Keeping Tempo
Volume 2, Number 3 February 2011
Inside this issue:
New Year Brings Changes to YOBC Board
YOBC Students Give Their Musical Gifts To the Community
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Conductors’ Notes: Why “Go Live”?
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Student Spotlight: Schenley Park Schneider
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Notes from the Executive Director: American Treasures
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YOBC Alumnus, Dae Kim, Now Associate Conductor at West Point, Will Guest Conduct at YOBC’s 20th Anniversary Concert
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Important Dates:
February 20, 2011: Master Class with Curtis Institute Strings
March 6, 2011: Master Class with Chris Brubeck
April 9, 2011: Spring Concerts, Maple Point Middle School
April 10, 2011: Move-up auditions
May 14, 2011: All flute auditions; new and returning
May 21, 2011: Gala Celebration Concert, Patriots Theater, Trenton War Memorial
YOBC has begun the new year with some changes behind the scenes. Joining our Board of Directors is Don Liuzzi, Principal Timpanist for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Originally from Massachusetts, Don completed high school at the Franklin Learning Center in Philadelphia. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan and his Master of Music degree from Temple University. In addition to his position with the Philadelphia Orchestra, for the last six years, Don has been the conductor of Philadel-
phia’s All-City Orchestra. Also new to the Board of Directors are two interns who are looking forward to helping provide oversight and guidance to all YOBC programs. Dawn Karlyn, of The Federal Reserve, joins us through the Philadelphia Leadership Alliance. Her son, Jason, was a YOBC member and is currently studying viola at Juilliard, so YOBC is close to her heart. Maureen Carotenuto, an accountant with Jones New York, joins us through the Arts & Business Council of Philadelphia where she is undergoing training in nonprofit board leadership. Sadly, the changes include the resignation of Lisa Mcdonald who served on the YOBC board from 2007–2010. Lisa’s daughter Kiernan was a YOBC member and a concerto soloist and Lisa has been a valuable member of our board, particularly contributing to the five-year strategic plan YOBC’s new Board interns: Dawn we have launched this Karlyn (l) and Maureen Carotenuto season. We will miss
Don Liuzzi, Principal Timpanist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, and YOBC’s newest Board Member.
Lisa’s enthusiasm and as we welcome our new members, we wish her well in her future endeavors.
Lisa Mcdonald has been a crucial member of YOBC’s Strategic Planning team.
YOBC Students Give Their Musical Gifts to the Community Recently, YOBC perplaying so much that he cussionist Jesse plans to organize another Rosenfeld and some concert there this Spring. friends performed at During the holiday seaGalilee Pavilion in son, Wind Ensemble’s Levittown. This facility bass clarinetist, Jamie is for senior citizens Doerschuck, took part in who are somewhat ina variety of community dependent but may events. In November she need supportive serplayed at the Four Lanes Jesse Rosenfeld vices. The concert took Holiday House Tour and place in October with approxiTea in Langhorne Borough. Then in mately 15 musicians and vocalists December, Jamie played piano at combined for this great program. In Pennsbury addition to Jesse, YOBC musicians Manor’s Holly who performed Nights and include Conceralong with tino violist Sara DornSpencer Szwalblaser she benest and joined Colleen Prima Strings Sweetsir in cellist, Bonnie the Christmas Devenney The Kaleidoscope concert was concert at enjoyed by all Philadelphia who attended. Biblical UniJesse enjoyed Jamie Doerschuck Bonnie Devenney versity.
Rondeau Quartet
Also in December, the Rondeau Quartet, which included YOBC members Jennie Benson, Sara Liebreich, and Charlotte Fedun, volunteered their time and talents to help the Red Cross homeless shelSpencer Szwalbenest ter commemorate its 25th Anniversary. Tell us about your musical experiences in your community!
