Volume 8, Number 1, August 2016
YOBC Celebrates: 25th Anniversary Season
Inside this issue: Student Spotlight: Nicole Ruepp
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Three New Members Join YOBC Board of Directors
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YOBC Founder Carol Gimbel Starts Another New Venture
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Highlights from the 2016 French Alps & Riviera Tour
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Concerto Soloists Selected in Annual Competition
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Executive Director’s Corner: What I Did for Summer Vacation
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Ripieno Welcomes New Conductor Sebastian Grand
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Important Dates:
September 10: CurtainRaiser and Orientation September 11: All YOBC rehearsals begin September 18: YOBC Parents Meetings 2:15 & 5:00 October 9–23: Practice-AThon
November 6: Cello Master Class with Hae-Yi Ni
November 19–20: YOBC Fall Concert Series
Keeping Tempo
This season, YOBC celebrates an important milestone. Founded 25 years ago by 14-year-old violist Carol Gimbel and her father Joe, YOBC has grown from a single 60-member ensemble to a thriving organization of over 275 today. Under the baton of Robert Loughran, the original Music Director, YOBC continues to offer the “quality youth orchestra” the Gimbels envisioned. Since 1991, YOBC has provided musical enrichment to 1,636 members, in addition to some 300 who have been part of our Students-In-Concert outreach programs. Overall, YOBC students have been members for an average of three years. This number is increasing as students can join at younger ages and tend to stay longer. Among recent graduates, the average length of membership is 5–6 years. Not surprisingly, the violin is the most popular instrument in YOBC over the years – 512 of our students have been violinists. In addition to our ensemble programs, YOBC’s concerto competition has been running for over 20
YOBC’s first Symphony Orchestra, May 1992
years (see page 5 to meet this year’s soloists). A total of 64 students have performed as soloists with YOBC’s Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, or Fanfare Winds. Violinists have again been the most likely soloists – 25 – but the concerto competition winners include performances on alto saxophone, flute, French horn, harp, oboe, piano, trumpet, and (this year) tuba. In 2002, YOBC added a bi-annual international tour to its list of offerings. The most recent tour – the seventh – to the French Alps & Riviera has just returned (see page 4). Tours have also taken YOBC musicians to Austria and Germany, Scandinavia, the Czech Republic and Germany, Italy (twice), and Spain and France. Altogether, 284 YOBC stu-
dents have had the opportunity to take part in a European concert tour. Since 1997 YOBC has recognized graduating seniors for service to the organization. Service could be as student board representatives, tuning and teaching assistants, general help with library or administrative work, or countless other volunteer opportunities. Thirty-five students have received YOBC service scholarships over the years. We begin our exciting 25th anniversary season with plenty of special offerings from master classes, guest artists, and returning alumni, and we look forward to the next 25 years of enriching musical experiences for the area’s young musicians.
tudent
potlight: Nicole Ruepp
Nicole Ruepp joined YOBC last year as the only bassist in Prima Strings. This season, she will be one of three string bass players who will be members of YOBC’s Concertino ensemble. With over 30 members in the ensemble, the bass section will provide the foundation for the great Concertino sound. Nicole attends Pennwood Middle School in the Pennsbury School District, where she will be going into seventh grade. Like most YOBC students, she was first introduced to the bass at school, and she started playing her instrument when she was in fourth grade.
A former YOBC member who also played the bass was the first person to tell Nicole about YOBC. “I joined YOBC because I thought it would be fun and it would be a good experience to play with a different group of musicians,” Nicole says. In addition to YOBC, Nicole plays the bass in her school orchestra and in the Pennsbury middle school honors orchestra. She will also be auditioning for the jazz band at her school this year. Beyond high school, Nicole hopes to have a career in either science or music. We look forward to hearing more great bass playing during our 25th anniversary season.
