STUDENT ORCHESTRAS OF GREATER OLYMPIA ORCHESTRATING LIFELONG PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS May 2022 | Vol. 22 No. 4
ts Sunday @ 4pm Ticke e l May 15 on sa Washington Center NOW! Tickets: $8-21* Six & under free* 360.753.8586 *plus $4 WCPA fee
Every gift donated to SOGO’s 2022 Future Music Makers Scholarship Campaign was matched dollar for dollar up to $3,000 by Ed Steenman in honor of his aunt, Judi Martin. Judi was a long-time SOGO Teaching Artist. She taught and modeled that music transcends hardship. A very devoted teacher and performer, we remember her love of music, the little and big ways she cared for students, and her resolution that we can dance before we play. Your gifts have been so generous, allowing SOGO to provide even more transformative music instruction and experiences to students and their families. Thank you!
s we near the end of the 2021-2022 A SOGO season, I can’t help but be grateful for where we have been and
where we are going. Every cliché known to humanity has been used to describe the past two years, and they are all true. Our students, staff, and families have been through a lot, and somehow great music was made anyway. If there was ever any doubt about the importance of music (and the arts more generally) in our lives, let our collective experiences of the past two years put that to rest. We’ve got one more concert of great music to “Celebrate” with you, and we really are pulling out all the stops to do so. As well as honoring our large group of graduating seniors and featuring soloist Camille McLean, the Conservatory Orchestra will perform two epic works, the first of which is two years in the making. In the spring of 2020, the Conservatory Orchestra was gearing up to mark the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens by performing the final movement of Alan Hovhaness’ eponymous Symphony No. 50. The pandemic of course derailed those plans, so we’re marking the 42nd anniversary instead! Alan Hovhaness was an American composer of Armenian descent, who lived the latter part of his life in the Pacific Northwest and witnessed the eruption from his home on May 18, 1980. The final movement of his symphony is a vivid depiction of the events of that day.
PASSION IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY...
amille Mclean is SOGO’s senior soloist for the final concert in May. For many of our soloists, including Camille, this is their first time performing with an orchestra. Now in her 7th season in SOGO, Camille will be in the spotlight performing Romance in G by Johann Svendsen with the Conservatory Orchestra. Her musical story begins at the age of four. “My parents told me we attended a violin recital as a family and that I had wanted to play the violin ever since.” Although she doesn’t remember that exact experience, she remembers getting her first violin. After that, she was able to take violin lessons through her school district and participate in opportunities like group classes and recitals.
Looking ahead, we’ve got lots more great music planned for this summer and beyond. Our Summer Music program July 18-22 will once again feature classes for students of all ages, elementary through high school. The most advanced ensemble, our Summer Orchestra for high school students, will perform alongside the Olympia Symphony and members of the Marrowstone Music Festival at Heritage Park on July 23…a wonderful opportunity not to be missed! I’m also looking forward to another terrific SOGO season in 2022-2023. Audition signups are open now on our website, and I already see lots of new names alongside our returning students! If you haven’t scheduled your audition yet, be sure to sign up today at StudentOrchestras.org. Auditions are held the last week of May, and spots are first-come, first-served! Thank you to everyone who has made our 2021-2022 season possible. See you at the Center on May 15!
The Conservatory Orchestra will also perform the unabridged version of Rossini’s William Tell Overture. While the final three
Donations are still gladly accepted .
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minutes of this piece are the most famous, the overture also depicts a storm, opens with a rare five-part cello soli, and includes a beautiful duet in the middle for flute and English Horn. Everyone in the orchestra gets to do something fun in this piece, and I can’t think of a better way to close out the season.
Her passion kept growing as a youngster, but there were times when it did wane. The family moved to Olympia, where she began studying with Katrin St. Clair and met Evan and Seth Harper, two SOGO alumni, who motivated her to be a better musician. Her high school chamber orchestra experience expanded her horizons. “I realized that playing in groups was a calling for me because I enjoyed it so much, and I was pretty good at it.” She started studying at the Coleman Violin Studio in Seattle and says, “I have had a lot of good influences which have made me the musician I am today, and I am grateful that I was able to have such an outstanding community in which to grow.”
STUDENT ORCHESTRAS OF GREATER OLYMPIA
LEAD • INSPIRE • PERFORM •
Cameron May, Music Director *EPONYMOUS: of, relating to, or being the person or thing for whom or which something is named.
When asked about her solo, Camille says, “I love how lyrical the piece is. I enjoy how there are places where I can play my heart out and enjoy my sound.” Because the piece is void of fancy runs or frills, each note she plays is important.
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Camille provides us with some sage advice. She says she is concerned that musicians get disillusioned with playing the most challenging works and practicing for many hours rather than prioritizing the value of each time the bow is placed on the string. “While good techniques and form are important for a musician to have, having the right passion is absolutely necessary for any person interested in learning an art form.” Visit StudentOrchestras.org