Keeping Tempo August 2011

Keeping Tempo Volume 3, Number 1 August 2011

Introducing YOBC’s New Conductor: Sara Wolfe

Inside this issue: YOBC Student Provides Musical Enrichment to Young People

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Conductors’ Notes: How to Listen to Music

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Student Spotlight: Chris Smirnov

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YOBC International Tour: 3 More Than Music; More Than Musicians Wind Ensemble’s Dave Somerville Moving on to Full-Time Job

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New This Year: YOBC Honors String Quartet

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YOBC Students in Summer Music Programs

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Two YOBC Students Selected as Concerto Soloists

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Important Dates: 

September 10, 2011: Kickoff Event for Advanced Division; New Student Orientation

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September 11, 2011: First Rehearsals at BCCC

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September 18, 2011: Parents Meetings: BCCC

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October 29, 2011: Field Trip to Philadelphia Orchestra

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November 19, 2011: Fall Concerts

This fall, YOBC welcomes Sara Bennett Wolfe to our staff as the new conductor of our Junior Division ensembles, Prima Strings and Concertino, and coach for the new Honors String Quartet (see page 4). Sara is a PhD candidate in cello performance at Rutgers University and has degrees in music education and pedagogy. She has experience teaching all age groups from elementary through college students.

Sara learned about the opening at YOBC from Betsy Loughran, Mr. Loughran’s wife, who was her first cello teacher from 3rd through 9th grades. Mr. Loughran was her orchestra conductor at Princeton High School. The job at YOBC was a good fit given her background and experience in music education.

During the summer Sara was the principal cellist at the Opera in the Ozarks festival in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This festival is for serious opera students to train and hone their skills. They

perform three full operas over a month-long period for local fans and others who come to Arkansas to attend the festival.

At the end of the summer Sara served as a faculty member of the Kinhaven Music School in Vermont. Kinhaven Music School fosters musicmaking experiences in which shared learning, mutual support, friendship, and community are always present. Sara taught in the middleschool level chamber program there.

In addition to teaching, Sara is a member of the Heiligenstadt Quartet, a group formed in 2006 at the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. Being a member of the group has been a life-changing experience for Sara: “This is where I learned everything there is about making musical decisions.” She enjoys rehearsing with the other members and seeing how they have grown and developed individually and how it affects their chemistry.

Sara is thrilled to be joining the staff at YOBC and is impressed by the positive atmosphere, the

Sara Bennett Wolfe

helpfulness of the parents, and the sense of community we foster.

After helping out a little this past spring, preparing for the Gala concert, she is excited for the opportunity to be a part of the community. She looks forward to helping create the new Honors String Quartet, and with Concertino and Prima Strings is eager to share her knowledge and teaching experience. She also expects to learn a lot because she knows the students end up teaching the instructors as much as they learn.

We are happy to welcome Sara to YOBC.

YOBC Student Provides Musical Enrichment to Young People This summer, I started volunteering at the Salvation Army of Mercer County, teaching music to underprivileged youths. Music has always been a big part of my life, so I thought it was only right to use that skill to give back to the community. The students are the nicest kids you could possibly imagine, all smiles and laughter. You’d never guess that many of them come from the worst neighborhoods in Trenton, areas so plagued by crime and urban decay that keyboards cannot be left in a room with windows. They would be stolen and pawned by addicts looking to score drug money.

Teaching music at the Salvation Army gives the kids a good meal and a place to go. Just as importantly, it gives them the opportunity to cultivate a talent that

would never have been possible without the program (many of the students could not afford to buy an instrument). Most have never played at all before, but there is a huge amount of untapped potential in those first squawks and groans from an ancient cornet. Perhaps some of these students will find a passion, and continue to make music a part of their lives. Some may play in high school, some in college; some may even go on to become professional musicians. No matter what, the experience of playing music is enriching the lives of these children, just as it does for us at YOBC. We still need help at Salvation Army Mercer County. There is a great need for instruments, and for instructors to teach these instruments. If you have an old, student-

model instrument gathering dust in your closet, or if you’d be willing to teach these great kids the joy of music, you can visit http:// www.volunteer_match.org/search/ opp713670.jsp for more information (including phone numbers for the Salvation Army) or contact me at sibnerian@gmail.com.

—Ian Sibner, French horn YOBC Wind Ensemble & Symphony Orchestra

Conductors’ Notes: How to Listen to Music Wouldn’t it be extraordinary for all of us to sit through a music class at Yale University and listen to one of their great teachers presenting a course which fosters the development of aural skills that lead to a better understanding of Western Music and of the ways in which music is put together?

