After more than 60 years playing violin and viola, Charles Getze believes the best way to master an instrument is by playing with a group.

		Contact information For more information about auditions or to set up an appointment, contact Getze at 724-625-5593.

That's why he and fellow Butler County Symphony board members decided to start a youth string ensemble, the Youth Consort of the Butler Symphony, in January 2001. The group has about 15 musicians ages 10-18.

But there's room for more, which is one reason the group has changed its name and will be moving to the North Hills, said Getze, 73, of Valencia.

The ensemble, which is now known as the Pittsburgh Youth Chamber Soloists and is no longer affiliated with the Butler Symphony, begins rehearsals today at St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Ferguson Road, McCandless.

Despite those changes, the group's focus is the same: to learn through experience.

"Most of these kids don't get a chance to play in a small group, and we offer them a venue for that," Getze said. "It allows them to experience the finer points of string playing so that when they go on they will be better prepared."

Getze acts as the group's manager, arranging for rehearsal space and setting up performances. But it is Conductor Tomislav Dimov who handles the musical training. Dimov, who has a doctorate in musical arts from the Russian Gnesins' Academy of Music in Moscow, is also the concert master for the Butler Symphony.

"He brings this work ethic that they have in Europe," Getze said. "He works very well with kids."

Occasionally, the group brings in guest instructors, all of whom hail from outside the United States.

"These are people who have emigrated within the last five to 10 years from either Israel or the former Soviet Union," said Getze. "All are professional players, and they bring the same kind of knowledge and work ethic that the kids can emulate."

David LeDonne, who has been a member of the group since the summer of 2001, said every musician should spend time in an ensemble setting.

"It's been a great opportunity for me to have a place to play music with other people," said the 18-year-old cellist from McCandless. "As a musician, it's good to get together with others and make music."

LeDonne, who plans to leave the ensemble in the fall to major in mechanical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, said the new location should help to bolster the group's numbers.

"We have such a changing membership with people graduating from high school and the hectic lives of teenagers," he said. "It's going to benefit us to have a new area to draw from. Any new talent we can get is obviously a good thing."

Though the group is seeking out new players, Getze and other organizers want to keep it relatively small. Chamber ensembles generally do not have more than 30 instrumentalists, said Getze, who plays with the Butler Symphony.

"I find that if I have 10 other people playing the same music, I can be pretty sloppy and still get away with it," he said. "But you can't do that in a small group."

LeDonne said he likes the personal attention students receive from the coaches and instructors.

"Rather than getting an entire group to play as one, you are working with a smaller ensemble," he said. "You can work on the details of the music -- getting the dynamics right, the feel of the music."

While instructors stress rehearsal technique over performance, the group plays for the public about once a month, said Getze.

"Last year, we performed in the lobby at Heinz Hall before a Pittsburgh Symphony concert and are slated to do that again at the end of February," he said. "The idea is to teach these kids, and performance is part of the educational process."

String instrumentalists interested in auditioning for the ensemble will be asked to play a few scales, as well as a piece of music that is classical in nature. Musicians must also be able to play in at least three positions, said Getze, referring to the placement of the hand on the instrument.

"Those who are string players will know what I'm talking about," he said.