VYOA News & Updates

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.

Rebecca Gardner, voice
South Burlington High
VT Youth Chorus – 3 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What advice would you give to younger music students as they strive to build their skills?
The first thing I would tell younger music students is don’t be afraid to make a mistake, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. When I was younger I would hold back because these were fears of mine.

 

What has been your most inspiring or memorable musical experience?
My most inspiring/memorable musical experience happened when I was a sophomore. My choir was performing in St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City, and my choir teacher let me do one of my solos. The sound was phenomenal and breathtaking.

 

What is your favorite VYOA memory?
My favorite VYOA memory is probably when we went to Free Cone day during our school tours.

 

Apart from choral music, what other kind of music do you love?
You’d be surprised, but I’m very fond of classic rock, rap, and musical theater.

 

What do you plan to study in college?
I plan to study Classical Voice Performance next year!

 

 

 

We have several students throughout our ensembles who travel quite a distance to get to rehearsal each week. Here is one such student from our string section!

 

Max Lozier, double bass
Rutland High
VT Youth Orchestra – 3 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you love about being in an orchestra?

The thing I love most about performing in an orchestral group is communicating through my instrument. Regardless of skill or musical capabilities, the possibility of musical expression is endless. I especially love playing in multiple groups with younger and older musicians who all have diverse sounds, with equally diverse representations of what the music means to them.

What has been your biggest musical breakthrough?

My biggest break through in music was trying out for Allstate’s my freshmen year. Up until that point I was known as an athlete rather than a musician and it was almost embarrassing to be a part of my schools orchestra. Freshmen year I was the 5th bassist in districts and I almost wanted to quit. But I realized why do something different or “embarrassing” if I’m going to be bad at it. So, I worked with a bassist named Ben Greene on my audition piece. And come time for the audition I won the principal spot. At this festival I was introduced to members of the VYO staff and auditioned for the next season.

What role has the VYOA played in your musical career?

The VYOA’s role in my musical career has been to teach me the necessary skills I need to be a musician. These skills include being able to meet new people and work in a focused environment for a long period of time.

What advice would you give to younger music students as they strive to build their skills?

My advice to young music students is to say yes to every single opportunity you get. If you are serious about music, an extremely important part of becoming a professional musician is the people you know. So by branching out and meeting more people you will have a better chance at knowing a powerful person in the musical world. And if you love performing music then you’ll have fun while doing it.

What would you like to change in the orchestral world?

I would like to change the accessibility of classic music to the average person. I know a lot of people who love classical music but can’t afford to travel or pay for a ticket. There should be a stronger effort to make classical music events cheaper or more localized.

What has been your most inspiring or memorable musical experience?

My most inspiring musical experience was playing in the All-Honors National Orchestra Festival at Disney last November. I flew to Florida and played Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, and a student composition. I met truly the most talented high school musicians in the country and they were all so kind and interested in each other’s story. Just sitting on the edge of the stage playing my bass and listening to the pure genius the group produced was sublime. I inspire to make it into an orchestra where I can have this same experience on a regular basis.

What is your favorite VYOA memory?

My favorite memory has been the VYO’s journey of Tchaikovsky 5. I am extremely excited to finish my VYO career with such a powerful piece.

Apart from orchestral/choral music, what other kind of music do you love?

I love Nirvana and Metallica, I grew up listening to both bands with my dad. I especially like the grunginess of Nirvana’s sound, they were revolutionary and would still be to this day.

If you could collaborate with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I would like to collaborate with the band PHISH. They have such an incredible fan base and great traditions I would love to be a part of.

What other activities do you participate in?

I used to play football and basketball but music has in a good way, completely taken over my life. I play in community orchestras, the green mountain Mahler festival, jazz groups, pit bands for theatre groups, and often try to volunteer for younger Rutland Musicians as much as possible. But when I’m not playing bass I’m usually playing pick-up basketball with friends.

If you already know, what college or university do you plan to attend next year?

I’m not sure yet, I’m still in the auditioning progress. I would like to move to a city however to have more opportunities.

What do you plan to study in college?

