The YouTube orchestra is made up of musicians from more than 30 countries that have been practicing for the concert at home and receiving online tutorials from some of the world’s most respected classical musicians.

The performance will include pieces by Gabrieli, Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Villa Lobos and John cage as well as Internet Symphony No.1 "Eroica" written by Tan Dun, the Oscar -winning composer of the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

The orchestra was put together after more than 3,000 video auditions were submitted to the site in December and January. Judges from well-known orchestras pared the number down to 200 before the winners were selected by YouTube users.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra channel has been viewed more than 15 million times since its launch in December.

"Suddenly we are able to see each other after seeing our videos before," orchestra member Luna Serenata said in a YouTube posting. "I have been able to meet wonderful people. It’s amazing to meet these people from all over the world and see how united we can become through the language of music."

Winners from the competition will be flown to New York for a three-day music summit with top symphony music directors and other performers concluding with an April 15, 2009, Carnegie Hall concert.

YouTube says, "musical experts from the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, Hong Kong Philharmonic  Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and other leading orchestras around the world will narrow the field of entries from localized YouTube countries to a group of semifinalists. In February, the YouTube community will be invited to vote for their favorite semifinalists."

Those participating are required to submit a video of their interpretation of an original piece by Chinese contemporary classical composer Tan Dun, and a second classical piece of their choosing to demonstrate their musical ability.

"The YouTube Symphony Orchestra will transform individual performances into a global symphony and change the way musicians connect over the Internet," the company said on its blog.

The deadline to submit the videos is January 28, 2009. YouTube viewers will vote on the semi-finalists February 14-22 and the winners will be announced on the site on March 2.

The contest is open to any classical musician playing any instrument.