Three New Members Join YOBC Board of Directors YOBC welcomes three new members to the Board of Directors. In an effort to keep the board dynamic and to support YOBC’s continued growth, we are always recruiting new directors. This year’s new members will help to fill the shoes of several long-serving Board members who are rotating off the roster. These include Eileen Wachtman, past VP of the Board, recognized for her organizational efforts and fundraising support; Vicki Roza who has served as the YOBC Secretary for over a decade; and Steve Bresnan, who has been our long-time BCCC liaison. The new Board members are Jean Holmes, Joyce Lin, and
YOBC alumna Jacqui King. Jean Holmes has been a nonprofit professional for 11 years and is currently the Development Manager for Bucks County Community College Foundation. She also serves on the board of directors at the Ted Lindeman Outreach Foundation and is active in several chambers and business groups in Bucks County. Jacqui King works as an opening processor and underwriting assistant at Oak Mortgage Company in Trevose, PA. She has a BA in saxophone performance from Coastal Carolina University. She was a member of the CCU marching band, symphonic band, coastal winds, and saxophone ensemble for four years. Jacqui was a member of YOBC’s Wind Ensemble for three seasons and traveled twice with the group to the Czech Republic, Germany, and Italy. Joyce Lin is founder and faculty of Vio-Lin Music Prep. She graduated Jean Holmes (l) and Jacqui King (r) magna cum laude from
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Carnegie Mellon University with a double major in Violin Performance and Business Administration. She has participated in several area youth orchestras Joyce Lin including the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra as Principal Second Violinist; PMEA through MENC All-Eastern Orchestra festivals; debuted at Carnegie Hall at age 17 with the MidAmerica Production National Orchestra; and won Gold in the Silberman Chamber Music Competition. These new directors join the other board members whose priority for the 25th anniversary season will be to develop a new five-year strategic plan to guide YOBC into the next quartercentury. Keeping Tempo
YOBC Founder Carol Gimbel Starts Another New Venture In 2008, violist and YOBC founder Carol Gimbel started another new venture in Toronto, Canada: Music in the Barns. The project is a composite of all her different experiences and the product of Carol’s desire to find a career path that encompassed the full range of her creativity. Music in the Barns specializes in comprehensively curated, sitespecific “installation concerts,” which transform spaces into uniquely immersive classical music experiences. The company has produced critically acclaimed performances including a sevenconcert residency at the Artscape Wychwood Barns, the Drake Hotel’s “Underground,” and The Academy of Lions. Most recently their #1000Strings project garnered international attention from Strings Magazine, Slipped Disc Blog, and the Violin Channel, bringing together over 1,000 performers and onlookers of all ages in Toronto’s version of Times Square, Yonge-Dundas Square. Their latest production, Song of Extinction, was presented in partnership with the Luminato Festival 10th Anniversary at the mammoth Hearn Generating Station and marked their fifth and most ambitious world premiere. Carol is the Founder and Artistic director of Music in the Barns. In the beginning that meant that she played all of the roles – from grant writing, to fundraising, producing, production design, full-scale event planning, social media, etc. – not to mention performing! Today, she still works on almost everything happening in the organization, though it has now grown to a core development and production team of four. For the most recent production, the team expanded to 12. Music in the Barns was inspired by Carol’s desire to create something different and new. “It incorporates my unique performance experiences, such as three Volume 8, Number 1, August 2016
exhilarating weeks of world-class performances in a working barn in Canada; my inherited entrepreneurial skills acquired from my family; a love of spaces, tradition, experimentation, event creation, and art installation; and the desire to create concerts that invoke that je ne sais quoi ‘spark’ of excitement that happens when performance and audiences unite. “I saw a need for engagement and renewal for both performers and audiences. I aimed to create personal experiences for all ages, both educationally and performance-wise. I was always attracted to opening the doors to ‘behindthe-scenes’ and creating a comfortable atmosphere for inquiry. Building a bridge for audiences – both seasoned and new – to connect and engage is key to organizational sustainability, which has been a major issue in classical music, especially as we transition into the 21st century. I wanted to explore my own style of addressing this issue, which is essentially what Music in the Barns is. “For me, the different social and experiential approaches I use in my presentations are only in service of the music. Music in the Barns creations are built around the music we are presenting, not enhancing the music, ‘gimmick-ing’ the music, or aimed at trying to bring in audiences. Each concert, essentially, is an art piece.” Music in the Barns’ first album featuring world premiere recordings of recent string quartets by leading Canadian composers Rose Bolton, Michael Oesterle, and Scott Godin, is currently in production for release in 2017. Music in the Barns is made possible through the generous support
of the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, along with an incredible community of friends, partners, donors, and sponsors. The future of Music in the Barns is very exciting. Carol says, “We are developing ‘installation concerts’ for venues in New York City and looking for opportunities in other cities across the United States and worldwide. We have been invited to plan a six-city tour across Canada of #1000 Strings.” Alongside this future planning, this year Music in the Barns will have a full roster of performances in Toronto and beyond. Carol’s advice for young musicians is “Go for it! Work hard, play hard, love what you do, love your colleagues, bring your best, and take care of yourself. Always remember as a performer that there are folks working hard, behind the scenes, to make your performance possible.”
Learn more about Music in the Barns on their website and social media platforms: www.musicinthebarns.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/musicinthebarns Twitter: @musicinthebarns
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Highlights from the 2016 French Alps & Riviera Tour In late July and August, 116 YOBC musicians, staff, and family members visited the French Alps, Provence, and the Riviera. Gorgeous concert venues and enthusiastic audiences greeted them in Annecy, Arles, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, and Cannes. In the Alps the hills were alive with the sound of YOBC’s music. There was also plenty of sightseeing and fine food — and even selfies with the Alpine donkeys. A new French fan signed on to Face-
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book to leave our musicians a message of congratulations: “A repertoire as pleasing as it was varied and masterfully interpreted! When will you tour in the other regions of France?” Soon, we hope! Stay tuned for news about the upcoming 2018 tour.
