Ki-Sun Sung commands attention from the podium. Photo by Anthony Colantonio

Every Saturday morning during the academic year, 40 elementary-school-age string students gather in Room 309 to rehearse as the Pre-College Chamber Orchestra. These students—ranging from third-graders, whose feet cannot reach the ground from their chairs, to eighth-graders on the cusp of adolescence—invariably demonstrate a vibrant enthusiasm, which often eludes the adults who surround their rehearsal. From the parents ringing the edges of the room with coffee cups in hand, to the College Division students rehearsing with the ensemble at what is an ungodly hour to an undergraduate, no one in the room matches the energy of these talented young people, except for the man on the podium.

In just three years, Ki-Sun Sung has built expansively on the foundation created by the orchestra's only other conductor, Eugene Becker. So impressive has been Mr. Sung's work with the ensemble that the orchestra's season has been expanded from its usual two concerts to three this year, one of them being a coveted appearance in Alice Tully Hall on December 5 at 8 p.m. The Pre-College Division rarely gets to perform in Tully, and this year the date was given to the P.C.C.O. to highlight this unique ensemble and its achievements under Becker and Sung. Andrew Thomas, Director of the Pre-College Division, says he hopes "that a larger audience can share in the brilliance of this startlingly young and gifted ensemble."

Founded in 1980 by Eugene Becker, the Pre-College Chamber Orchestra is a string ensemble that relies on Juilliard undergraduate students to perform any wind parts and to provide extra support in some of its string sections. Becker, a viola teacher in both the College and Pre-College Divisions, drew on his years of experience as assistant principal with the New York Philharmonic in forging the orchestra. Andrew Thomas recalls that, over the course of Becker's two-decade tenure with the ensemble, he "was the first to realize the extraordinary potential of these young musicians, and to break the stereotype that their repertoire should be limited to 'children's pieces.'"

As part of the celebration in Alice Tully Hall, Pre-College alumna Chee-Yun will perform Max Bruch's Violin Concerto in G Minor with the ensemble. This former student of Hyo Kang, who has established a very busy career as a soloist, working with everyone from Michael Tilson Thomas to Krystof Penderecki, leapt at the invitation to perform with the orchestra. Eager to work with the young students, Chee-Yun also sees the performance as an opportunity to express her gratitude to the institution where her formal training began.

Pre-College Chamber Orchestra Alice Tully Hall, Thursday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. Free tickets available at the Juilliard Box Office.

Both Chee-Yun and Ki-Sun Sung recognize the importance of their formative years to their careers. From the outset, Sung felt that exposing his young students to a broad range of repertoire was as important as teaching them orchestral technique. While programming his first season with the P.C.C.O., Sung met great resistance when he scheduled Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. The conventional wisdom was that students so young could not handle music so advanced. Sung said of the rehearsals for the Tchaikovsky that even he was "astonished by these young ones' ability and potential." He also quickly demonstrated a flair for teaching difficult repertoire to his orchestra. Hired in no small part because of his background as an accomplished violist, Sung will frequently demonstrate bowings and fingerings on the concertmaster's instrument. Recently, during a break in rehearsal, Sung and members of the ensemble engaged in an impromptu performance of the Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia from memory.

Given the close rapport between the conductor and the ensemble, and the extremes of talent among the students, each year has seen progressively more complex programs. Last year, the orchestra performed Elgar's Introduction and Allegro and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, and this season Bartok's Divertimento and Stravinsky's Pulcinella are on the schedule. Sung says of programming such advanced repertoire, "Basically, when I choose the pieces for the P.C.C.O. nowadays, I try not to think too much of their age anymore. Of course, I have to consider the balance of the season or the size of the orchestra. The pieces like the Bartók or Stravinsky won't be easy. But from my experience, I believe that they are capable of handling them."

Not only are the students capable of performing at the highest level, but P.C.C.O. concerts provide the striking if somewhat contradictory image of such young students performing powerful works like Beethoven's Seventh. This incongruity of sound and image makes for a unique concert event. Says Andew Thomas: "While there are many outstanding high-school-age youth orchestras, the quality of this really young orchestra is exceptional, unexpected—and, perhaps, not matched anywhere else."

Joseph Drew is the Pre-College Division's orchestra manager.