I plan to study double bass performance as well as music education.

 

 

 

 

Meet two members of the VYO flute section! Where we find one of them, we usually find the other.

Fiona Reed, flute (pictured on right with Addy Parsons)
Stowe High
VT Youth Orchestra – 2 years
VT Youth Philharmonia – 1 year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Addy Parsons, flute (pictured on left with Fiona Reed)
Middlebury Union High
VT Youth Orchestra – 2 years
VT Youth Philharmonia – 1 year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What has been your biggest musical breakthrough?

Reed: I have known my flute teacher for 13 years now, and have been taking lessons from her for 7. I’m going to be leaving her studio soon, which will be a pretty emotional moment for both of us. After my last All-State audition this winter, she and I had this moment where we were trying to figure out what to play for my last piece; I’ll always play flute in the future, but since I’m not going into music, these last six months or so will be my “last hurrah.” Together, we settled on Sergei Prokofiev’s flute sonata, which is an incredibly difficult piece that I have listened to and been in awe of for a very long time. I’m determined to learn all thirty minutes of it and even though there is no big audition or award at the end, I have never been more excited to practice!

What role has the VYOA played in your musical career?

Parsons: VYOA exposed me to playing the piccolo and ever since it has been my favorite instrument to play. It has led to opportunities like New Englands, Allstates, and the Allstate Performance Scholarship in which I have all competed on piccolo.

What advice would you give to younger music students as they strive to build their skills?

Reed: Try to love what you do. It’s okay to have really intense, metronome-heavy practice sessions leading up to an audition where you’re working really hard and trying to get every technical detail down, but some days, you’re just going to sound bad and keep messing up. And that’s okay! Sometimes, I like to pull out old music that I performed a few years ago or some other favorite pieces and go into my bathroom where the acoustics are great and just play. Just because you aren’t practicing that audition piece doesn’t mean that what you are doing isn’t useful. I find it really nice to “return to my roots” when I’m super stressed about something and just remember why I love my instrument. To me, it’s very important for my morale to take a step back and reaffirm how much I enjoy music.

What is your favorite VYOA memory?

Reed: I think that every day in rehearsal I make some amazing VYO memories with my friends, from laughing at the mistakes we make in the flute section to sharing lame classical music memes and pictures of our pets. I have met some great people through this organization who continue to astonish me with their humor and incredible talents. Rehearsing Franz Doppler’s double flute concerto with Addy Parsons has to take the cake, though; the two of us drove all over Vermont for our various rehearsals and had a great time mastering the piece together. Not only was it great music–it was a perfect excuse to hang out and have fun!

Parsons: I was in VYP my first year and didn’t really know anyone in the ensemble, but I was determined to make a friend. So, during a break, I turned to the flute player sitting next to me and asked her for help on this one part in the music. She enthusiastically lent a hand. Later, she said her name was Fiona, and we were joined at the hip for the rest of the day. We have been the best of friends ever since, all thanks to VYOA.

Apart from orchestral music, what other kind of music do you love?

Reed: My love of classical music has led me to explore the world of opera. Puccini is my favorite composer–“Turandot” and “Tosca” are his best, in my opinion, but I’m attending “La Boheme” at the Met in about a week. I also listen to a lot of Warren Zevon and Bruce Springsteen. As for modern music, Jon Bellion and Emily Sande are pretty much always on while I’m doing homework.

If you could collaborate with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Parsons: Emmanuel Pahud. He is a flute god.

What other activities do you participate in?

Reed: I am an avid downhill skier who sticks mainly to woods trails. I am also a member of my town’s volunteer fire department, where I most enjoy using various power tools to cut apart crashed vehicles and maneuvering our hundred-foot aerial ladder. I have been in several school musicals, run cross-country, taught music at my church, and scooped ice cream at Stowe Ice Cream Company, which is the single greatest forearm workout of all time.

Parsons: I am the deputy tree warden of my town, Weybridge, and I also teach flute and trombone privately, play in my schools jazz band and concert band, volunteer at my local animal shelter, garden, and show and judge dairy cows.

