Keeping Tempo Volume 4, Number 3, February 2013
Mark O’Connor Brings Eclectic Music to YOBC
Inside this issue: Ensemble Playing: Timeless Lessons for Life
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What Has Charm, Music, and Helps Others?
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Executive Director’s Corner: Put On Your Hard Hats
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YOBC Alumnus Jason Karlyn Making a Mark in Music
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Student Spotlight: Lena Hadly
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US Army All-American Marching Band
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Philadelphia Orchestra Cello Play-In
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Important Dates: February 23, YOBC Wine Tasting Benefit, New Hope Winery, 6:30–10:00 PM
March 23, Spring Concerts, Maple Point Middle School, Langhorne, 2:00 & 8:00 PM
March 24, Move Up Auditions
May 4, Mark O’Connor Workshops, BCCC
May 5, Mark O’Connor Concert, Patriots Theater, Trenton, 4:00 PM
June 8, YOBC Concerto Competition
Mark O'Connor's “Appalachia Waltz” composition and album were not made eligible for the Grammys in 1996 because the music was different from anything anyone had heard before. Classical, pop instrumental, American roots? Nobody wanted it in their Grammy category! It remained at the #1 spot of the Classical Billboard charts for an entire year, but received no nomination that year. Still, O’Connor is a two-time Grammy award winner— in 1992 with the Nashville Cats and in 2001 for his “Appalachian Journey” collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer. This May Mark O’Connor brings his eclectic music to YOBC for a series of workshops and a special concert at Patriots Theater in Trenton. As the featured soloist, O’Connor will perform his 35-minute “Improvised Concerto” with the YOBC Symphony Orchestra. All YOBC string musicians at all levels will
have the opportunity to work and perform with Mark O’Connor. At his workshops on Saturday, May 4, he brings The O'Connor Method—A New American School of String Playing to YOBC. O’Connor has developed a string instrument technique for music teachers and students. The method places an emphasis on music and playing techniques from North America, in addition to focusing on “rhythm development, ear training, and improvisation.” Our students are working on American classics like “Boil ’em Cabbages” and “Amazing Grace” to prepare for the workshops and performances. A product of America’s rich aural folk tradition as well as classical music, Mark O'Connor's creative journey began at the feet of a pair of musical giants. The first was the folk fiddler and innovator who created the modern era of American fiddling, Benny Thomasson; the second was the French jazz violinist con-
sidered one of the greatest improvisers in the history of the violin, Stephane Grappelli. Along the way, between these marvelous musical extremes, Mark O’Connor absorbed knowledge and influence from the multitude of musical styles and genres he studied. We are pleased to offer this fabulous opportunity to YOBC students as part of our 22nd season. Make sure to get your tickets and bring your friends to this unforgettable performance.
Ensemble Playing: Timeless Lessons for Life Music Lessons Playing in an ensemble has many valuable lessons for the young musician that translate later into character strengths. The qualities learned in group participation help students work well with others in the future. 1. Ear training is of utmost importance. This includes intonation, tone development, and discernment in listening. 2. There is great satisfaction in mastering one's instrument and a real sense of belonging when one participates in a group. 3. Learning new and unusual repertoire is a wonderful opportunity to expand knowledge of musical literature. 4. To be a proficient sight reader is unusual for students. I always say to my students: “Be the first one on your block to be an excellent sight reader!” There is also much to be learned from the study of music theory and music history. 5. The ability to take instruction gracefully and gratefully is a highly admirable quality. In the non-music world, I have noticed in my relationships there are many people who don’t take suggestions well. Music students are much better at this. Life Lessons Ensemble playing contributes much to everyday life. 1. Ensemble playing teaches a student how to be a team player. This is excellent preparation for college and the professional life. 2. Developing good manners and proper etiquette with other Page 2
An early 20th-century flute choir from Prague, Czechoslovakia