Well, Yale University is providing such a course online, free of charge, through its Open Yale Courses. Professor Craig Wright, who received a Bachelor of Music in piano and music history at the Eastman School of Music (1966) and a PhD in musicology at Harvard (1972), and since 1973 has taught at Yale University, is teaching “Listening to Music”, a series of 22 sessions dedicated to learning to listen to a wide variety of musical styles, from Bach and Mozart to the blues.  1. Introduction  2. Introduction to Instruments and Musical Genres  3. Rhythm: Fundamentals Page 2

 4. Rhythm: Jazz, Pop, and Classical  5. Melody: Notes, Scales, Nuts, and Bolts  6. Melody: Mozart and Wagner  7. Harmony: Chords and How to Build Them  8. Bass Patterns: Blues and Rock  9. Sonata-Allegro Form: Mozart and Beethoven  10. Sonata-Allegro and Theme and Variations  11. Form: Rondo, Sonata-Allegro, and Theme and Variations (cont.)  12. Guest Conductor: Saybrook Youth Orchestra  13. Fugue: Bach, Bizet, and Bernstein  14. Ostinato Form in the Music of Purcell, Pachelbel, Elton John, and Vitamin C  15. Benedictine Chant and Music in the Sistine Chapel  16. Baroque Music: The Vocal Music of Johann Sebastian Bach  17. Mozart and His Operas  18. Piano Music of Mozart and Beethoven

 19. Romantic Opera: Verdi's La Traviata, Bocelli, Pavarotti, and Domingo  20. The Colossal Symphony: Beethoven, Berlioz, Mahler, and Shostakovich  21. Musical Impressionism and Exoticism: Debussy, Ravel, and Monet  22. Modernism and Mahler  23. Review of Musical Style Just imagine sitting at home and learning from Professor Wright—and without having to take an exam at the end of the course! Just learning for fun about a subject that all of us at YOBC care about: becoming better listeners and, by extension, better musicians.

Here is the link to this class: http://oyc.yale.edu/music/listening-tomusic. As you prepare to start a new year of music making, why not learn more about music listening?

—Nicole Lambert, Conductor YOBC Chamber Flute Ensemble and Flute Choir

tudent

potlight: Chris Smirnov

This year, violinist Chris Smirnov will be YOBC’s Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster. Chris first auditioned for YOBC when he was in fifth grade.

He was not accepted then since he had never had private violin lessons.

But he began taking lessons and came back the following year even more determined. Chris joined Concertino that year and has worked his way through our ensembles, to earn the first seat in our Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to serving as our Concertmaster, Chris has also been selected as a student intern with this year’s Concertino. In this position, Chris will attend weekly Concertino rehearsals to assist our new conductor, Sara Wolfe, in a variety of ways.

Some new members of YOBC may recognize Chris from their auditions in the spring. Chris is a valu-

able volunteer who works with us to help students tune their instruments.

But he also offers them last-minute advice, calms their nerves, and serves as a cheering section for incoming students. During our season, he helps younger students tune, and helps out at the snack stand and wherever else he can volunteer A senior at Neshaminy High School, Chris also plays in their Orchestra and Chamber Strings programs. He has participated in BCMEA County Music festivals and PMEA District and Regional festivals.

Outside of school he plays jazz violin and in a few bands with friends.

Chris hopes to attend a music conservatory after he graduates next spring. He plans to apply to a variety of schools and is currently working on applications and audition pieces. He enjoys all different styles of music and

hopes to be accepted in a school where he can explore many genres.

He feels that his strength is in teaching so he expects pedagogy to be part of his future training, but his dream is to become a conductor one day.

Chris plans to put his best foot forward this year to help out as much as he can to make YOBC a welcoming place for all its musicians.

YOBC International Tour: More than Music; More than Musicians It was YOBC’s first ever international concert tour. We had spent the previous days traveling from Newtown, PA to Annsbach, Germany on an exhausting array of buses and airplanes. After checking into our hotel and grabbing a quick supper, the students reported to a rehearsal for final preparations for our first concert in Germany. Everyone was tired and longing for sleep as Mr. Loughran set the scene for our upcoming performance. We were to participate in a music festival in Annsbach. For the first time it began to sink in that this performance was unlike any other that we had given.

YOBC had traveled all the way to Germany to perform for a musically sophisticated audience. These people were not just parents and friends who had come to cheer us on. They were coming to a music festival expecting to hear great music from an American orchestra. We would be playing alongside other ensembles, each representing their own country.

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The next day, we performed in the courtyard of a large castle-like structure in the middle of the old town.

When everyone was ready, a hush fell over the audience and the announcer introduced the group. He spoke at great length, with much enthusiasm—all in German—as we waited to play. His introduction ended in a frenzy of excitement with a few words we did understand, “…the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County…Mr. Robert Loughran…the United States of America!” Our moment had arrived!

At concert’s end, the audience demanded an encore, which we did not have. We repeated one of our pieces to a mountain of applause!

