Spring Concert Weekend

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SPRING CONCERT WEEKEND IS ALMOST UPON US!

Come to any (or all!) of these upcoming concerts that we are proud to present.

Admission at the door, cash or check only please.

2016 Spring concerts poster

January Concert at the Flynn Center

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Join us on January 31st at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

Concert sponsor: Langrock, Sperry, & Wool, LLP

“The winter concert includes some of the most popular works found in the symphony orchestra repertoire. The exciting rhythms and well-known melodies of Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story opens the concert. Continuing this season’s theme of great Russian masterpieces, the VYO performs the Suite from Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird.  Finally, hear the VYO joined by a massed choir of the VYO Chorus and area high school choruses performing Antonin Dvorak’s Te Deum, Op. 103, a spectacular work that marks the beginning of Dvorak’s musical period influenced by American music. Joining the massed choir are soloists Sarah Cullins, soprano, and Erik Kroncke, bass.”

What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

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Elliot Lowe Photo by Stina BoothThursday, December 31st, 2015
3:00 pm, No charge
Followed by pie social!
Elley-Long Music Center at Saint Michael’s College

Join us for a very special free concert at the Elley-Long Music Center featuring VYO senior soloist Elliot Lowe performing Pakhmutova’s Trumpet Concerto. Other works include Gershwin’s all-time favorite An American in Paris suite and Strauss’ beloved Blue Danube Waltz. The VYO Chorus joins the VYO for other favorites.

This event will be immediately followed by a pie social!

University Mall Auditions for Vermont Youth Concert Chorale!

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Saturday, October 24th, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Do you love to sing? Do you belong in the spotlight? 
 
Become the master of your voice! In the Vermont Youth Concert Chorale, you will develop your tone, expand your range, strengthen your support and increase your projection. In other words, you will be able to sing higher, lower, stronger, longer and better for all kinds of music! You will also learn to harmonize, read music and sing in different languages, make new friends from schools throughout the Champlain Valley and beyond, and perform in a wide variety of settings, including at the Flynn Center with the Vermont Youth Orchestra!
Come meet master voice teacher and VYCC director Sarah Cullins at University Mall on Saturday, October 24 between 11am and 1pm to find out more and even take a quick audition to join this season!

Vermont Youth Orchestra Association 5k Fun Run/Walk on Oct. 4th

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The Jake Kahn 5k Fun Run/Walk is on Sunday Oct 4th at 10:00am to benefit the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association’s School Tour program. This is the 5th annual event to raise money for this valuable outreach program which brings VYOA orchestras and choruses to schools around the state. These annual school tours are a great opportunity for VYOA musicians to share their artistry with school children in our region and to get them excited about music, learning an instrument, and performing music with their peers. Each year the VYOA’s three orchestras and two choruses perform 8 school concerts for nearly 2,500 school children. This fundraiser helps offset the travel costs of bringing our students to schools in our region.

This annual 5k Fun Run/Walk was organized by VYO trumpeter Jake Kahn in 2011 who is now a senior at CVU. It starts at the Elley-Long Music Center, home of the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association, located at 223 Ethan Allen Avenue in Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester.

Area businesses in support of the VYOA and Jake Kahn have donated some fantastic prizes. Notable large prizes this year include a “Flyboard Vermont” session and a Bash Badge at Smugglers’ Notch.

Fleet Feet Sports in Essex Junction has provided $10 coupons to all participants to partially or fully offset the cost of registration.

Registration fees go directly to the VYOA to support this program and are tax deductible.

When:

Sunday, October 4, 2015
Registration at 9:00am
Race Start at 10:00am

Where:

Elley-Long Music Center
223 Ethan Allen Avenue
Colchester, VT 05446

Cost:

Adults: $15
Youth -Age 17: $10
Maximum per family: $40
Please visit vyoafunrun.webs.com to register, to make a donation, or to view prizes and the route

A note from Music Director Jeff Domoto

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IMG_0060

 

 

 

 

“After a few quiet weeks following the VYO’s return from our Icelandic tour, the VYOA’s 2015-16 season kicked off at the start of August at hyperspeed, filling Elley-Long with fantastic music making, teaching, and communityIMG_0006 building. The first week of August featured the launch of our new Discovery Strings day camp for students in Grades 1-5 who have 6 months of experience on their instrument. Under the direction of Kathleen Kono, the fifteen students had a fun and enriching week working with super teachers and VYOA alumni Martha Ellerman and Amanda Milne. We learned that a participant level of fewer than 20 students makes for an ideal learning environment and will make this a feature of the camp going forward.

The following week saw the return of our VYO and VYP students (alongside many new members!), starting with our new twoIMG_0061-day chamber music intensive. Between working with coach Emily Taubl and me, the students received 10 hours of coaching and gave excellent performances of their pieces at the end of the second day. In the future, we’ll be looking to offer these experiences throughout the year. Reveille started onIMG_0060 Wednesday, featuring intensive full rehearsals, sectionals, and activities that help the orchestra members get to know each other and form a strong sense of ensemble identity. The VYO and VYP fall concert weekend is only 5 weeks away, but both ensembles are already well on their way to presenting polished and spirited performances!

This past week has been dedicated to our two -day VYS and VYO Chorus mini-camps, setting up both groups to begin regular rehearsals next month at full speed.

In our efforts to improve our visibility in theBusy Hallway community and increase performance opportunities for our students, we have launched the VYO String Squad, an ad hoc orchestra performing fun and only moderately challenging music; with at least 20 students participating at launch, we expect to have enough players available to field a strong group for each ofthe performing opportunities we’re looking at, including Church Street, the VYOA Autumn Promenade, University Mall, Farmer’s Night, and Wake Robin. Caleb Pillsbury, our new VYOC conductor, is developing similar additional performance events for that group.

Looking forward to seeing you at our IMG_0045concerts this year!

 

Best regards,

 

Jeff Domoto, Music Director

Vermont Youth Orchestra Association”

 

The VYO Iceland Tour, an Essay.

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VYO alumnus Jacob Morton-Black joined the VYO Iceland Tour this summer and wrote about it for the VYOA Alumni Newsletter.

Icland - photo by Jacob M-B

(Photo: Jacob Morton-Black)

This summer I was lucky enough to be able to go on the VYOA Tour of Iceland. After spending 6 years in the VYOA, this was my first time traveling abroad with the organization. Traveling to Iceland and performing with my peers was a life-changing experience, and I will be forever grateful to the organization for letting me come with them as an alumni.

As soon as the plane Read more →

VYOA receives National Endowment for the Arts Funding for after-school programs

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We are delighted to share that we have received a $10,000 NEA grant for the 2015-16 season for our work with the after-school program at JFK Elementary in Winooski.  For the past three years the VYOA has been hosting beginning and intermediate strings and percussion classes as part of the 27-week after-school program.  Also, as part of the part of our annual partnership, the entire school attends a school-day concert here at the Elley-Long Music Center in March, receives tickets to VYO Flynn concerts at no-charge, and has one of the VYOA ensembles perform a school tour concert at their school.

The VYOA strives to eliminate barriers to arts education and instrument instruction with the Beginning Music After-School Program. Knowing that the economic circumstances of children are not indicators of their musical talent, interest, or appreciation, the VYOA is strengthening relationships with economically challenged public schools to create sustainable partnerships and increase opportunities for all Vermont students to hear live music and play music with their peers. To that end, during the 2014-15 school year the VYOA hosted a woodwind chamber program at Bakersfield Elementary and an 8-week beginning string class in Newport Town.