The first YouTube Symphony Orchestra --selected by viewers of the Web site--will consist of more than 90 musicians from some 30 countries. More than 3,000 videos were submitted by amateur and professional musicians from 70-plus countries. Musicians from professional orchestras including the London and San Francisco symphonies and the Berlin, Hong Kong and New York philharmonic orchestras picked 200 finalists. The 90-plus winners were then selected by voters on YouTube.

全球第一個「YouTube網上交響樂團」將由來自約30國的90多位音樂家組成，他們全由網路觀眾投票選出。全球有70多國業餘和職業音樂家提出3,000多支影帶，並由倫敦和舊金山專業交響樂團及柏林、香港和紐約愛樂管絃樂團的音樂家選出最後入圍的200人。最後再由YouTube票選出90多位贏家。

"We are excited about the talent, variety and adventurousness of the musicians who are coming together from around the world to form the YouTube Symphony Orchestra,'' conductor Michael Tilson Thomas said. "I am looking forward to our exploration of the incredible range of classical music's 1,200-year-old tradition which we will present in a unique way to our audience.''

「對這些來自世界各地組成YouTube交響樂團的音樂家，他們的才華、多樣組合和充滿冒險進取性格，我們感到興奮，」指揮麥可‧提許‧湯瑪斯說。「對古典樂長達1,200年不可思議的傳統領域的探索，我充滿期待，我們會以獨特的方式呈現給觀眾。」

The orchestra will have 26 different instruments. The selected musicians, ranging from ages 17 to 55, will participate in three days of master classes and rehearsals next month, culminating in an April 15 concert at Carnegie Hall conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, the San Francisco Symphony's music director.

這支交響樂團將演奏26種不同的樂器。經過千挑百選的樂手年齡在17到55歲之間，他們下個月將參加3天大師主講的講習班及彩排，並於4月15日在卡內基音樂廳由舊金山交響樂團音樂總監湯瑪斯指揮公演達到頂點。

They will perform composer Tan Dun's "Internet Symphony No. 1, Eroica,'' a piece specially arranged for the occasion. A mashup will be posted on YouTube.com on April 16.

他們將演奏華人作曲家譚盾特別為該樂團創作的「網路交響曲第一號：英雄」，現場演出實況4月16日po上YouTube網站。

Among the musicians selected is Calvin Lee, a 37-year-old surgeon in Modesto, California. "The strings on my violin were 15 years old when I first learned of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra and that's when I realized it was time to get my violin out of the closet,'' he said. "Since then I've been practicing, playing and thoroughly enjoying meeting other passionate musicians from across the globe through the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.''

通過篩選的音樂家包括加州莫德斯托37歲的外科醫師李凱文。他說：「我剛開始得知YouTube交響樂團時，小提琴琴絃已經塵封15年，我當時才想到是該讓小提琴『出櫃』的時候了。此後我就不斷練習拉琴，並透過YouTube交響樂團和全球各地充滿熱情的音樂家互相切磋，樂在其中。」

Lee was one of more than 90 musicians who earned a place in the orchestra by auditioning -- not in person but through Web videos. Lee dazzled online viewers with his video audition at YouTube.com by playing "Presto" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Sonata in G minor, despite all but quitting the violin before medical school.

李凱文是90多位雀屏中選的音樂家之一，他是靠面試甄選在樂團贏得一席之地，但他並非親自面試而是透過網路影帶甄選。他是在YouTube網站上播放他演奏巴赫「急板」G小調小提琴奏鳴曲的影帶參加甄試，而使網上聆賞者神魂顛倒，儘管李凱文上醫學院前就不再拉小提琴了。

"You see me wincing on the video, it's actually from real pain," Lee said. "It may be pain from playing the wrong note, but it's also physical pain." Lee said he recently took up music again to help his dexterity as a general surgeon. "Music is an art form and actually I believe that surgery is an art form as well," he said.

他說：「從影片中可以看到我臉部肌肉抽搐，是因為我真的很痛，那可能是因為拉錯音符而痛苦，但我身體的確酸痛。」他最近又開始練琴，希望有助於使外科醫師的手更靈巧。「音樂是一種藝術形式，事實上，我相信開刀也是一門藝術，」他說。

During the auditions, the musicians gave each other feedback in comments posted online and by e-mail. That could help the orchestra when it forms next month. "It's interesting that in the real world this will be the first time and the only occasion they come together," said Ed Sanders, a YouTube product marketing manager. "But they've actually had a lot of togetherness since the beginning of the project."

在網上甄選時，這些音樂家藉著po上網和電子郵件給彼此回饋和建議，這對樂團下月組成時大有助益。「有意思的是，在真實世界中，這將是第一次也是唯一一個場合，他們可以聚在一起，」YouTube產品行銷經理桑德斯說。「其實計畫上路以來，他們已經碰面很多次了。」

In addition to the U.S. winners, the international musicians are from 29 countries, China, Hong Kong, Japan , South Korea, Malaysia included. Taiwan unfortunately is absent from the event.

除了美國音樂家，國際間出線的音樂家來自另外29國，包括中國、香港、日本、南韓、馬來西亞在內。台灣音樂家可惜並未上榜。

Photo shows Eric Moe of Spokane, Wash. playing trumpets at his home recently after learning that he was selected for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, a one-time gathering of musicians.

圖中華盛頓州斯波坎市的艾瑞克‧莫伊（美聯社）得知他被選為YouTube網上交響樂團團員、所有音樂家將一起公演一次後，最近在家勤練小號。