STUDENT ORCHESTRAS OF GREATER OLYMPIA ORCHESTRATING LIFELONG PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS September 2021 Vol. 22 No. 1
Dear SOGO community, What a year it has been! This time last year, the news was more than a little dire, and though we are by no means yet out of the woods, the landscape looks very different now than it did then. Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia is pleased to announce the return of inperson music making this fall. Our rehearsals will look different than they have in the past, and we are still waiting to see what performances will look like, but it is not an overstatement to share that we are giddy at the prospect of making music with our students in the same room again! It is in this vein that we have decided to title our 20212022 season “Celebrate”. We will have A LOT to celebrate together over the course of the next year, and while I don’t want to spoil any surprises, I can promise that you won’t want to miss out! In response to the continued presence of COVID-19 in our community, we will be taking appropriate precautions to minimize risk. All our students will be required to wear masks, use bell covers (where applicable), and remain physically distanced during rehearsals and sectionals. Staff working in-person with students will be vaccinated and masked, and we encourage all eligible students to get vaccinated as well. We understand that the music-making environment will look different than it used to, but we believe our model beginning this fall is appropriate in the current climate. Above all else, we are confident that the SOGO experience you have come to know and love will continue in our 22nd season, namely: • great musical moments • terrific literature • marvelous coaching from our fine teaching artists • lively, engaging, and memorable rehearsals and performances • a healthy, encouraging, and motivating musical community As always, we are grateful to you for supporting us and being with us every step of our journey. We are excited for what this new season holds, and we can’t wait to share these experiences with all of you. Take care, and we’ll see you soon! Sincerely, Cameron May, SOGO Music Director Photo caption: 2020-21 Conservatory Orchestra members will recall my passion for trains. I rode the rails through much of the western US with stops in Chicago, Santa Fe, and LA at the end of July. I set up shop in Amtrak’s signature Sightseer Lounge and poured over scores while the countryside raced by out the window.
Needs:
If you have a wire music stand just sitting in a closet unused, donate it to SOGO.
Check out Mr. May sharing his letter with you on YouTube.
STUDENT ORCHESTRAS OF GREATER OLYMPIA
For our SOGO 2 Schools program, we are looking for band and orchestra instruments in good working condition. We would love to give them new life in the hands of a young musician.
LEAD • INSPIRE • PERFORM •
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Saturday Oct. 2 Olympia Arts Walk
CONDUCT US! SOGO and Olympia Symphony Orchestra team up. Come and conduct the symphony! More information online.
Visit StudentOrchestras.org
It was great to witness live conducting and teaching going on in the SOGO rehearsals! Sunday, August 29, we had the SOGO Kick-Off for the 2021-2022 season. There was much anticipation leading up to Sunday since we hadn’t been live for 546 days. If you recall, we had just had our March 3, 2020 concert, SOGO’s 20-anniversary celebration. The following week we were able to meet, but it was already a given that everything was about to be shut down permanently, and it did. What we didn’t know was how long this was going to last. While we are not entirely out of the woods, SOGO decided to meet live for the 21-22 season. This year we have moved rehearsals from Calvary Church Olympia to Jefferson M.S. As students joined us for the SOGO Kick-Off, everyone was excited to be in person and followed safety protocol. “I never realized how much I looked forward to making the drive from the Key Peninsula to see and work with SOGO students in 3-D. There is a sense of community that occurs when you make music together with others. I missed the interaction and collaboration with the students, specifically the clarinet players, in all three orchestras.” ~ Daniel Aliment, Clarinet TA This season Travis Sipher, Debut Strings conductor for five years, and Jennifer Marin, Debut Winds conductor and founding member of SOGO, have stepped down from their SOGO podiums. While it is hard to say goodbye, we wish them well and many thanks for their fine work with the students. In their place, we welcome Jordan Goldstein, Debut Strings conductor, and Dan Craig, Debut Winds Conductor. Mr. Goldstein teaches orchestra at Washington M.S. in the Olympia School District, and Mr. Craig is a seasoned teacher from the Napavine School District. There are also a few new faces in the teaching artist staff, including Daniel Boschee (violin), Kate Mondragon (flute), and Karen Gheorghiu (oboe). “It [Sunday] was like a breath of fresh air after being in a basement for a year and a half; it was so nice to see everyone again, and I was very grateful to be there the entire time.” ~ Ryan Kapsandy (bassoon), Student Board Students got off to a great start rehearsing. First, they sight-read through the music for the first concert performance Sunday, November 7. Then, the conductors surprised the students by convening together in the gym to play a mass piece. You can listen to a clip of it on YouTube (use QR Code) or on Facebook/studentorchestras.com.
BREAK
AWAY FROM BIAS
Over the last year, the SOGO board has been discussing our vision for diversity, equity, and inclusion: how can we increase opportunities for all students to experience the benefits of learning to play music together in greater Olympia? We took a big step on this journey in August when SOGO parent Manny Martinez led a combined group of the SOGO board and staff in a survey of the mental shortcuts or implicit biases that can befall us, called Break Away From Bias. We had a lively discussion of how we can avoid these biases as we seek new student members, adult volunteers, and reach out to the broader community. Teaching Artists Damian Nelson (violin) L and Daniel Aliment (clarinet) R attended.
Student Board members L-R Gabriel Ong (oboe) and Maria Aurelio (violin) with board members Katie Sipiorski and Jennifer Titus.
“‘Break Away From Bias’ seminar was a great way to start a SOGO year. Manny opened up all those boxes we tend not to want to explore and provided a path to address issues that sometimes live in the shadows. Revisiting those issues will enable me to make this season’s teaching experience more insightful.” ~ Liz Ward, French Horn TA Thanks to Manny, we have some common tools we can use to recognize and avoid biases that get in the way of our vision. Use the QR code to see more information about Manny and his work. ~ Milt Harper, board president (pictured with Manny above)
CELEBRATE
2021-2022
Sunday @ 4pm November 7 Washington Center Tickets: $8-21* Six & under free* 360.753.8586 *plus $4 WCPA fee
Auditions for membership in SOGO are still open. Please share this with a young friend. The audition information can be found at StudentOrchestras.org Donate to SOGO Today! Online at StudentOrchestras.org