VYOA News & Updates

Greta Hardy-Mittell, clarinet

Middlebury Union High
VT Youth Orchestra – 3 years
VT Youth Philharmonia – 1 year

What do you love about being in an orchestra?
Orchestra is my favorite part of playing clarinet. It is such an ensemble experience, with a rich texture combining all the sounds of almost every classical instrument, but its clarinet parts are also individually so much fun! Playing orchestra music sends chills down my back because it’s so beautiful.

What role has the VYOA played in your musical career?
Without the VYOA, I don’t think I’d be the musician I am today. I probably wouldn’t have done so many festivals, I might not even have taken private clarinet lessons, and I certainly wouldn’t have played so much fantastic repertoire! VYO proved to me that I am a good clarinetist, along with introducing me to perhaps my favorite type of classical music.

What would you like to change in the orchestral world?
More representation of women and people of color! I have yet to have had an orchestra conductor who is not a white or Asian man, and I would especially love to one day have a woman conductor, being a girl who might be interested in conducting at some point in my life.

What has been your most inspiring or memorable musical experience?
Along those lines: in All States my freshman year, our band conductor was a woman whom I really looked up to and enjoyed working with. On the last day of the festival, she arranged the band in a circle and invited students into the middle to look at the score and conduct. Little freshman me, shy but eager, raised her hand and walked into the middle, trembling. The experience of standing there with a fantastic ensemble playing all around me will never leave me, and it certainly pushed me forward to keep pursuing music in ensembles and improving at the clarinet throughout my next three years of high school.

What is your favorite VYOA memory?
Probably the day when Dr. Cumming (2016-17 Interim VYO Conductor) decided to take about half of rehearsal to tell us about his experiences with Tom Hanks and Yo Yo Ma! We all just sat there in awe and looked at each other like, is this guy for real? Is this guy really our orchestra conductor? And he was!

Apart from orchestral music, what other kind of music do you love?
Piano repertoire (obviously), especially romantic pieces. I also love jazz, funk, indie/folk/pop, 80s stuff, and musicals!

What other activities do you participate in?
Too many! I love to write creatively, play scholar’s bowl, and run cross country, to name a few.

If you already know, what college or university do you plan to attend next year?
Carleton College, in Northfield, Minnesota!

What do you plan to study in college?
Maybe Environmental Studies, English, or Linguistics, or maybe something completely different that I haven’t even taken a class in yet. I definitely plan to keep playing music, too, especially solo piano and, you got it, orchestra!

By Caleb Pillsbury, conductor – Vermont Youth Chorus

The students of the Vermont Youth Chorus (VYC) represent the best of Vermont and I am so fortunate to know and work with each of them. Reflecting on the freshly concluded VYC season, I’m charged by the infectious energy of their performance last night. I am tremendously proud of the student leaders represented in the VYC this season. Their focus in performance, dedication to vocal development and commitment to excellence has been a joy to behold. I am excited by the idea of building off our accomplishments this season as the VYC grows in the future. I look forward to hearing all current members in their auditions on May 29th or 30^th, and I cannot wait to meet the new student leaders that will join this remarkable community dedicated to musical excellence.

The spirit of the Vermont Youth Chorus (VYC) is a special thing. The students of the VYC are leaders and their participation in the VYOA gives them the opportunity to come together, inspire each other and then return to their communities sharing this thrilling feeling of energy and connection. This season, our work in studying the “Songs of a Rainbow Nation” from South Africa gave singers opportunities to share what they learned with their peers. It was wonderful to see VYC members teach this music during school tours and African Song Workshops, experiencing the deep connection that singing together provides. What these students have created this season is an understanding that being a member of the VYC means being a member of a community of leaders. This year’s ensemble has built the foundation for a truly outstanding choral experience for all upcoming student leaders statewide.