What do you plan to study in college?

Reed: I plan to major in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University and hope to work in the field of cancer research someday!

Parsons: Music Education

Meet two members of the VYO Wind section from South Burlington High School!

 

Holly Morgan, horn
South Burlington High
VT Youth Orchestra – 4 years
VT Youth Philharmonia – 1 year
VT Youth Sinfonia – 1 ½ years
Designer of the 2017-18 VYOA t-shirt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Yi, oboe
South Burlington High
VT Youth Orchestra – 2 years
VT Youth Philharmonia – 2 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you love about being in an orchestra?

Morgan: That it’s just so different from the other music groups we have access to these days. Especially for a horn player, where orchestra parts call for an entirely different sort of playing compared to the average school concert band. The orchestra sound really embraces the round, mellow horn tone without forcing it to be as sharp and bright as the other brass, or buried in parts doubled by alto sax.

Yi: My favorite thing about being in an orchestra is working with other musicians to produce music that we otherwise couldn’t by ourselves. Other than that, I love the camaraderie between the musicians; I’ve met countless friends through VYO that I otherwise wouldn’t have, and we are all united by our common love of music.

What role has the VYOA played in your musical career?

Morgan: Going to rehearsals practically every Sunday during every school year from sixth grade through senior year was a constant that saw me through a new town, new school, new challenges and stresses; a time where I’d have to ignore any and all other work to play and focus in on rehearsal. Being a part of the VYOA meant I had to set aside time to practice no matter how much else I was doing, and I had to learn how to express myself through music so I didn’t drive myself crazy. It’s been a constant, balancing force in my life and has taught me that music is the way to continue that.

Yi: Before VYO, I was always convinced that “okay” was enough. But meeting all of these people who push themselves with their instruments and produce amazing music motivates me to strive for more. Their passion even inspired me to pick up the alto saxophone, which I play in my school’s band.

What is your favorite VYOA memory?

Yi: My very first day of VYO at Reveille, I met my orchestra friends that I would become extremely close with over the years. These relationships are something I really treasure even four years later.

What advice would you give to younger music students as they strive to build their skills?

Morgan: Music is not a completely isolated entity! One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since I started playing is that you’ll learn some of the most helpful things from the strangest places. Rowing forced me to find a constant internal pulse, my ideas of tone color came from visual color theory, and I use my theater background for phrasing and finding the right kind of expression. On the flip side, music can apply to whatever you want and lead you along the right path in all sorts of other situations, like… perhaps even your first paid art commission doing the year’s tee shirts, if you want to go into design and illustration.

Apart from orchestral/choral music, what other kind of music do you love?

Yi: I’m a big fan of hip-hop, R&B, and jazz.

Morgan: I will always love a good musical, but if I’m being completely honest my taste in music changes every couple months. I’ll recommend anything from Chayanne, if you’re into cheesy spanish pop from the 80’s, to Celtic rock or kazoo covers of Bach, but as of the moment you will likely find me listening to the Beatles eight times out of ten, particularly Rubber Soul. The other two are probably the live recording of Hadestown, because a folk/bluegrass musical of Greek mythology is exactly up my alley.

If you could collaborate with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Yi: Chance the Rapper is one of my favorite artists, and one thing I appreciate about him is that he incorporates a lot of instruments into his music. It would be super cool to see how he would integrate oboe (or sax!) into one of his songs.

What other activities do you participate in?

Morgan: During the Fall and Spring season I coxswain for my school’s open water rowing team. That is to say, I sit in the back of the boat, trying my best to juggle steering, motivating, judging distances and hazards, and screaming at my six rowers to row harder and stay in time. Apparently, I do so well enough to have earned myself a position as team captain. During the Winter, I try to focus more on art, and end up just staring longingly out over the snow-covered lake.

What do you plan to study in college?

Morgan: Visual art, generally. Illustration more specifically, with possible art education, and varying levels of music school to school. I’ll never completely give up music after all the time and effort I’ve put in, but finding a strong art program with access to band or orchestra is a lot harder than one would think.