UBC music student to play in 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra

Members of the 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra were announced last week, and five Canadians have been selected, including Vancouver-based flutist Paul Hung.

The third-year music student at the University of British Columbia will be joining 100 other musicians between the ages of 14 and 49 from March 14 to 20 in Sydney, Australia. Now in its third year, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is the first collaborative, online, and international orchestra. Thousands of audition videos were submitted and whittled down to 336 finalists hailing from 46 countries. The winning orchestra members were determined by public online voting.

Hung immigrated to Canada from Taiwan when he was 14 to pursue his music studies. He studies with Lorna McGhee at UBC and has been principal flute in the UBC Symphonic Wind Ensemble, UBC Symphony Orchestra, and Vancouver Youth Symphony. Hung also performs with the UBC Contemporary Players and two chamber music groups.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Sydney Opera House on March 20 under the leadership of Grammy award-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

Other Canadian participants include Victoria violinist Sarah Tradewell, Langley violinist Allene Chomyn, Burlington, Ontario, double bassist Richard Carnegie, and Toronto percussionist Michelle Hwu.

Visit the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 website for more details.

You can follow Michelle da Silva on Twitter at twitter.com/michdas.