players will take a student far in later relationships. 3. Encouragement and diplomacy aren’t discussed much in our modern society but they are highly valued and contribute to a kinder world. If the student becomes a teacher, these are essential tools. 4. The responsibility of practicing and preparing a musician’s individual part translates to the professional world when colleagues and bosses can rely upon a worker to do their job well. 5. Consistent attendance demonstrates reliability as the participants fulfills their obligation to the whole group or organization. 6. Each member is indispensible. There are no superior or inferior parts and the same holds true in business and academia. When a player is missing, everyone feels it, no matter if a person plays first or second or third. Everyone is equally important and playing third is as much an
honor as playing first. All of this may sound hopelessly old fashioned! That’s what I am. I love classical music and I think many things from the good old days have fallen by the wayside. To produce beautiful music requires many of these outdated ideas that are as important today as they were in past decades. It is such a privilege and opportunity for me to work with the flutists. I am thankful to be a part of YOBC, working alongside such talented conductors, dedicated staff, enthusiastic volunteers, selfless parents, and passionate students. What a wonderful program. I’m so grateful to be part of it. Thank you! —Margaret Claudin, Conductor YOBC Flute Choir and
What Has Charm, Music, and Helps Others? If you guessed this year’s Wine Tasting Benefit at New Hope Winery with Livingston Taylor, then you have tapped into YOBC’s conviction, “YES WE CAN!”. We can provide, this year and every year, exciting and stimulating educational, enrichment and outreach programs for any and all kids who are willing and dedicated to the art and craft of instrumental music making. What better way than to embrace music and have fun right here in Bucks County? Come to our Silent Auction and see the exquisite, knitted cashmere shawl that YOBC parent, Adria Hadly, has made for us once again with her talent and time. We have the best apple pie ever made in Bucks County, thanks to Ripieno Liaison, Nina
Dewees. Thank you also to the Friends of YOBC and parents who so far have donated fine wines, vacation homes, free tickets to events, and more, plus our generous sponsorships. Yes, it is possible, but we can’t do it alone. We are still in need of more Benefit ticketholders, donations, and sponsorships to achieve support of YOBC’s full spectrum of programming. So come and with collective effort, WE CAN do it! All contributions are welcome…any amount, any means…
and remember to make YOBC part of your charitable giving every year. Go to yobc.org to see what YOU can do! —Dori Clough YOBC Board of Directors
Executive Director’s Corner: Put on Your Hard Hats “Please excuse our appearance during construction.” The sign was a light green poster decorated with smiling stick figures carrying ladders and wearing hard hats. I stood at the entrance of the store trying to decide whether to brave the labyrinth of revamped aisles and the noisy clatter of workmen’s tools. How bad could it be? I decided to give it a try. But once inside the store, I found the situation completely and unbearably unsettling. Nothing made sense. Half of aisle 7 was missing. The organic peanut butter was on the same shelf as the mac and cheese; my beloved Snapple was nowhere to be found! Why was this happening? Construction was so…untidy and confusing and inconvenient. I’m not very good at change. I like to have a good handle on what to expect. Change happens everywhere, all the time, and YOBC is no exception. Over the years, YOBC has grown from a single group to an array of ensembles, organized within a comprehensive curriculum designed to guide the growth of young musicians as they progress from beginning to advanced stages of Volume 4, Number 3, February 2013
their musical development. Throughout its 22-year history, YOBC has been a construction site, revising infrastructure, contracting artist faculty and performers, adapting existing programs, and building new ones. Next season, YOBC will take another exciting step in expanding opportunities for our students. With our focus on offering ensembles that build musical skills step-by-step and creating learning environments with high potential for educational impact, we have “remodeled” YOBC’s ensemble program. Three important projects will be unveiled. First, we will be creating a second-tier full orchestra by adding a full complement of wind and percussion instruments to our current Philharmonia. This change will give more students a full orchestra experience and provide necessary training for entry into YOBC’s Symphony Orchestra. Philharmonia will be conducted by Steve Sweetsir with string sectionals taught by Bob Loughran. Second, Fanfare Winds, a new top-tier wind ensemble will be added to YOBC’s roster. This will create a progression of three large wind groups: Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, and Fanfare Winds. Fanfare Winds will be