Keeping Tempo
Concerto Soloists Selected in Annual Competition At the beginning of the summer, YOBC’s Symphony Orchestra in in early June, nine YOBC musithe spring concert in April. Liam is cians vied for the a junior at Pennsopportunity to perbury High School. form a solo during He is in his third the upcoming year with YOBC. YOBC season. He began studyThree winners were ing the trumpet selected for this with Roberta year: Mary Kate Stafford when he Durnan, Liam was in fourth Tahaney, and Zachgrade. Liam beary Eisengrein. gan playing tuba Mary Kate Durin his freshmen Mary Kate Durnan nan will play Vitali’s year. He has Chaconne with the served as sousaYOBC Symphony Orchestra in the phone section leader for the past fall. Mary Kate is a senior at Countwo years in the Pennsbury Marchcil Rock North High School. She has ing Band. Liam has performed in played both violin and viola in Italy and France with YOBC as well PMEA and BCMEA festivals. She as Washington, DC and Sydney, Aushas been in YOBC for nine years, tralia with the Pennsbury Marching starting in Concertino at age 8. Last Band and Concert Jazz Band. year she played viola in YOBC’s Zachary Eisengrein began his Honors String Quartet and served musical training in the fourth grade, as concertmistress for YOBC’s 2016 starting with the flute. After one year French Alps & Riviera tour. on flute, he switched to trumpet, a Liam Tahaney will play Ralph “louder” instrument that suited him Vaughn Williams’s Concerto for better, which he has played for the Bass Tuba in F Minor with last seven years. Zach has experience
in marching band, jazz band, concert band, and pop/rock band. In Zach Eisengrein his first year of YOBC, Zach played with the Wind Ensemble, and now in his third year he is featured in YOBC Fanfare Winds, and plays with the Symphony Orchestra and Brass Ensemble. Liam Tahaney Zach, a senior from Morrisville, will perform Fantaisie Brillante by Jean-Baptiste Arban with YOBC Fanfare Winds in April.
Executive Director’s Corner: What I Did for Summer Vacation Many of us remember the dreaded grade school composition assignment, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation.” I don’t know if present-day teachers ask students to do this anymore, but back in the day…it was standard procedure for the first day back to school. And of course, after you wrote your composition you had to read it. Out loud. To the rest of the class. Over the years, I’ve experienced many struggles facing the “Summer Vacation” composition challenge. But if I had to write that composition this year, it would be different, because this summer I went on the best YOBC tour ever! I could write about lookVolume 8, Number 1, August 2016
ing down at the clouds from the summit of Mont Blanc. I could recall the standing ovations students received after every concert. I could tell how people on the street broke out into spontaneous applause as the students walked back to our hotel after a special concert in Arles. Swimming on the Riviera, exploring Roman ruins, and savoring creamy gelato twice a day! Listening with pride as students performed their music with skill and artistry. Building lasting friendships.
And working with tour members to face the inevitable challenges of traveling in a foreign country. Is it possible for 116 people get in and out of the bathrooms at a highway rest stop in under 15 minutes? Can we all get showered after a beach day if there are only three shower stalls available? Will we be able to handle 5:00 AM wakeup calls? For YOBC tour members the answers to these questions were a resounding yes. For ten amazing days, YOBC tour members became one lean, mean touring machine, working together to create an unforgettable experience that we will remember for years to come. —Colleen Sweetsir YOBC Executive Director Page 5
70 Canoebirch Road Levittown, PA 19057 Email: info.yobc@gmail.com
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 achiev e artistic excellence through enriching classical musical experiences. In 25 season s the organization has grown from a single , 60-member ensemble to 16 ensembles wi th over 275 young musicians.
Ripieno Welcomes New Conductor Sebastian Grand Some YOBC students may recognize Sebastian Grand – the new Ripieno conductor – as a sometimes substitute for Tom Cunningham. This year Seb will take the helm of YOBC’s most advanced string orchestra. Mr. Cunningham will take over conductor duties for Philharmonia. Joseph Caminiti has started a new job as Music Director of the Delaware County Symphony. Sebastian Grand and his wife Noelle (a former YOBC cellist) are the Directors of the Grand School of Music in New Hope. Sebastian is active as a conductor, pianist, and educator both throughout Europe and in the United States. Raised in Guernsey, UK, he is a first-class graduate of the Joint Course between the University of Manchester and the Royal Northern College of Music and has re-
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ceived a Masters with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London where he and Noelle met. As a pianist, Seb works as a concerto soloist, recitalist, accompanist, chamber musician, orchestral pianist and répétiteur. He has received numerous prizes and awards. He made his concerto debut in 2008, receiving a standing ovation for his performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. As founder and principal conductor of the Guernsey Sinfonietta, Seb is also in high demand as conductor of a wide variety of both professional and nonprofessional ensembles. Always inter-
ested in developing new and exciting projects, Seb co-founded the Guernsey-based new music group Terra Nova, has led a performance of In C for the Victor Hugo International Music Festival, and conducted “Serenade for Shelter” – a performance raising awareness for homeless charity Shelter UK.
Keeping Tempo