symphony, 4th movement (interchangeable for program variety)
Samuel Coleridge Taylor/Troy Peters "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"
Yukiko Nishimura "Shining Echoes"
Jeremy Woolstenhulme "La Cascara"
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 19 late afternoon: check-in at Susquehanna University, audition for chair placements, first rehearsals
Monday & Tuesday, 7/20-7/21: Rehearsals and enrichment at Susquehanna University
Wednesday, 7/22 Tour begins!
11:00 Performance Crane's Mill, West Caldwell, NJ
12:00 Lunch at Crane's Mill
Afternoon: New York City visit
Hotel stay near Ridgewood, NJ
Thursday, 7/23
8:45 Side-by-Side Performance at Summer Music Academy, Ridgewood, NJ
Travel time to Jersey Shore
4:00 Performance at Ocean Grove Boardwalk Pavillion, Neptune Twp, NJ
Friday, 7/24 Fun day at Six Flags Great Adventure, return to Susquehanna University
Saturday, 7/25 late morning: Final concert, Farewell lunch, Summit ends
Co-Directors Zachary Levi & Jennifer Sacher WIley
an initiative of the Susquehanna University music department
in consultation with our esteemed colleagues
Advisory Board
Brian Buterbaugh • Michael Gamon • Veronica Jackson • LaShae Willits
Mission: The Susquehanna University Orchestra Summit & Mini-Tour seeks to increase opportunities for cross-cultural connections among young orchestral musicians. With music as a connecting language for scholarship and performance, the summit of students and directors is an oasis for intensive orchestral playing and thoughtful communication, promoting cultural empathy and musical growth. The resulting orchestra, encompassing musical ambassadors from participating organizations, will provide a mini-touring experience to major metropolitan areas of the northeast for young musicians.