conducted by Steve Sweetsir. Karl Krelove, a 30-year teaching veteran and conductor of YOBC’s Clarinet Ensemble, will conduct the YOBC Wind Ensemble. Third, YOBC’s Percussion Ensemble will be expanded to include percussion fundamentals for all YOBC Intermediate percussion students. Joey D’Alicandro will oversee that ensemble. Over the next three years, we will refine these programs and infuse YOBC with artistry by expanding our chamber music offerings and featuring inspiring guest artists and educators in our programs. These efforts will support YOBC’s mission, “…to create opportunities for young musicians to achieve artistic excellence through enriching classical music experiences.” So put on your hard hats and help us launch YOBC’s exciting construction project that will culminate in 2015–16, our 25th Anniversary Season. Visit the YOBC website for an outline and detailed description of all our ensembles and programs. Prerequisites and audition information are also available under Join YOBC. —Colleen Sweetsir YOBC Executive Director Page 3
YOBC Alumnus Jason Karlyn Making a Mark in Music Just 15 years ago, YOBC alumnus Jason Karlyn, picked up a viola for the first time, and his life changed forever. Jason, now a candidate for a Master of Music at the University of Southern California (USC), had already studied piano for two years. That gave him an excellent foundation for learning a string instrument. He enjoyed many successes throughout his years in Council Rock, participating in the District Elementary Orchestra, being selected for the all the PMEA festivals in his first year of eligibility, and culminating in his winning first chair in the All-Eastern Honors Orchestra. Outside of school,
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Jason’s first and probably most important step in his musical development was to join YOBC. The wonderful instruction, nurturing leadership, and being surrounded by other highly talented musicians helped Jason to flourish. For Jason, YOBC helped foster his passion and determination to continually strive for the next level. In high school, Jason won a scholarship to the Settlement Music School in an advanced studies quartet under former Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Violist, Sidney Curtiss. Jason also held the first chair in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Temple University’s Youth Chamber Orchestra, and the Council Rock South Symphony and Chambers Orchestras. In the summer of 2006, Jason was a soloist with the Ocean City Pops. Knowing that music would be a major force in his life, Jason’s parents sought opportunities in the summers for Jason to participate in music festivals. Jason attended the Strings International Festival, now known as the Philadelphia International Music Festival and in 2007, he was accepted to the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival, where he received fellowships and studied for four summers. Jason’s passion for the viola continued to grow, and he set his sights on a lofty goal. He wanted nothing more than to attend the prestigious Juilliard
School at Lincoln Center in New York City. Jason had some safety schools in mind, but he didn’t need them. Jason graduated from Juilliard in May 2012 with a Bachelor of Music in viola performance and accepted a full scholarship to USC for the two-year master’s program, studying under Curtis Institute of Music graduate and principal violist of the San Diego Symphony, Che -Yen Chen. Jason has had the honor of performing at the Kimmel Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and at various other venues throughout the United States and in Italy and Brazil. His conductors have included Alan Gilbert, Leonard Slatkin, John Adams, Michael Tilson Thomas, and David Zinman, among others. Most recently Jason was the principal violist of the USC Symphony Orchestra on national television for the Los Angeles holiday tree lighting with Barry Manilow and Sarah Brightman. Jason’s mom (YOBC board member Dawn Karlyn) believes that the YOBC experience played a major role in Jason’s development as a musician. She says, “Jason’s passion for music could not have been fulfilled without YOBC. The structure of the organization provides an excellent ladder for a musician to grow, staffed by highly talented conductors and excellent performance opportunities.” She is thrilled to be part of YOBC’s board to help give back to the orchestra that started it all for her son.
tudent
potlight: Lena Hadly
Lena Hadly is a sophomore at Pennsbury High School and a member of the YOBC Philharmonia. She has been playing the violin for a little over six years and joined YOBC about three years ago. Lena joined YOBC because she likes to be able to play challenging music. In addition to the violin, Lena plays the mandolin. She plays music in Pennsbury High School’s symphonic orchestra. Sometimes she and her friends play together as well. When she is not playing music, Lena says,
“I enjoying writing and reading in my spare time. I also watch a lot of TV shows and follow a couple of sport teams.” Lena’s interests will take her in another direction in the future. “I plan on joining the military after high school,” she says. “I’m planning on becoming an officer by doing ROTC during college. After that, I would really like to become a detective on a police force.” No doubt the discipline and focus she learned playing music will stand Lena in good stead in her future endeavors.
