New England Youth Ensemble

The New England Youth Ensemble was founded 29 years ago by its director, Dr. Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse, as a group of talented teen-aged musicians dedicated to the cause of great music. Since that time, the Ensemble has toured successfully throughout the United States, Canada, West Indies, Europe, Israel, Australia, Africa, Jordan, China, Great Britain, and Russia. Since 1982 they have performed under the auspices of the Community Concert Division of Columbia Artists, New York. They made a very successful Carnegie Hall debut on May 28, 1988, under the auspices of Mid-America Productions. Since then, they have been invited repeatedly for return engagements. The Ensemble has been termed "a group of exceptionally gifted and highly trained young, professional-sounding musicians." The Ensemble has been in residence at Columbia Union College since 1995.