Conductors’ Notes: Why “Go Live”? IPod’s are great. Great sound, flawless performances, perfect balance, what’s not to love? We enjoy listening to recordings and can listen on our own schedule, so why go to a live performance? What would you hear in a concert that you couldn't get from a good recording? What you get is the unpredictability of the moment. In performance, factors come into play that affect the music. The musicians react to the hall, the audience, the conductor, the difficulty of the music, the length of the program, and their own nerves. It is the total of all these factors and many more that makes for the excitement of a live performance. The 100-yard dash is the race used to determine the fastest man Page 2
alive. We watch a group of the best runners race each other to find the fastest man. But why do we go to the trouble of getting the best runners together when we
The inspiration of the moment makes for the unforgettable performance. Go to a concert and be prepared to be amazed. could just have them run by themselves against the clock? It would be the most efficient way to determine the fastest man, yet a race must be run. We bring a group of great runners together and the
outcome cannot be predicted, even though we know each runner’s fastest time. Why does the football team with the best record of the season lose in the playoffs? The unpredictability of the “live” event is what we find the most exciting. It is the same with music. The inspiration of the moment makes for the unforgettable performance. Go to a concert and be prepared to be amazed. It is live music that captures our interest and will keep our interest for a lifetime. Our Gala concert in May with Chris Brubeck, will be one of those “live” performances you won’t want to miss. Make sure that you are there and don't miss the moment. —Steve Sweetsir, Conductor YOBC Wind Ensemble
tudent
potlight: Schenley Park Schneider
Schenley Schneider has a “string thing.” The Concertino musician joined YOBC last year as a violist, but over the winter break, decided she would like to come back to Concertino as a bass player. After hearing her audition on bass, Molly agreed and this spring, we have a new bassist in our YOBC family! Schenley is a homeschooled seventh grader who lives in the Pennsbury School District and plays with the orchestra and the jazz band at Pennwood Middle School. She started viola when she was in third grade, but last fall switched to the bass because she likes the louder sound. It has not been easy learning the bass because she had to learn to read a different clef, but Schenley has been working hard at her new instrument.
Musical instruments are not Schenley’s only string passion. She is also a member and treasurer of two local 4-H clubs—a community club and an alpaca club—which help her indulge her interest in fiber arts. The owner of five fiber goats (which are small and look a little bit like sheep with their fluffy coats), Schenley has learned to wash, card, and spin their wool after they are sheared, to make her own yarn (strings!) that can be dyed and used to create any number of things. Dying the wool is a fun project and Schenley has used natural dyes such as black walnut and turmeric, but her favorite “dye” is Kool-Aid which she says works really well. Recently, at a 4-H fashion show, Schenley presented a shawl that she knitted from yarns she had made.
Schenley enjoys working with her animals and the fiber they make and pictures herself living and working on a “hobby farm.” She also sees herself continuing to play music Schenley with “Rosey,” a and espe7-month-old angora goat. cially enjoying the orchestra. One way or another, Schenley will be doing her “string thing” for a long time!
Notes from the Executive Director: American Treasures You’re a contestant on the TV game show, Jeopardy. The category is “famous American composers.” You hit the button and prepare your response. Which composers would you choose? You’ll be sure to earn some points if you respond “Who is George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Jennifer Higdon, or Charles Ives?” Next is the Lightning Round. The answer is “The most frequently performed American composer.” If you guessed “Who is Aaron Copland?” you are the champion! If you are like most people, when it comes to composers, you think Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Bach. But the United States has its own treasure of amazing composers who incorporate the wonderful sounds and essence of American culture. The works of composers like Copland, Bernstein, Gershwin, and Ives are incredibly varied, and infused with elements of the American culture they spring from. Musical elements Volume 2, Number 3
from jazz, folk, blues, rock, and rap find their way into compositions and make them organically American. This year, YOBC will be collaborating with Chris Brubeck, an American composer, in a concert and master class. Chris Brubeck, son of jazz legend Dave Brubeck, compares composing music to being an architect.* You have to dream up what the design is, and the look of the thing. That's the artistic part. But architects then hire contractors—they’re not there shoveling the trenches and laying in the pipe. Composers write every note. And it’s not just the notes. They’ve got to write the dynamics: how loud this is to be played, and how short…. Being a composer is a strange mixture of someone who has the talent and creativity to think of it in the first place, and the diligence to finish it.