There under the stars, we had made our German debut and all fears were conquered. There were so many wonderful moments on that tour. In one small town the audience clapped so long we had to repeat the entire concert. Then the mayor stood up and invited us all as his guests to a local restaurant! We toured beautiful mu-

seums and churches and saw vestiges of the ancient Roman Empire.

We visited amazing castles and learned their secrets and stories.

We learned to love apple strudel and our German hosts taught us how to make it from scratch. The way we related to our German friends changed how we viewed each other. Our wonderful concert tour was over, but we left a lasting impression of our country on our friends. In a special way, we were now a part of their picture of what the United States was all about and they would remain forever embedded in our picture of Germany.

Next summer YOBC will be embarking on a tour of Spain and France, our fifth international tour, to learn about other people in other lands, to create bonds, and to share our music. Join us on this wonderful adventure! To learn more about the tour visit our website.

—Colleen Sweetsir YOBC Executive Director Page 3

Wind Ensemble’s Dave Somerville Moving on to Full-Time Job This fall, Dave Somerville, YOBC’s Assistant Conductor for Wind Ensemble will be leaving YOBC (and Bucks County) for a new full-time job as a music teacher in Waldorf, MD. Dave joined the YOBC Wind Ensemble during his senior year of high school (2004–2005).

Then, as a music education student at TCNJ, he interned with YOBC for two and a half years starting in the spring of 2007. He has worked with YOBC as a conductor for the last four and a half years, and he also helps out with auditions and sectionals.

In May 2009 Dave graduated from TCNJ summa cum laude. Since then, he has been a long-term substitute in Evesham School District and Hopewell Valley School District in

NJ, and at MaST Charter School in Philadelphia. In addition to teaching, Dave has also been playing with the Eastern Wind Symphony, the Doylestown Symphonic Winds, and the Delaware Valley Wind Symphony. He teaches private clarinet and saxophone lessons, and has worked at a couple of summer camps.

In his new job which begins at the end of August, Dave will be the orchestra director at Mattawoman Middle School. We will miss him, but we are happy for him and he is very excited to finally be starting his career as a full-time music educator.

“YOBC was a great experience for me, both as a member and as a conductor,” Dave says. As a high school member, it was so wonderful

to play with other like-minded students who were there for the same reason that I was: to make music at a high level. As a conductor, working with students who were there for that reason was incredibly valuable to me, and I learned a lot about conducting and teaching from working at first with Mr. Sweetsir and the Wind Ensemble, then expanding to working with the other ensembles and eventually forming the Clarinet Ensemble.

“To all the parents and staff at YOBC: thank you so much for your dedication. To Mr. and Mrs. Sweetsir and Mr. Loughran, and all the other conductors: thank you for mentoring me and giving me the opportunity to work with your ensembles. To all of the students in YOBC: keep up the great work, take advantage of all that YOBC has to offer, and never give up your music!”

New this Year: YOBC Honors String Quartet This year YOBC is offering a new chamber ensemble—the Honors String Quartet. Open to students in the YOBC Symphony Orchestra, the quartet will be coached by our new conductor, Sara Bennett Wolfe, and will feature four of our most talented string musicians in a challenging musical environment. The group will be selected based on auditions to be held on September 10 following our Kickoff/Orientation events. Symphony students interested in auditioning should contact Diana Nolan to schedule their time. Music for the ensemble (and for the audition) can be found on the YOBC website Music Downloads link. Part of the commitment to the Honors String Quartet includes performing at a minimum of three community events to be determined by YOBC (taking students’ schedules into consideration).

The group will also perform in February at the YOBC Chamber Ensemble Recital, a new event created to give all of our smaller ensembles

additional performing opportunities.

Sara Wolfe is looking forward to coaching the new string quartet.

“Chamber music,” she says, “represents the essence of music. You have to take ownership of your part, not as a soloist or the center of attention, but working together. You create a unified vision for a piece of music.”

YOBC alumna Leigh Crivaro was part of a small string ensemble during her time at YOBC. A Music Education student at University of Georgia, Leigh says the “quartet/ small ensemble experience is extremely important for musical development. It helps make a musician more aware of the other players, musical nuances, and allows the players to be more involved since they have to discuss and make musical decisions as a group.”

Another YOBC alumna, Jess Clough, played in the last semiofficial YOBC string quartet. “The smaller ensembles I was in as a part of YOBC were some of the best exPage 4

periences.

While I love playing in full symphonies, and also as a soloist, there is something about making music in a chamber group that is extra magical. The chemistry required between members to make the music go to that next level is very hard to achieve in many cases, so when it does happen the reward is incredible. You have so much more control over the music, and it's fun to be collaborating with others, while learning a little bit from everyone and also a coach. The YOBC ensembles were a fantastic enhancement to the entire YOBC experience, and what made it even better was to be playing with very good friends!!”