Lena Hadly tunes up backstage before the fall concert
US Army All-American Marching Band When I was selected as part of the US Army All-American Marching Band, I thought it would be really cool to spend a week with a bunch of band nerds prepping for a performance at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. To put it simply, calling the experience “cool” would be like calling liquid nitrogen “chilly.” The entire week was beyond belief. The first night was fantastic as we were exposed to the inspiring words of the director, Professor Feagin, a rock concert by the group The Volunteers, and New Year’s fireworks. As the week went on, we experienced, among other things, the Alamo, a party with rapper Wale, a barbeque meal in the Ala-
Volume 4, Number 3, February 2013
modome, a push-up contest (in which our drum major showed up the football players!), and the Federal Brass Quintet. Eventually, we had to get around to rehearsal, and when we did, I realized I was in marching band heaven, where all lines are straight. It was amazing to see the amount of perfection and talent around me, and we were able to learn and clean drill faster than I thought possible. We marched in a dome, in 30 degree weather, in the wind, in the rain, in the hail—and through it all, we bonded while getting better at an astronomical rate. All this work culminated in the performance at halftime on Saturday, and standing there in the last set, seeing and hearing the audience’s reaction—it was an amazing feeling to know that we had evoked so much emotion in so many people. Soon afterwards, though, I was overcome by a feeling of great sadness as I realized this amazing event was over. I got lots of free stuff, which was cool, but the two best
things I got were not physical. The one was life lessons and learning. To talk about those, I could go on for a week quoting the brilliant Professor Feagin with his statements such as, “It takes energy to produce energy” and “We are here to say ‘Thank You.’” Suffice it to say that I learned so much about the army, clarinet, marching, band, people, me, success, life, doing the Bernie… the list goes on. The other was friendships; it was amazing to get to know the instructional staff and learn about their awesomeness on every level. And, of course, I can’t overstate how ridiculously fantastic the clarinetists, piccoloists, and other band members were that I got to know, both on their instruments and as people in general. The experience was mindblowingly amazing, and it is one I will treasure the rest of my life. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to be a part of it, and am eternally grateful to everyone who made the experience as ridiculously, epically fantastic as it was. It was an amazing experience. —Daniel Gift Daniel Gift is principal clarinetist in YOBC’s Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble Page 5
252 Hollow Branch Lane Yardley, PA 19067 Email: info.yobc@gmail.com auditions@yobc.org
yobc.org
The YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (YO BC) was founded in 1991 with the spo nsorship and support of Bucks Coun ty Community College. Its mission is to create opportunities for young music ians to achieve artistic excellence thr ough enriching classical musical ex periences. In 21 seasons the organizatio n has grown from a single, 60-mem ber ensemble to 12 ensembles with over 250 young musicians.
Philadelphia Orchestra Cello Play-In On December 15 I participated in the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Cello Play-In Event. In the Kimmel Center’s lobby, 135 other cellists and I gathered for a fun night of music-making. This event started when the Kimmel Center first opened its doors over 10 years ago, and the Cello Play-In 2012 was the first time since then that the event has been organized. The group was organized like a cello quartet—except there were about 35 players assigned to each part. There were four sections of cellists, each with a different part containing melodies, harmonies, countermelodies, and bass parts. A member of the orchestra’s cello section played with each group; 4 th chair Richard Harlow sat in front of me and led my section. The rest of the members sat in a row on stage, only to be joined by the world-renowned cello soloist Alisa Weilerstein in the center. Esteemed conductor Gianandrea
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Noseda led us in 20 pieces that ranged everywhere from “Air” by Bach, to “Pomp and Circumstance” by Elgar and even “Michelle” by The Beatles. After that, we played holiday songs like “The First Noel” and “Jingle Bells” where Cello Play-In at the Kimmel Center the audience was invited to sing along. Mr. Noseda collaborated with the When we were finished playing, Philadelphia Orchestra in a perthere was massive applause as we formance of Elgar’s cello concerto. walked away from the lobby. I was Overall it was a great musichonored to be packing up right next making experience and fun to to The Philadelphia Orchestra’s play with people my own age and principal cellist Hai-Ye Ni and her professionals alike! 1704 Matteo Gofriller cello. After the —Eric Cyphers massive event, Ms. Weilerstein and Cellist, YOBC Symphony Orchestra