The Thirteen’s Student Baroque Orchestra Project (S-BOP), presented in partnership with the DC Youth Orchestra, is the only period-instrument youth orchestra in the United States. It gives high school musicians a unique opportunity to study the instruments, techniques, and musical language of Baroque music.
Beginning in January 2027, students will rehearse music of the high Baroque weekly with The Thirteen’s teaching artists. The Thirteen provides each student with an instrument fitted with gut strings and a historically appropriate setup, along with a Baroque bow. These instruments represent a substantial investment in each participant’s musical education, providing access to equipment rarely available even to undergraduate conservatory students.
Students will learn how Baroque instruments differ from their modern counterparts and how those differences influence bowing, articulation, phrasing, and balance. They will study the musical conventions of the period and apply them in rehearsal, developing their own musical ideas while learning to listen and respond to their fellow players.
S-BOP gives students the instruments, instruction, and instructional time to pursue an area of music they might otherwise encounter only through recordings. The project culminates in performances at American University’s Katzen Arts Center and THEARC in May 2027.
For more information please email info@thethirteenchoir.org