Each season, our educational programs reach nearly 50,000 people in the concert hall and in classrooms and hundreds of thousands more online.

But we're also a global orchestra.

The New York Philharmonic has appeared in 432 cities in 63 countries and on five continents throughout its history.

Now the New York Philharmonic Global Academy is helping this institution become even more of a resource for our community and for the world.

Launched in 2014 the New York Philharmonic Global Academy aims to develop tomorrow's leading orchestral musicians.

We're doing this through worldwide partnerships, offering intensive training by our talented musicians on location as part of dynamic performance residencies and right back here in New York City in our home environment.

The Global Academy was created following the launch of our flagship collaboration with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, all coming together to form the Shanghai Orchestra Academy Building on our success in Shanghai, the New York Philharmonic Global Academy is now establishing other partnerships with like minded organisations to act on our commitment to the art and craft of orchestral performance.

After the exciting launch of our first American Global Academy partnership with Santa Barbara's Music Academy of the West, The project has now grown with the addition of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University for the 2015 16 season.

The Global Academy Fellowship Program, a component of the global Academy, offers immersive training right here in New York City alongside New York Philharmonic musicians, giving these talented young musicians and unparalleled window into the real life of an orchestral musician.

Academy students are selected by addition to come to New York as Zarin Mehta fellows to take lessons from and to shadow members of the New York Philharmonic.

They perform in mock auditions.

They take part in educational activities and to rehearse and play alongside our very own New York Philharmonic musicians.

Also here in our home city Philharmonic Academy, Junior offers training of pre college students by Philharmonic musicians in partnerships with institutions here in New York committed to strong orchestral programs such as the Harmony Program and the Hoff Bargain.

We've already seen very exciting results so far from our global Academy initiative, but most rewarding has been the response from the individuals the program has impacted.

This program is just absolutely amazing.

There's really nothing like it.

I got to spend the week, um, making music with people who have been heroes for years and people whose artistry I've just admired for such a long time.

Not only was the orchestra so welcoming to all of the fellows they reached out to us in so many ways, not only tips about are playing, but also tips about professional things and things that will definitely have a positive impact on our future.

These people are not only the best musicians in the world, but they're also the best people in the world.