Check out our September Newsletter!

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There’s a lot of exciting things happening here at the VYOA this month and throughout the season. In our September Newsletter, you’ll get details about our Fall Concert weekend coming up later this month. You’ll also be invited to Autumn Promenade, our elegant fundraising event on Thursday, September 29th. Learn about the Tour of England happening Summer 2017 and how you can travel with us! In addition, there’s still time to join our choral program, and registration for Presto, our preparatory strings program, is now open.

 

For a Limited Time Only: VYO Season Tickets On Sale!

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Join us for Vermont Youth Orchestra’s entire concert season by purchasing a subscription for all three Flynn Center performances. Season tickets go on sale this Friday, August 26th and are available until Friday, September 23rd. Ticket subscriptions are available in person at the Flynn Center Box Office or by mailing in the subscription order form, which is also attached to our season brochure. Adult subscriptions are $45 and student subscriptions are $30. Lock in this discounted ticket price for a limited time only! We look forward to seeing you this season.

Reflections on Reveille!

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VYO and VYP started their 2016-17 season last week with a spectacular Reveille! music camp. The five-day camp flew by in a wink of an eye and was filled with fun and inspiring rehearsals and activities each day.  The VYO, under Interim Conductor Dr. Edward Cumming, filled the Elley-Long Music Center with beautiful rehearsals of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 and Sibelius’s Finlandia. VYP, under their conductor Dr. Yutaka Kono, gave a powerful start to their first rehearsals with The Tempest by Robert Smith, music from Indiana Jones by John Williams, along with arrangements of Jupiter by Holst and Overture to Rienzi by Wagner. By Tuesday afternoon, the impressive progress of both orchestras inspired the plan for a short end-of-camp concert for the parents. This concert included a rousing VYO/VYP side-by-side performance of Bizet’s Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2.  The orchestras received this piece only on Thursday for their Friday performance! The concert also included VYO playing Finlandia and VYP performing The Tempest.

Many thanks go to our dedicated Camp Life Staff, led by Andrew Riegler, for providing activities that helped the students bond as friends and musicians. There were many activities that called upon groups of students to create solutions to fun problems.  Other activities got the heart rates up, such as kickball, dancing, and soccer. Wednesday afternoon was unforgettable with an outing to Skateland.  Roller skates, bumper cars, bouncy houses, and go-karts kept all of us, staff included, greatly entertained. Congratulations to VYO and VYP for such great spirit and a fantastic beginning to the season!

By Art DeQuasie, Director of Operations

Congratulations Senior Soloists!

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Each season, the VYOA features outstanding seniors as soloists with the Vermont Youth Orchestra. These individuals have displayed great technical prowess, sophisticated musicality, and exemplary organizational involvement. Each student will perform their concerto at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts with the VYO during the 2016-17 concert season.  We would like to congratulate percussionist Connor Zwonik, cellist Caroline Tally, and violist Isaac Hilton vanOsdall for their outstanding achievement! Please be sure to attend all VYO performances this season to hear these accomplished individuals perform with the orchestra. Bravi Connor, Caroline, and Isaac!

Exciting News for Choral Program!

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After 8 years, our two choruses will no longer be known as the Vermont Youth Orchestra Chorus and Vermont Youth Concert Chorale. The Vermont Youth Orchestra Chorus (VYOC) will now be known as the Vermont Youth Chorus for singers in grades 8-12. The Vermont Youth Concert Chorale (VYCC) is now the Vermont Youth Chorale for singers in grades 6 & 7. In addition to introducing young singers to repertoire that has stood the test of time, students will also receive private lessons throughout the season, participate in sectionals with master teachers from our region, and perform at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. In Summer 2017, singers in Vermont Youth Chorus have the option of participating in a tour of England.

We are delighted to welcome Heather Schoppmann, choral teacher at Camel’s Hump Middle School, who will conduct the Chorale next season. Please visit our Chorus & Chorale page to learn more.

Edward Cumming Named VYO Interim Conductor

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Edward CummingEdward Cumming has been named interim conductor of the Vermont Youth Orchestra starting in August 2016. Mr. Cumming will conduct the VYOA’s top-tiered orchestra during the 2016-17 season, while a national search takes place for the music director position.

Mr. Cumming is the Primrose Fuller Professor of Orchestral Activities at The Hartt School, the music school of the University of Hartford. As a highly acclaimed conductor, he served as the music director of the Hartford Symphony from 2002-2011. Prior to joining the Hartford Symphony, he was the resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and music director of the nationally-acclaimed Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra.

As a guest conductor, his international work includes conducting Orquesta Ciudad de Granada (Spain), South Bohemian Chamber Orchestra (Czech Republic), BBC Ulster Orchestra (Belfast), Belgrade Philharmonic (Serbia), Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Sinfonietta Be’er Sheva, and the Filharmonica de Bogota. In the United States, he has guest conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, the San Diego, Santa Barbara, Pacific and Long Beach symphony orchestras, Rochester Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, and the Boston Pops.

In addition to his music directorship with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Cumming was the founding music director of the Pacific Symphony Institute. He has taught at Yale University, California State University in Fullerton. University of South Florida in Tampa, and Pacific University (OR).

We look forward to having Mr. Cumming work with our students next season.

 

VYO Spring Concert Airs May 26th!

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The VYO Spring Concert is now available for online viewing at http://www.retn.org/show/2016-vermont-youth-orchestra-spring-concert or https://vimeo.com/166201353.  The performance will air on RETN Channel 16 on Thursday, May 26th at 8:30pm. The program will also air on other local channels throughout Vermont. Please check your local listings. Don’t forget to tell your friends & family to tune in! This and past performances are available for online viewing and purchase through RETN at retn.org.