VYOA Blog

From August 2 – 9, the students of Vermont Youth Philharmonia and the Vermont Youth Orchestra are attending the annual week-long music camp known as the Reveille! Music Festival. The week is an intense kickoff to the 2009-10 concert season: rehearsals, sectionals, theory classes and lots of individual practicing in and around the grounds of the music center. The Elley-Long Music Center and our little corner of the Fort are hopping with activity and with the sounds of music. Seriously.

Music Alive Composer-in-Residence Rob Paterson is here, working with the students for the first time during his three year residency.

The Music Alive Composer-in-Residence program was funded by a $65,000 grant recently awarded to the VYOA by Meet The Composer and the League of American Orchestras. Traditionally granted only to a professional orchestra, the VYO is only the second youth orchestra in the country to receive a Meet The Composer residency award. Very exciting.

During Rob’s residency, the students will work with him on playing his compositions, they’ll attend his master classes and lectures, they’ll work on learning to play compositions he’s written…so, they’ll get to know him pretty well. The residency will culminate with a work written by him for the VYO and the VYO Choruses. Even more exciting.

In the coming weeks (and years) of Rob’s residency, both he and several students will blog about the residency and the activities that will unfold as the residency progresses.

But, I’ll let them tell you all about it…

Lisamarie Charlesworth, Director of Marketing