Chris’s compositions include elements from jazz, classical, blues, and folk and contain many unique building materials. I was commissioned to write a piece … based on text by children who’d won a national poetry contest. When we played it for the local library, they said, “Wow! Can’t we do that in our town?”… It involved getting all the teachers on board
to encourage all the kids to write poems. There were about 1,000 poems written which got distilled down to 300. I ended up setting 12 to music. The poems were read in a spoken word performance with orchestra and choir. You got those kids to value that little voice inside...that’s uniquely you. Imagine being a little kid who wrote a poem—some of the best poems were by kids who were 5 or 6 years old....Suddenly, there’s a professional orchestra playing....”
YOBC Advanced Division students will have the opportunity to work with Chris and learn first-hand about the creative influences of music composition in a master class on March 6. On May 21, Chris Brubeck and Triple Play will join over 250 YOBC students and alumni in an amazing Gala concert. Join us for the live performance of a real American treasure! —Colleen Sweetsir YOBC Executive Director *From: “All About Jazz” Dr. Judith Schlesinger, January 28, 2004. www.allaboutjazz.com
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g YOBC Events
YOBC 20th Anniv ersary Gala Concer t Trenton War Mem orial May 21, 2011 YOBC 2012 Intern ational Concert To ur Southern France & Northern Spain Summer 2012
YOBC Alumnus Dae Kim, Now Associate Conductor at West Point, Will Guest Conduct at 20th Anniversary Gala Concert YOBC is thrilled to welcome back an illustrious alumnus as a guest conductor at our 20th Anniversary Gala concert on May 21. Dae Kim, a clarinet player in the Wind Ensemble and Orchestra during 1999–2000, will guest conduct with this year’s Wind Ensemble. After graduating from high school, Dae spent six years at Temple University, earning a B.M. in clarinet performance and an M.M. in clarinet with an emphasis in conducting. During YOBC’s 2002–2003 season, Dae was Steve Sweetsir’s assistant conductor for Wind Ensemble. When asked to recall his favorite memories of his time at YOBC, Dae said, “No one memory stands out from the others. YOBC was my first musical experience outside of my school program, and it was amazing to me that there were other students out there willing to give up their Sunday afternoons to be a part of a wonderful musical experience. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and the high level of Page 4
music we made was the highlight of my high school musical experience.” Currently Dae is the Deputy Commander and Assistant Conductor of the West Point Band. “As the assistant conductor, I conduct about 10–12 concerts per year and serve as cover conductor for the rest of the concerts. As deputy commander, I manage the senior staff within the organization, including the operations, budget, and logistics offices.” Dae found out about the Army Bands Program through another YOBC alumnus, West Point Band Alumnus, and fellow Army Bands Officer, Captain David Paroby. “We were both at a conducting conference and it turned out we had YOBC in common. We got to talking some more, and Dave convinced me to audition for a position. In no small way, I have YOBC to thank not only for my musical development, but for the alumni connections that helped me get to the place I am today.” Dae is looking forward to return-
ing to YOBC this spring. “I’m grateful that Steve and the YOBC family has invited me back,” he says, “and it’ll be a real treat to make music with an ensemble that is very special to me. Plus, it’s step 36 in my plan to take over the world (just checking to see if anyone is still paying attention).” Dae’s future ambitions are to continue growing musically and to become the best musician he can be. “I'm fortunate and grateful to have the job I have now, and I'm looking forward to a wonderful career doing what I love to do.” We are looking forward to introducing Dae to current members of the YOBC family.