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Younga Reitz

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Cellist Younga Reitz began her musical training at an early age with piano, violin, then on to cello. She graduated from Sunhwa Performing Arts High School in Seoul, Korea. She holds a Bachelor’s degree Cum Laude (1995) and Master’s degree (1997) from Duquesne University

Mary Pappert School of Music. She also studied Music Therapy while serving as a graduate assistant and served as the librarian for Duquesne Symphony Orchestra.

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Mrs. Reitz was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society in 1997. She earned an Artist Diploma in 2001 from the same institute. As the first prize winner of the Korean Music Education Association, Younga Reitz has made a solo appearance with Les Arts de Baroque Orchestra at Hoahm Performing Arts Hall in Seoul, Korea in 1994. Also, her solo and chamber music performance was heard in Switzerland, Holland, and the U.S. Her performances include the winner’s recital of Pittsburgh Young Artist Series in 1999. Younga Reitz has studied with Misha Quint, Anne Martindale Williams, Jennifer Langham, Sung Yon Lee and Lauren Mallory. She has participated in numerous international music festivals in the U.S., Europe and South Korea. 

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Mrs. Reitz is the music director of the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra Chamber Strings.  She is also the cello coach for Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra (PYCO) and PYCO Jr. Strings.  Mrs. Reitz holds a large private studio teaching cello, violin, viola and chamber music. She has been teaching online lessons for last seven years. Mrs. Reitz has also served as the principal cello at the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra, cello coach for the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and adjunct teacher at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (2006-2012), String Supplement Teacher at Quaker Valley high school (2009-2010), Center for Musically Talented at CAPA, She has been on the faculty at the City Music Center and Jewish Community Center, and has taught orchestral studies, chamber music, and private lessons in Westminster College, Geneva College, Seton Hill College, Fox Chapel Area High School, Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, Beaver Area High School, Pittsburgh Chamber Music Festival (1997 & 1998), Musik Innovations Chamber Music Camp (2001- 2007), Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra Summer Camp (2014-2019), Pine Richland School District Summer Strings Camp (2002-2017), PMEA District 1 Elementary Strings Fest and Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Programs (2012). She has played in the orchestras including Wheeling Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, Altoona Symphony, Johnstown Symphony and Butler Symphony.

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Mrs. Reitz is the founder and the director of the Pittsburgh Ensemble (established in 1997) and Good Samaritans Cello Ensemble. 

In over twenty-eight years of teaching, her students have participated in many outstanding performing organizations and won numerous competitions listed below.

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  • Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (Principal & Section)

  • Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra (Principal & Section)

  • Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra Symphonette (Principal & Section)

  • Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (Principal & Section)

  • Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra Prelude Strings (Concert Master & Section)

  • Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra (Principal & Section)

  • Interlochen Center for the Arts

  • Extreme Strings Orchestra

  • Erie Youth Philharmnic Orchestra (Principal)

  • PMEA All Eastern Orchestra

  • PMEA All State Orchestra 

  • PMEA Regional Orchestra (Principal & Section)

  • PMEA Honors String Orchestra 

  • PMEA Junior String Orchestra (Principal & Section)

  • PA Governor’s School for the Arts

  • Pittsburgh Youth Consort (Principal & Section)

  • Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra  

  • Butler Symphony Orchestra (Section)

  • Pittsburgh Concert Society Competition

  • Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra (Section)

  • Duquesne Young Artist Competition

  • Tuesday Musical Club Competition

Harpsichord

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A harpsichord is a keyboard instrument where strings are plucked, rather than struck like a piano. It's a historical keyboard instrument that was prominent from the 16th to the late 18th century. In 2025, a harpsichord was purchased and donated to The Music Note in honor of Mrs. Gretchen McCabe. Mrs. McCabe has supported the education of the arts in Pittsburgh for decades. 

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Celesta

A celesta is a keyboard percussion instrument that looks like a small, upright piano. It produces sound when felt hammers, connected to a keyboard mechanism, strike metal bars, which are then resonated by wooden boxes. This instrument was donated in memory of Rev. William Kinsey by his wife Mrs. Donna Kinsey in January 0f 2024.

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Whitechapel Handbells

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is the oldest company that manufactures bells, with a 450-year history of casting tower bells in the Whitechapel district of London. The most famous foundry in the world, Whitechapel cast well-known bells for many churches and state buildings, including the Liberty Bell, and Big Ben, which hangs in the Houses of Parliament. Whitechapel began making handbells in the 1740s. In 2023, The Music Note was very fortunate to have 5 octave set of Whitechapel Handbells donated in memory of the late Thomas J. Newcomer.

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Silver Melody Bells

These rare instruments were produced only for a short time in the 1980s and again from 2013-2020. The Music Note fortunate enough to have these instruments donated in memory of Mr William and Mrs. Carol Hillberry. 

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Bellplates

Belleplates is a brand name of a musical instrument of the percussion family and handbell sub-family. Consisting of a handle attached to a trapezoidal aluminium plate, struck by an attached hammer, they are something of a combination of handbells and handchimes. The donation of the bellplates remains a mystery. They were left on our stoop on Halloween of 2023 with a note "Enjoy making music with these." The mystery donor left them in memory of Rev. William Kinsey.

The Music Note

©2020 by The Music Note

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