Summer Musical Experiences Keep YOBC Student Busy This summer, YOBC’s Jamie Doerschuck took advantage of several local opportunities for musical enrichment. One experience was taking part in the Kimmel Center Teen Summer Arts Camp’s Chamber Music program. Jamie plays bass clarinet in the YOBC Wind Ensemble, and she took her talents to Philadelphia for a week of playing with a group of other talented teens after intensive training with teaching artists and guest musicians. The sessions all took place at the Kimmel Center and culmi-

famous organ and carillon at Longwood Gardens—a visit to a pipe organ building shop in Baltimore, and organ recitals by some of America’s finest organists.

How did you spend your summer vacation?

nated in a showcase of demonstration performances by soloists and ensembles. You can see Jamie’s Kimmel Center debut on YouTube by following the link on our Members/Announcements page.

Also this summer, Jamie went to Wilmington, DE to participate in the American Guild of Organists’ Pipe Organ Encounter. This is a week-long summer camp for students age 13–18 interested in discovering the pipe organ—the “king of instruments.” The Delaware program offered daily private instruction at the pipe organ, time to hear and play interesting pipe organs— for example the newly-restored E.M. Skinner Organ in Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, and the

YOBC Student Lives and Breathes Music at Strings Camp Once all my practices were over, I had two electives and free time.

There were many great electives such as drama, sports, sight reading, chorus, and chamber music. After the electives, I had free time until dinner. Free time was great because I could hang with my new friends and explore the beautiful campus of Bryn Mawr College. As we walked around Bryn Mawr we would hear lots of fabulous music coming from the dorms and practice rooms.

In the evenings, all the musicians from the least experienced kids to the college level players gathered.

There were master classes to take and to learn from. Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and campers gave performances throughout the week.

YOBC is always great on Sundays, but the Philadelphia International Music Festival gave me a

This summer I went to the Philadelphia International Music Festival for an amazing week of music. I had a chance to grow as a musician through the orchestra program and private lessons.

Every morning started with a two and a half hour orchestra rehearsal. I was lucky to have fellow YOBC member Jenna Liebreich in my group. The conductor helped bring the orchestra together. We played music from Haydn to Joplin.

After rehearsal, private practice time gave me an opportunity to work at my music uninterrupted for an hour. I learned how to utilize practice time to make my playing better. One day after practice, I had a lesson with a viola player from the Philadelphia Orchestra.

He showed me how to improve my techniques.

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chance to truly live and breathe music for a week. It was an incredible experience to come together with musicians from all over the world. There were kids from Korea, Spain, Australia, and Nigeria. I would love to go back next year and grow even more in my musical talents.

—Hannah Greenberg, Violist YOBC Concertino

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252 Hollow Branch Lane Yardley, PA 19067 Email: info.yobc@gmail.com auditions@yobc.org

yobc.org

The YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (Y OBC) was founded in 1991 with the spo nsorship and support of Bucks County Co mmunity College. Its mission is to create opportunities for young musicians to achieve artistic excellence through enriching cla ssical musical experiences. In 21 seasons the organization has grown from a single, 60-mem ber ensemble to nine ensembles with over 200 young musicians.

Two YOBC Students Selected as Concerto Soloists Richard Strauss. Sarah will perThis past June, nine students in form with the YOBC Wind EnsemYOBC’s Advanced Division took ble, also at the Fall concert. part in our annual Concerto ComThe Concerto Competition is petition. All of the students gave held each June for Advanced Divistellar performances at their audision musicians. The audition takes tions, leaving our panel with the place with an accompanist provided unenviable job of narrowing down

by YOBC, and gives the winners the candidates and choosing two the opportunity to perform with the winners this year.

YOBC in the followYOBC Symphony ing concert year. cellist Natalya BonMusicians must be darchuk, will perform sophomores or junthe “Concerto in E Miiors in good standing nor for Violincello and to audition. ApplicaOrchestra” by Edward tions for the compeElgar. She will play tition are due in with the Symphony January of the curOrchestra in the Fall rent season. Music 2011 concert this Noselections must be vember. Sara Dornapproved by the Mr. blaser plays French Loughran. horn in YOBC’s Wind Competition winEnsemble and Symners are notified phony Orchestra. She will perform “Concerto Sara Dornblaser, French horn soon after the audition and receive a No. 1 for Horn and YOBC Wind Ensemble & cash award after Symphonic Band” by Symphony Orchestra

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Natalya Bondarchuk, cellist, YOBC Symphony Orchestra

their performance. Flyers with information about the soloist competition auditions are handed out at the beginning of the spring concert season.

Check our website soon for more information about Natalya and Sarah and to see a list of other talented students who were past winners of the YOBC Concerto Competition.